One of the artillery soldiers in Stephen Wraysford’s unit during the war. Brennan’s brother is killed in the war, and while he survives, Brennan is badly injured in the final battle and lives the rest of his life in a veterans’ home. Stephen’s granddaughter, Elizabeth, learns about Brennan from Captain Gray’s wife, and she begins to visit him in the home.
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Brennan Character Timeline in Birdsong
The timeline below shows where the character Brennan appears in Birdsong. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Four: France 1917
The men sift through piles of dirt and miscellaneous body parts. One man named Brennan even uncovers the body of his brother. After they return, Weir asks Stephen if this...
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Part Five: England 1978-79
...wife interrupts again: “There’s a man my husband used to write to. His name was Brennan. He was in a Star and Garter veterans’ home in Southend.”
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Elizabeth telephones the matron of the veterans’ home and asks about Brennan. The woman tells Elizabeth that Brennan is a resident there but is “barely worth visiting.”...
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When Elizabeth arrives at the home, the matron tells her that Brennan has lived there for the last sixty years. He was badly injured during the last...
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As Elizabeth approaches Brennan, he is seated in a wheelchair “like a bird on its perch.” He glasses are...
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Brennan is a world away, and Elizabeth sits with him quietly sipping tea. She decides to...
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...condition of shock” for days after. The New Year comes, and she resolves to visit Brennan more. She takes him cake and whiskey, and just sits and drinks tea with him....
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