The Military History Society of NSW

James Unkles has requested a right of reply to points made about the 'Breaker' Morant case by Major General the Honourable Justice Paul Brereton, AM, RFD during his address to our Society on 4 June 202 2 : In a civilised society, the principle of natural justice must rule. This principle is as relevant today as it was in 1902. Justice Brereton’s presentation of the history of Australian war crimes and the implications of Australian and international law is a welcome addition to study of this controversial subject from Australia’s involvement in the Anglo-Boer War to Vietnam. (1) His analysis focused on facts concerning the Anglo-Boer War, British military units and the service of    Lieutenants Morant, Handcock and Witton with the Bushveldt Carabineers and their subsequent trial for shooting prisoners. Justice Brereton concluded that these men did not suffer a substantial miscarriage of justice under the law of 1902.   However, there are aspects of Justice Brereton’s

  Eighty years ago, Sydney had been at war for fifteen months. Our forces were all away in either Europe, the Middle East or Malaya. Australians didn’t see the war come home until the cataclysmic events in the second half of 1941, which brought the war closer to our threshold as the Japanese drove to create the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. In this presentation Ron Lyons will talk about Australia’s entry into the war and, in particular, life in wartime Sydney and its defences. He will also describe Sydney’s very rude awakening in May/June 1942 when war literally arrived on our doorstep. Military history enthusiast, battlefield guide and speaker, retired Lieutenant Colonel Ron Lyons served for 37 years in the Australian Army Reserve. Ron is passionate about telling the story of Australia’s military history to the wider community and has been a historian and battlefield guide on Gallipoli and the Western Front in France and Belgium since 2008. As well as guiding and speaking t