Local history

Louis Brennan was born at Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland. However, his family emigrated to Australia in 1861, so Brennan lived in Melbourne until he came to London in 1880. From 1883 until 1887, Brennan was based at the Brompton Barracks while he was developing the torpedo. In 1887 he became Superintendent of the Brennan Torpedo Factory, which was established in order to develop the weapon. In 1896 he relinquished the role of Superintendent and became a consultant to the factory – a role that he held until 1907. This arrangement gave Brennan time to work on other inventions.

From 1887 until his marriage in 1892, Brennan lived at The Cottage on Gillingham Green; after his marriage in September 1892 he moved to Woodlands in Gillingham, where he developed and demonstrated the monorail. Unfortunately, government support for the monorail was withdrawn, leaving Brennan in financial difficulties, resulting in the sale of Woodlands in 1912.

Between 1912 and 1919, he worked for the Ministry of Munitions and then for the Ministry of Aviation until 1926. During this period, Brennan carried out aircraft research work involving the development of the helicopter. Brennan was knocked down by a car in December 1931 in Montreux and died as a result of his injuries in January 1932.

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