Service
From Private to Corporal on the 25th of March 1845, following his return from the Riding Establishment at Maidstone.
Reduced to Private on the 26th of March 1845.
Next-of-kin (in 1854): Wife, Maria Brennan, living in Kingston, Surrey.
He was wounded (possibly in a fight) in the Crimea by 1389 William Moloney, 13th Light Dragoons. Moloney was tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 7th of December 1854 for "being drunk and wounding Private Brennan of the 17th Lancers", and given 50 lashes. (This could only have been 636 James Brennan.)
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
On passage to England on the 25th of January 1860 and at the Maidstone Depot from the 26th of May.
Discharge & pension
Granted a "Free discharge, at his own request", on the 2nd of June 1860, and given a rail warrant to travel to Twickenham, London.
WO/25/3859 shows the following details:
"Register Sheet of this man discharged from the Cavalry Depot at Maidstone and forwarded to the Public Record Office on the 3rd of July 1890 in substitution for his discharge papers which were accidentally destroyed."
Served 20 years 52 days.
Conduct and character: "Indifferent".
Three times tried by Court-martial as well as losing pay for minor offences on a number of occasions.
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 9th of May 1855 for "Absence and being drunk under arms." Awarded 50 lashes and loss of pay.
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 8th of October 1855 for "Absence and making away with a Crimean medal." Given 50 lashes. (Whether this was his own or someone else's is not shown, neither is there any mention of any replacement.)
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 20th of December 1855 for "Habitual drunkenness and awarded 50 lashes and stoppage of 1d. per day for two years".
Commemorations
Named on the list of members of the Balaclava Commemoration in 1877 but not on the 1879 list.
Photograph of survivors, 1887
(Click on image to enlarge)
[RM: Brennan appears in a photograph of a group of survivors who attended the Annual Dinner in 1887. This annotated photograph, which previously belonged to James Lamb of the 13th Light Dragoons, is now in the NAM. James Brennan is said to be standing at the end of the second row on the extreme right, but looks very different from the man said to be him in the 1890 photo (see below). However, the man behind this one in the third row does bear more of a resemblance and is more likely to be him.]
Photograph of survivors taken at Olympia, 1890
[PB: Make an enlargement.]
(Click on image to enlarge)
Attended the Balaclava Dinner in 1890 and appears in a photograph taken at that time. (See copy in the 17th Lancer file.) This would imply that he was accepted as a survivor.
He appeared with other Crimean War veterans as a "Battle of Balaklava Hero" in the Lord Mayor's Show, 1890.
A specially printed programme for this event lists all these men and Brennan is shown as travelling in the 14th carriage in the procession.
From this it would appear that Brennan was accepted as a survivor of the Charge by his contemporaries, sharing the carriage as he did with Mugg, Mullins and Aldous of the regiment, all known and vetted survivors.
See also survivors' list of 1890, featuring Nunnerly in portrait uniform, in which Brennan is also named. (In file.)]
Further detailed medal information archived.
Death & burial
James Brennan died on 21st of February 1891 in the Northumberland Street Workhouse, St Marylebone, London, of "Apoplexy", and was "Buried by his friends".
Death registered
James Brennan, aged 75 years, March Quarter 1891, Marylebone.
Written in pencil on his documents is: "Man died — Union, 21st February 1891".
From the Southwark Recorder, 23rd of May 1891:
"Death of One of the Six Hundred. — Sergeant Jowett, late of the 11th Hussars and one of the "Six Hundred" heroes who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, died on Monday (the 19th) [sic] at Guy's Hospital, London, of dropsy. He had been for 26 years in the employ of the City of London Brewery Company, by whom he had recently been retired on pension. Jowett was one of the veterans who took part in the Lord Mayor's Show last November. Four others of the brave fellows who "rode through the jaws of death" and were also amongst the Lord Mayor's processional have since died... Named were Carroll, 4th Light Dragoons, Pamplin, 13th Hussars, and Aldous and Brennan, 17th Lancers."
From an unknown newspaper:
"Death of another of "The Last of the Light Brigade." — The death has occurred of James Brennan, aged 75, for many years a Sergeant Drill Instructor of the 17th Lancers, who died recently of apoplexy in the Union. The deceased served not only in the Crimean War but also in the Indian Mutiny and arrangements had almost been completed for his removal from the Workhouse and providing for his comfort for the remainder of his days from the Light Brigade Fund.... "
In an old "Scrapbook" formerly belonging to James W. Wightman of the 17th Lancers was found a cutting from the Standard newspaper relating to a letter sent by a Douglas C. Lee:
"Sir, — On the 21st ult. there died in the Union, aged between seventy and eighty years of age, James Brennan, one of the few survivors of the heroic Light Brigade Charge. I am informed that an old officer of his regiment had found a home for the poor old gentleman in which to spend the short remainder of his life, but he could obtain no funds for this from the Relief Committee, who, although they have collected large sums of money from the public in all quarters of the globe, seems to have suffered one of the most deserving cases to die a pauper in a London Workhouse.
