322:
sister's words, into "an unfamiliar, frightening Edward, who never smiled or spoke except about trivial things ... Silent, uncommunicative, thrust in upon himself." Brittain returned to the
Western Front almost exactly a year after he had left it and was immediately sent into battle, without knowing either the terrain or the men he was commanding, but emerged unscathed. His letters became increasingly critical of the conduct of the war. Vera Brittain was posted to a British hospital in northern France in August 1917, but the siblings never managed to see each other in France.
326:
321:
Brittain remained in
England, recuperating and then on light duty, until 30 June 1917. Thurlow was killed in action at Monchy-le-Preux in April 1917; Richardson was blinded at Arras the same month, and died from a cerebral abscess in London in June 1917. These losses transformed Brittain, in his
292:
on 19 November 1914. He remained in
England for the first year and a half of the war; he was held back from several transfers to the front by his colonel who was not impressed by Edward's supercilious attitude. During this period, he became close friends with fellow officer Geoffrey Thurlow.
364:
and the shame that this would bring upon his family. Edward's mother later revealed to Vera that Edward had been involved in homosexual activities while at
Uppingham. Hudson evaded Vera Brittain's questions when she visited him in hospital in 1918, but told her of his suspicions after
317:
for his service on the Somme. The citation stated that
Brittain was awarded the M.C. "For conspicuous gallantry and leadership during an attack. He was severely wounded, but continued to lead his men with great bravery and coolness until a second wound disabled him."
360:, was notified that Brittain would be court-martialled when he came out of the line. Hudson was told not to warn Brittain, but he warned him obliquely anyway. His commanding officer believed that Brittain put himself in harm's way to avoid a
500:, presenting a fictionalised version of Vera Brittain's life in 1914 and 1915, and exploring her relationships with her fiancé Roland, Edward, and Edward's (fictional) gay lover Bobbie Jones, and the impact the war had on them.
369:
was published in 1933. She was initially reluctant to believe that her brother had deliberately exposed himself to danger but eventually came around to his colonel's interpretation of events and fictionalised them in her novel
252:, Cheshire, to paper manufacturer Thomas Arthur Brittain (1864–1935) and his wife Edith Bervon Brittain (1868–1948). His only sibling was his older sister Vera, to whom he was very close. Brittain was educated at
682:
797:
297:, died of wounds in December 1915, and soon afterwards, in early 1916, Brittain was posted to the Western Front. He was wounded in the left arm and the right thigh in the
378:
tracked down Hudson's son Miles and was permitted to read Hudson's account of Edward
Brittain's last days. In 1995 Bostridge published details of his discovery in
802:
478:, published in 2012, the fate of the central character of Toby is based on that of Edward Brittain, though the source material is neither cited nor acknowledged.
398:, and her will requested that her ashes be scattered on his grave; "for nearly 50 years much of my heart has been in that Italian village cemetery". Her daughter
807:
268:. A talented violinist, he hoped to become a composer, but his father expected him to enter either the family paper-making firm or the Civil Service.
837:
832:
812:
153:
686:
750:
345:
Plateau, Captain
Brittain was shot in the head and killed during an early morning counter-attack against an Austrian offensive, part of the
817:
341:
with the 11th
Sherwood Foresters in November 1917. He saw his family for the last time on leave in January 1918. On 15 June 1918 on the
352:
In June 1918, army censors had read a letter from
Brittain that indicated he had had homosexual relations with men in his company. His
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428:
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405:
Edward
Brittain is commemorated along with Victor Richardson and Roland Leighton on the war memorial at
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Brittain left school in July 1914, just before the First World War broke out. He had been admitted to
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782:
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264:. Brittain was a good student, though seldom a prizewinner, at Uppingham and also served in the
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683:"Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan and Alexandra Roach Join Alicia Vikander in 'Testament of Youth'"
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Letters from a Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends
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451:
420:, eds.). His musical setting to his friend Leighton's poem "L'Envoi" is published in
417:
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29:
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462:
435:
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485:, Baroness Williams followed the footsteps of her mother to the grave of her uncle.
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621:(Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014), Kindle edition; Paul Berry and Mark Bostridge,
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725:
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Plateau in Italy. In September 1921 Vera Brittain visited the cemetery with
280:, but after the outbreak of hostilities he joined the British Army and was
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Brittain was made a temporary captain in August 1917 and was sent to the
61:
619:
Vera Brittain and the First World War: The Story of Testament of Youth
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342:
82:
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374:. While researching the authorised biography of Vera Brittain,
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Edward Brittain is buried in Granezza British Cemetery on the
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Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
409:; this was the church attended by the Richardson family.
382:, a book of which he and Paul Berry were the authors.
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89:
68:
44:
36:
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798:British military personnel killed in World War I
753:. Buxton International Festival. Archived from
496:, a musical show drawing on existing songs by
454:took the role of Edward Brittain. In the 2014
546:(Supplement). 20 October 1916. p. 10176.
526:(Supplement). 20 November 1914. p. 9545.
492:staged the first of a run of performances of
8:
598:(Supplement). 8 February 1918. p. 1884.
