Unfortunately for we Boer War aficionados, the conflict has not really captured the imagination of film-makers over the years. Indeed, there’s only really been one semi-famous film made about it, 1980’s ‘Breaker Morant’. I was watching it again last night – for the first time in a few years – and was struck by the rather awkward, scene-setting, opening monologue made by Morant (Edward Woodward):
‘Harry Harbord Morant, Lt. Bushveldt Carbineers. I enlisted in South Australia. I was with the 2nd contingent for 9 months, and was promoted to Sergeant in that Corps. I received my commission when I transferred to the Transvaal Constabulary. I returned to England on six months leave, and with the help of my friend, Captain Hunt, patched up a quarrel, an old quarrel, with my family. I had intended to go back to England to live after the war. On my return to South Africa, I fought at Karee Siding, and Kroonstad under Lord Roberts. I also fought with General French’s cavalry brigade at Diamond Hill. After that, there were requests for volunteers to join the Bushveldt Carbineers in the Northern Transvaal. I joined on April 1st 1900 – April Fool’s Day. In the Carbineers, I was responsible for the capture of Boer commando leader Kelly. I was recommended for a DSO. I take full and entire responsibility for the … events … at Fort Edward. I was, however, acting under orders. I was also deeply disturbed by what happened to Captain Hunt’.
There are so many mistakes in this clumsy bit of exposition that it is astounding no one involved picked them up.
Morant did indeed volunteer for service in the 2nd Contingent of the South Australian Mounted Rifles, which arrived into Cape Town in late February 1900.[1] However, Morant did not serve in the ‘Transvaal Constabulary’[2] (this short-lived unit quickly morphed into Baden-Powell’s South African Constabulary), and – though he might well have pretended he had to others[3] – it would be unlikely he would make such an easily-dismissed claim in Court.
The time line is the big howler though.
The action at Karee Siding was fought on 29 March 1900,[4] and while there was no real ‘Battle of Kroonstad’, the town was captured by Roberts’ men on 12 May 1900[5] after the British victory at the Zand River. Diamond Hill – at which French commanded a cavalry division, not a brigade – was fought on 11/12 June 1900.[6]
Simply put, none of these actions were fought after his ‘six months leave’ and his ‘return to South Africa’.
In reality, Morant left South Africa in October 1900, and returned after a few months in England, taking up his commission in the Bushveldt Carbineers on 1st April 1901 – not 1900.
It is unbelievable that no one involved in making the film – not the director, or writer, military advisor, editor, producers, camera crew, armourer, the actors, or any of the other dozens of people involved – thought for a moment and said:
‘hang on – how can Morant have arrived in South Africa sometime after the war began, served nine months, taken 6 months of leave, and still only transferred to the Bushveldt Carbineers in April 1900?’
Was there not a single person involved in the process of writing / filming / editing the film who even knew when the Boer War started? You would really have thought that someone could have at least have got the year right, and it makes you wonder what qualifications the film’s ‘military advisor’ (an actor called Stan Green) had.
Still, I guess that, given the rubbish most people blindly believe about the Boer War, and the nonsense that spews out of the History Departments of certain universities, none of this should be surprising. Besides, deciding to make a film about a war you know nothing about, is no more ridiculous than Thomas Pakenham deciding to write a book about a war he knows nothing about.
NOTES:
[1] Hall, The Hall Handbook of the Anglo-Boer War, p.82
[2] https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/morant-harry-harbord-breaker-7649
[3] Morant was reported as wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant of the South African Constabulary at the funeral of Queen Victoria, on 2 February 1901
[4] Jones & Jones, A Gazetteer of the Second Anglo-Boer War, p.116
[5] Pretorius, The A to Z of the Anglo-Boer War, p.225
[6] Jones & Jones, A Gazetteer of the Second Anglo-Boer War, p.57
2 Comments
Thanks Chris for pointing out these errors in the film. However, to be fair many war/history films made a few years before Breaker Morant took a lot of artistic liberties with the truth. One only has to think of Zulu, Anzio, Cromwell and the Battle of the Bulge. I thought that Private Hook was a drunken reprobate until about 10 years ago!
Despite the flaws of these films, for many they acted as a catalyst for their interest in the subject and for that reason, I think, that they are to be commended. Having said that I appreciate you valid and cogent points made in respect of Breaker Morant.
I agree that one cannot expect to ‘learn’ history from films – they are there for entertainment, and ‘Breaker Morant’ is certainly an excellent film, as are ‘Zulu’, ‘A Bridge too Far’, etc.
While I can understand film-makers leaving aspects of a story out, rolling two actions into one, or adding fictional characters for exposition purposes, something as simple as getting the year wrong baffled me – that was obviously not done for the purposes of story-telling: it was a cock-up, pure and simple, which is a shame, as it is an important story, and a great film.
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