From a personal knowledge of this old soldier, whom I have known for many years, and whom I have visited in his pauper refuge, I know how intensely he felt his unfortunate position (which I may say was brought about by illness) and how his spirit rebelled about disgracing the Queen's medals by wearing them on the fustian jacket of the workhouse uniform, which he always refused to do.
I venture to draw the attention of the public to the above case, in the hope that subscribers to the Fund will take the matter up, and insist on some sort of satisfactory explanation.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant.
Douglas C. Lee.
40 Queen Victoria Street, E.C.
March 3rd."
To this, Wightman has added in handwriting:
I removed the body of my old comrade from the above Union, and had him respectably buried at a cost of £7/15/- by Mr. Holt of High Street, Kensington, no other comrade attending his funeral but myself — which took place in Brompton Cemetery and he now rests amongst the remains of many of his comrades who fought through that hard and trying campaign of 1854-55. It was at all times his greatest horror to be buried as a pauper and often begged me to see that it never happened, and I am glad to say that I was near to him at the time. The above gentleman, Mr. Douglas C. Lee, has been very kind to him and wished to purchase the medals which he had left me. I later made that gentleman, Mr. Douglas Lee, a present of them, as he wanted something in remembrance of poor old Jim Brennan.
James William Wight man.
Late 17th Lancers.
"One of the Six Hundred.
And he got nothing a day for it.
When will the Country reward their Soldiers.
Soldier and Hero, the memory of his name,
Linked unto Honour's crest shall ever be,
Bound to the record roll of British fame,
Emblazoned on our scroll of Chivalry...
And he shall rest in peace with honour bound,
until the trumpets of the angels do sound."
Brennan was buried in Brompton Cemetery, Grave No. 152192 Section R. on the 27th of February 1891. The records state that he died in the Workhouse and was buried from Church. The grave-site is said to be a common one and no headstone was erected. There is however, no entry for any other burial in the same plot. (See photograph of the grave-area in the 17th Lancer file.
In an Account and Address Book used by James Wightman when he was Secretary of the Balaclava Society, Brennan's address was given as "City of London Union Ho, Merton, London", and a Letter Book shows a letter being sent to him on the 28th of November 1879 telling him that "Book will be forwarded", (presumably the Roll of Members and Rules of the Society) and a further letter (which cannot be dated, as the page is partially torn off) and the wording, "Book to Brendan ---------- Name inserted --------- ---Sidney." He was also sent small sums of money (1/2/-) via Mrs. Cattermole and his tickets for the Annual Banquet were "Free, he being very poor".
[PB: I suspect an error has occurred in the address given above ("City of London Union Ho, Merton, London"). The City of London Union Workhouse was located in Homerton, not Merton. I am not sure whether the mistake was James Wightman's or EJB's, but it is easy to see how it occurred. For more on this workhouse, see www.workhouses.org.uk/CityOfLondon/. The page includes the following description of Board meetings, which presumably also took place while James Brennan was an inmate.]
In March 1897, the City of London Union Guardians became involved in a scandal over the refreshments that were served at their board meetings. One of the board members, Mr John Lobb, proposed an innocuous sounding motion 'that the Dining by the Guardians at the workhouse at Homerton and the infirmary at Bow after the business... be discontinued.'
Press reports subsequently revealed that the Board's meetings were conducted in a manner worthy of the pages of Oliver Twist.
Proceedings began with a light luncheon of bread and cheese, beer, spirits etc. After the main business of the meeting, typically an hour to an hour and a half later, the Guardians were served a repast of fish (salmon for preference), fowl, roast mutton and beef, and sundry other dishes followed by a selection of puddings and sweets. The food was accompanied by champagne and other wines as well as spirits. Then came the important matter of a long series of well-lubricated toasts to the Queen and Royal family, the Chairman of the Board, the Vice Chairman of the Board, the Chairman for the day, the Vice Chairman for the Day, and so on, finally concluding with a toast for the Oldest Guardian and one for the Youngest Guardian. Finally, the members rounded off their meal with tea, coffee, biscuits, cakes, and other dainties and delicacies.
As well as the unseemliness of such consumption and cork-popping taking place in earshot of the workhouse inmates, concerns were raised over the financing of such feasts and whether they were being subsidized by the rate-payers.
Mr Lobb's motion, needless to say, was defeated.
Extract from the United Services Gazette of an unknown date:
"Douglas C. Lee, although mistaken in his facts, is thought to have done a good service in bringing forward before the public the case of James Brennan, late of the 17th Lancers and one of the survivors of the heroes of the Light Brigade, who has just died in the Union and the opportunity has been given to the distinguished administrators of the Light Brigade Fund to satisfactorily explain the action taken by them in this matter.
It seems that this man, although he has been a very fine soldier, had, during his later years, fallen into very bad habits. He had, through his own fault, and in spite of several efforts to reclaim and assist him, constantly drifted back to the workhouse. To provide him with a few comforts was all that could be done — any rate — for a time. It is a pity that Brennan did not survive to receive the benefit of an arrangement through a distinguished officer, himself a survivor of the Light Brigade, that was about to be made with a person who was willing, for a small allowance in payment, to receive and take charge of Brennan."
