Peter Joseph Handcock (17 February 1868 – 27 February 1902) was an Australian-born Veterinary Lieutenant and convicted war criminal who served in the Bushveldt Carbineers during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

in South Africa. After a court martial, Handcock (along with Harry "Breaker" Morant) was convicted and executed for the murders of nine Boer POWs and three other civilians. His execution, "which had been carried out without the knowledge and consent of the Australian government",Wallace (1983). was and remains a controversial issue in Australia.

Life

Peter Joseph Handcock was born at Peel, near

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in ...

to William Handcock (1830–1874), and Bridget Handcock, née Martin (1830–1881) on 17 February 1868 Australian Boer War Memorial. He was apprenticed to a blacksmith at age 12, and later worked as a blacksmith with the Railways Department. He married his 17-year-old cousin Bridget Alice Mary Martin on 15 July 1888, and they had two sons and a daughter.

Military service

He served in South Africa with the 1st

New South Wales Mounted Rifles The New South Wales Mounted Rifles was a mounted infantry regiment of the Colony of New South Wales. History The regiment was formed at the Victoria Barracks, Sydney on 17 September 1888, as the New South Wales Mounted Infantry. The regiment ...

, and was promoted to Farrier-Sergeant. When the NSWMR returned home he obtained a commission in the Bushveldt Carbineers as Veterinary and Transport Officer. Breaker-morant-grave

In early August 1901, Handcock executed an unarmed, wounded Boer prisoner, Floris Visser. Two weeks later, he fatally shot a South African missionary, Reverend

Daniel Heese Carl August Daniel Heese (24 February 1867 – 23 August 1901) was a South African missionary murdered during the Second Boer War. Although two officers of the Bushveldt Carbineers (BVC) were tried in connection with the murder and acquit ...

, possibly out of the fear that he would report his crimes. Handcock also organized and participated in the executions of 8 surrendering Boers. "We are justified in shooting everything in sight," Handcock said to a fellow trooper. On 7 September 1901, Hancock and Morant heard that three Boers were approaching their camp. They met the three with two other soldiers. The Boers were Roelf van Staden and his two sons, 16-year-old Roelf Jr. and 12-year-old Chris, who was very sick from a fever. Morant quietly told his men that when the Stadens reached a clearing, to wait until he said “lay down your arms,” then shoot the three after they calmed down. When Handcock and the two other soldiers pointed their rifles at the Stadens ready to fire, the family looked at them confused and scared. They calmed down after Morant gave his command, and were then suddenly shot as he had planned.

Execution

Handcock and Morant were convicted,

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

led, found guilty, and executed in Pretoria by a firing squad drawn from the

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

on 27 February 1902 on

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

charges for shooting nine Boer POWs. Handcock was also found guilty of manslaughter for killing Visser. Although the defendants were found guilty of killing these enemy combatants, they were acquitted of murdering Daniel Heese. However, in 1929, it was revealed by George Witton in a letter to

James Francis Thomas Major James Francis Thomas (25 July 1861 – 11 November 1942), was a solicitor from Tenterfield, New South Wales. As Major Thomas, he defended Lieutenants Peter Joseph Handcock, George Ramsdale Witton, and Harry "Breaker" Morant, of the Bush ...

that Handcock had confessed to Witton of murdering Heese just after he was acquitted.

Petitions for review of convictions and sentences

In 2010, petitions were submitted for the review of the convictions of Handcock and his colleagues.The transcript of the committee's hearing is a
Public hearings and roundtable discussions
Parliament of Australia - House of Representatives

Footnotes

References

Probate Jurisdiction, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', (Thursday, 23 June 1904), p.8.
* ''The Bushveldt Carbineers and the Pietersburg Light Horse'' by William (Bill) Woolmore (2002, Slouch Hat Publications Australia) * Unkles, James, ''Ready, Aim, Fire : Major James Francis Thomas, the Fourth Victim in the Execution of Lieutenant Harry "Breaker" Morant'', Sid Harta Publishers, (Glen Waverley), 2018.
''The Australian Boer War Memorial'': Lieutenant Peter Handcock.

Wallace, R.L., "Handcock, Peter Joseph (1868–1902)", pp.185-185 in B. Nairn, G. Serle, and C. Cunneen (eds), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography: Volume 9: 1891-1939, Gil-Las'', Melbourne University Press, (Carlton), 1983.

External links

For an Australian War Memorial: Peter Handcock

Lieutenant Peter Handcock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handcock, Peter 1868 births 1902 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War British colonial army officers Australian murderers of children Australian people convicted of murder Australian people convicted of war crimes Australian people executed abroad British Army personnel who were court-martialled Executed Australian people Executed military personnel People convicted of murder by the British military People executed by the British military by firing squad People executed for war crimes 20th-century executions by the United Kingdom People from New South Wales Deaths by firearm in South Africa Australian mass murderers Executed mass murderers