Editing Breaker Morant (section)

==Visit to England==
By late September 1900, with Burleigh accepting Roberts' contention that the war was almost over, Morant decided to travel to England with the war correspondent when he returned home. To keep his options open for a return to South Africa, he attempted to secure a place with the police force being established by Major General [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Robert Baden-Powell]]{{snd}}the [[South African Constabulary]]{{snd}}to safeguard law and order in the occupied Boer republics. For help with this task Morant looked to useful bureaucrats in the administration. One of these was Lieutenant [[Percy Frederick Hunt|Percy Hunt]], a regular British Army officer formerly of the [[13th Hussars]] who, like Morant, was a lover of both horses and polo.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=211-212}}

The two quickly struck up a friendship. At the time, Hunt was a marriage registrar in the administration, and had served with the scouts of Lieutenant General [[John French, 1st Earl of Ypres|John French]]'s cavalry division earlier in the war, but had seen little action. Hunt, an aristocratic officer with excellent social connections{{snd}}who was nearly ten years Morant's junior{{snd}}gave Morant some contacts of his to get in touch with when he arrived in London.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=211-212}} The Second Contingent of the SAMR returned to South Australia in October, and the commanding officer wrote a farewell letter of recommendation for Morant noting his satisfaction with Morant's "soldierly behaviour and continual alertness" while part of the contingent.{{sfn|Bleszynski|2002|p=113}}

Morant and Burleigh arrived in [[Cape Town]] in late October and stayed at the palatial [[Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel|Mount Nelson Hotel]] where they wined and dined for several days awaiting the departure of their ship to England. Morant claimed that he did not have the funds immediately available to pay his extensive hotel bill, but that it should be forwarded to Admiral Morant in Devon and would be promptly paid. The manager agreed.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|p=212}} Morant and Burleigh departed Cape Town aboard the ''Dunvegan Castle'', arriving in London in late November.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=212–213}}

As soon as he arrived in London, Morant visited the [[Agent-General]] for South Australia{{snd}}the former [[Premier of South Australia|premier]], Sir [[John Cockburn (Australian politician)|John Cockburn]], and told him that he had been [[officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] in the South African Constabulary as a lieutenant. He then forwarded an account of the meeting to journalist friends in Adelaide, and the ''[[The Observer (Adelaide)|Adelaide Observer]]'' duly printed it a month later. In it, Morant made three false claims: that he was the son of a Colonel Morant of Renmark; that he had been commissioned as a lieutenant in the South African Constabulary; and that he was on six month's leave of absence before taking up his appointment back in South Africa.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|p=213}}

A letter dated 23 January 1901 was sent to Admiral Morant by the Mount Nelson Hotel stating that Harry Morant had stayed there during November 1900, while claiming to be the Admiral's son. Harry Morant had further claimed to be a war correspondent for the ''Daily Telegraph'' and had "left without discharging his liability" of sixteen pounds and thirteen shillings. The letter concluded, "We shall esteem it a favour if you will let us know the course we had better adopt. We are averse to taking the matter to court till we had heard from you."{{sfn|Leach|2012|p=158}} This letter arrived at Brockenhurst Park, the home of a branch of the Morant clan, but Admiral Morant did not live there. The letter was received in early February 1901 by Flora Morant, whose late husband was a cousin of the admiral. She consulted with her solicitor and replied with a formal note advising the hotel that the admiral did not know the man referred to in their letter, and would not be held liable for his debts.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=231–232}}

In early February, Morant participated in the [[Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria|funeral procession of Queen Victoria]] wearing the uniform of a lieutenant in the South African Constabulary. He was noticed by an Australian journalist who spoke to him and wrote in a South Australian newspaper published in March that "Lieutenant Morant, of B.{{nbsp}}P.{{nbsp}}P.{{nbsp}}[Baden-Powell's Police], who went out with the Second Contingent as [a] corporal, is now in England, and is visiting friends in Devonshire." In reality, Morant was not at this time a member of the British Army or the South African Constabulary, and held no rank.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=232–234}}{{sfn|Growden|2019|p=128}}

Whatever his aims, Morant did not have a very successful visit to England. He mostly stayed with his unmarried sister Annie, who resented his long absence with little communication, and beyond a few trips to London to mix with a few people who knew his exploits, his visit only served to remind him of his unimpressive personal circumstances. According to FitzSimons, he had no future in England and could not return to Australia due to his debts and criminal past. Despite the fact that he did not have a commission in the South African Constabulary, he returned to South Africa in March 1901 hoping that other opportunities might present themselves.{{sfn|FitzSimons|2020|pp=232–234}}{{sfn|Growden|2019|p=128}}