Thomas Brennan was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 2nd December 1888, the son of John and Mary Brennan
children, and his father was a wheelwright.
On completing his education, Thomas Brennan worked as a general labourer in a sugar refinery and sometimes engaged as a trimmer on steam ships out of Liverpool.
On the 25th July 1909, he married Margaret Edwards at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church in Liverpool. The couple established their first home at 30. Stitt Street, Everton, Liverpool, before moving to 4, Ellenborough Street, Bevington Hill, Liverpool, where they were to spend the remainder of their lives.
Thomas Brennan engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915 for what would be the liner’s last ever voyage to America and reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April, the day she left the River Mersey.
As a trimmer, his monthly rate of pay was £6-0s-0d., and upon engagement, he was granted an advance on his wages of £1-0s-0d. It was not the first time that he had served on the Lusitania.
He survived the sinking three weeks later, when the liner was six days out of New York and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown from where he eventually made it back to Liverpool.
Once there, he was officially discharged from the Lusitania’s last voyage and given the balance of wages owing to him, which amounted to £4-6s-4d., (£4.32p.). This was in respect of his sea service from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915; 24 hours after the ship had gone down.
There is no record of Thomas Brennan ever going to sea after his ordeal on the Lusitania and he worked for the remainder of his life as a labourer for Fairrie & Company Limited, sugar refiners, Vauxhall Road, Liverpool. This company was later taken over by Tate & Lyle.
Thomas and Margaret Brennan had four children – Mary, Thomas, Margaret, and William John.
Margaret Brennan died in January 1919, aged 28 years, leaving Thomas to raise their children on his own. He never re-married.
Thomas Brennan died at Mill Road Infirmary, Liverpool, on the 6th December 1939, aged 51 years, and was buried in Ford Cemetery.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Catholic Marriages 1754 – 1921, Liverpool England Catholic Burials 1813 – 1985, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, 1939 Register, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 19th December 2022.