412:Many of Brittain's letters are published in
20:
726:"Edward Brittain and the Forgotten Front"
645:Berry, Paul & Bostridge, Mark (2016)
562:21 October 1916, cited in Vera Brittain,
309:, where his sister was then working as a
402:honoured her request in September 1970.
222:(30 November 1895 – 15 June 1918) was a
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483:Edward Brittain and the Forgotten Front
416:(Little, Brown, 1998, Alan Bishop and
333:headstone in Granezza British Cemetery
293:Leighton, who had been serving on the
803:British Army personnel of World War I
713:Vera Brittain and the First World War
649:, Chatto & Windus, 1995 (p. 523).
7:
660:"Prose & Poetry – Vera Brittain"
230:; he was immortalised by his sister
808:People educated at Uppingham School
313:. He was subsequently awarded the
256:, where he made two close friends,
608:London: Chatto & Windus, 1995.
481:In the 2018 BBC Radio 4 programme
424:(New York: Penguin, 1989), 78–80.
305:. Lieutenant Brittain was sent to
14:
685:. upandcomers.net. Archived from
566:, (New York: Penguin, 1989), 288.
838:Military personnel from Cheshire
833:20th-century English LGBT people
813:Recipients of the Military Cross
711:(Viking, 2012); Mark Bostridge,
662:. Firstworldwar.com. August 2001
442:taking the part of Vera. In the
196:Second Battle of the Piave River
94:Granezza British Cemetery, Italy
16:British Army officer (1895–1918)
681:Ge, Linda (13 February 2014).
448:Letters from a Lost Generation
429:1979 television adaptation of
226:officer who was killed in the
1:
751:"The Land of Might-Have-Been"
307:First London General Hospital
818:Sherwood Foresters officers
625:(Chatto & Windus, 1995)
494:The Land of Might-Have-Been
859:
347:Battle of the Piave River
828:LGBTQ military personnel
788:People from Macclesfield
407:St Barnabas Church, Hove
266:Officers' Training Corps
334:
216:Edward Harold Brittain
40:Edward Harold Brittain
647:Vera Brittain: A Life
623:Vera Brittain: A Life
380:Vera Brittain: A Life
356:, Lieutenant Colonel
328:
248:Brittain was born at
114:45.80775°N 11.53167°E
461:he was portrayed by
299:Battle of the Somme
278:New College, Oxford
184:Battle of the Somme
110: /
823:Testament of Youth
689:on 17 October 2015
595:The London Gazette
577:Testament of Youth
564:Testament of Youth
543:The London Gazette
523:The London Gazette
458:Testament of Youth
431:Testament of Youth
422:Testament of Youth
367:Testament of Youth
354:commanding officer
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237:Testament of Youth
164:Sherwood Foresters
119:45.80775; 11.53167
434:he was played by
372:Honourable Estate
286:second lieutenant
262:Victor Richardson
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843:Burials in Italy
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488:On 7 July 2023,
400:Shirley Williams
254:Uppingham School
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55:30 November 1895
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490:Buxton Festival
440:Cheryl Campbell
396:Winifred Holtby
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284:as a temporary
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272:First World War
258:Roland Leighton
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228:First World War
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174:First World War
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25:Edward Brittain
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452:Jonathan Firth
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418:Mark Bostridge
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358:Charles Hudson
315:Military Cross
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133:United Kingdom
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76:(aged 22)
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463:Taron Egerton
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436:Rupert Frazer
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339:Italian Front
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232:Vera Brittain
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191:Italian Front
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759:. Retrieved
755:the original
745:
735:21 September
733:. Retrieved
729:
720:
712:
708:
707:Pat Barker,
703:
691:. Retrieved
687:the original
676:
664:. Retrieved
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498:Ivor Novello
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311:V.A.D. nurse
282:commissioned
275:
250:Macclesfield
247:
235:
224:British Army
215:
214:
201:
170:Battles/wars
144:British Army
74:(1918-06-15)
72:15 June 1918
58:Macclesfield
18:
793:1918 deaths
783:1895 births
709:Toby's Room
590:"No. 30517"
538:"No. 29793"
518:"No. 28981"
471:Toby's Room
444:BBC Radio 4
329:Brittain's
303:1 July 1916
117: /
79:Piave River
777:Categories
635:CWGC entry
575:Brittain,
504:References
476:Pat Barker
244:Early life
130:Allegiance
105:11°31′54″E
102:45°48′28″N
51:1895-11-30
37:Birth name
558:The Times
450:in 1998,
288:into the
64:, England
693:16 March
456:film of
138:Service/
62:Cheshire
761:27 July
438:, with
427:In the
202:†
154:Captain
85:, Italy
666:27 May
579:, 356.
392:Asiago
386:Legacy
343:Asiago
198:
140:branch
90:Buried
83:Asiago
763:2023
737:2018
695:2014
668:2008
331:CWGC
260:and
160:Unit
150:Rank
69:Died
45:Born
730:BBC
468:In
301:on
234:in
779::
728:.
592:.
540:.
520:.
465:.
349:.
240:.
220:MC
218:,
81:,
60:,
30:MC
765:.
739:.
715:.
697:.
670:.
560:,
53:)
49:(
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