# General Fentiman — The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club character guide

> General Fentiman in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Fentiman, the gasping Fentiman, old Fentiman, old General Fentiman, the late General Fentiman, the General, the old General

**First appearance:** 0001-i-old-mossy-face

## Snapshot

A frail, parade-ground-regular old soldier whose quiet death in a club armchair turns out to be anything but the peaceful exit it appears.

## Who they are

General Fentiman is a Bellona Club fixture, arriving by ten and home by half-past seven with the precision of a man who has spent a lifetime on parade. His weak heart and failing hearing make him an object of solicitous routine — until the morning of Armistice Day, when he slips past the hall-porter unnoticed and is found dead in his chair. Because his death is entangled with Lady Dormer's estate and a question of who died first, the exact minute he sat down becomes worth half a million pounds, and the old man's harmless habits become the puzzle everyone must solve.

## Relationships

### [Lord Peter Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey)

_professional_

The deceased General Fentiman is the subject of Wimsey's investigation, with their interactions only recalled through others' accounts.

### [Lord Peter Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey)

_professional_

The deceased General Fentiman is the subject of Wimsey's investigation, with their interactions only recalled through others' accounts.

## In the story

### [I: Old Mossy-Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/i-old-mossy-face)

Found dead in his armchair at the Bellona Club, having apparently been dead for two days.

### [II: The Queen Is Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/ii-the-queen-is-out)

Found dead in his armchair at the Bellona Club; rigor mortis well-established.

### [III: Hearts Count More Than Diamonds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/iii-hearts-count-more-than-diamonds)

The deceased General whose precise time of death on November 11th is crucial to the inheritance dispute; he died at the Bellona Club after a strained interview with his sister.

### [Lord Peter Leads a Club](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/iv-lord-peter-leads-a-club)

The deceased; his hat and coat were seen on his peg by 12:30, and he had a shock from seeing his sister the day before.

### [V: —And Finds the Club Suit Blocked](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/v-and-finds-the-club-suit-blocked)

The deceased; his body's rigor mortis anomaly is the focus of discussion.

### [VI: A Card of Reentry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/vi-a-card-of-reentry)

Deceased; his daily routine and final movements are central to the investigation.

### [IX: Knave High](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/ix-knave-high)

Deceased; referenced in George's account of their last meeting, where he threatened to cut George out of his inheritance.

### [XII: Lord Peter Turns a Trick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/xii-lord-peter-turns-a-trick)

The deceased; Wimsey argues he died on the evening of November 10th, not the 11th, based on rigor mortis and the missing poppy.

### [Grand Slam in Spades](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/xiv-grand-slam-in-spades)

Deceased; his body was moved by Robert after dying naturally in the club library.

### [XVII: Parker Plays a Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/xvii-parker-plays-a-hand)

Referenced as the deceased; details of his visit to Lady Dormer are recounted, including his heart attack and request for brandy.

### [XX: Ann Dorland Goes Misère](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/chapters/xx-ann-dorland-goes-mis-re)

Mentioned as the victim murdered by Penberthy via a slow-working poison.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/characters/general_fentiman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_unpleasantness_at_the_bellona_club_se/characters