Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff

Page 17

‘You never saw the blasted mess those fellows left the trenches in’ – Stanhope is immediately contrasted with Hardy, and seen as a commanding officer with a purpose. He clearly cares.

‘Damn the soup! Bring some whisky!’ – after all the build up, the audience cannot help but react strongly to this request for alcohol.

‘STANHOPE stares at RALEIGH as though dazed . RALEIGH takes a step forward, half raises him hand, then lets it drop to his side .’ – Stanhope’s shock is that of a man who has compartmentalised his life to survive. He simply cannot believe what has happened. His failure to shake Raleigh’s hand is not a good sign for the future.

Page 20

‘I mean – after all – war’s bad enough with pepper…but war without pepper – it’s – it’s bloody awful!’ – Partly this is just absurd trench humour (compare the earlier lines about ‘dirt in the men’s tea’), but clearly in such awful conditions, the little things do come to matter an awful lot.

Page 24

‘I’d rather sleep by the table here. I can get up and work without disturbing you.’ – This indicates three things. Firstly, there is Stanhope’s care for his other officers – he doesn’t want to disturb them – and, secondly, he is also very dedicated to his work (one cannot imagine Hardy staying up all night to do his paperwork). There is also a suggestion that Stanhope needs to be able to get to his whisky if he wakes up in the night. He is seen drinking later (after having ‘gone to bed’) when Trotter and Raleigh come off duty.