A Penguin edition of R.C. Sherriff's Journey's End

Journey's End is the seventh and most famous play by R. C. Sherriff.^[1] First performed in 1928, it is set in the trenches at Saint-Quentin, France, in 1918, and gives a brief glimpse into the experiences of the officers of a British Army infantry company in World War I. Journeys End is a play by R. C. Sherriff. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Play (disambiguation). ... Robert Cedric Sherriff (6 June 1896 – 13 November 1975) was an English writer. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint-Quentin is a commune of northern France. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry company. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Sherriff considered calling it "Suspense" and "Waiting", but eventually found a title in the closing line of a chapter of an unmentioned book: "It was late in the evening when we came at last to our journey's end."^[2]

It is usually thought to be a very academic play, due to its many alternate themes and characters. The play is often studied by students looking for a classical example of plays based on war.

Dramatis personae

• Capt. Hardy
• Capt. Dennis Stanhope (bitter, often emotionless, due to experiences in war)
• Lt. Osborne (an avuncular figure, referred to as 'Uncle')
• 2nd Lt Jimmy Raleigh (educated, keen, innocent)
• 2nd Lt Trotter (portly, good-humoured man)
• 2nd Lt Hibbert (suffering from neuralgia,but seen as false by the audience and other characters)
• Private Mason, cook (dour, long-suffering, comic)
• Company Sergeant Major
• Colonel (seen as unsentimental)
• German prisoner
• Lance-Corporal Broughton

Neuralgia is a painful disorder of the nerves. ...

Plot

The entire action takes place in the officers' dugout over the space of four days, 18 March 1918 to 21 March 1918. A dugout or dug-out is a shelter dug out of the ground. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Act I Scene I

Journey’s End opens in the British trenches before St. Quentin with a conversation between Captain Hardy and Lieutenant Osborne. Captain Hardy jokes about the behaviour of a soldier called Stanhope who has turned to alcohol in order to cope with the stress which the war has caused him. While Hardy jokes, Osborne defends Stanhope and describes him as the “best company commander we’ve got”.

In the early pages other characters are introduced. Mason is a comedy character, a servant cook forever apologising for the lack of ingredients and quality of food he serves up. Trotter is a rotund soldier who likes his food; he can’t stand the war and counts down each hour that he serves in the front line by drawing circles onto a piece of paper and then colouring them in.

Raleigh is a young soldier who joins the company. Raleigh knew Stanhope from school where he was skipper at rugby and refers to him as Dennis. He admits that he requested to be sent to Stanhope’s company. Osborne tells him that Stanhope will not be the same person whom he knew from school, as the experiences of war have changed him.

Stanhope is angry that Raleigh has been allowed to join him and describes the boy as a “hero-worshipper”. As Stanhope is in a relationship with Raleigh’s sister Madge, he is concerned that he will write home and inform her of his drinking. Stanhope considers censoring his letters so that this does not happen.

It is clear that Stanhope has a sense of duty and feels that he has got to continue to serve rather than taking a break. He criticises another soldier called Hibbert whom he thinks is faking neuralgia, a nerve condition, so that he can be sent home instead of continuing fighting. The first Act ends with Osborne putting a tired and somewhat drunk Stanhope to bed. Stanhope refers to Osborne as ‘Uncle’.

Act II Scene I

Act II begins with talk of food between Trotter and Mason as they discuss the bacon rashers which the company have to eat. Trotter talks about how the start of spring makes him feel youthful; he also talks about the hollyhocks which he has planted. This is a way of escaping the trenches and the reality of the war.

Osborne and Raleigh discuss how slowly times passes at the front, and the fact that both of them played rugby before the war and that Osborne was a schoolmaster before he signed up to fight; while Raleigh appears interested, Osborne points out that it is of little use now. Osborne describes the madness of war when describing how German soldiers allowed the British to rescue a wounded soldier in No Man's Land and the next day the two sides shelled each other heavily. He describes the war as "silly".

Stanhope announces that the barbed wire around the trenches needs to be mended. It is announced that an advance will occur on Thursday evening, and that this information has been gathered from a captured German soldier. They state that this means the attack is only two days away.

The scene ends with Stanhope telling Raleigh that he must read his letter and censor it; this makes Raleigh nervous, and he states that he would rather not send it. Stanhope gets the letter off him, but rather than reading about his alcoholism he finds the letter states how proud Raleigh is to consider Stanhope as a friend.

Act II Scene II

In a meeting with the Sergeant Major it is announced that the raid is taking place on Wednesday because during the day under cover of smoke. Stanhope and the Sergeant-Major discuss battle plans. The Colonel relays orders that the General wants a raid to take place on the German trench prior to the attack. Stanhope states that such a plan is absurd, taking place in daylight. The Colonel agrees with Stanhope but says that orders are orders and that they must be obeyed. Later it is stated that the Germans have tied red cloth to the barbed wire of their trenches to make it clear to the British that they are aware exactly where the British will try and attack.

It is decided that Osborne and Raleigh will be the men to go on the raid despite the fact that Raleigh has only recently entered the war.

Hibbert goes to Stanhope to complain about the neuralgia he states he has been suffering from. Stanhope states that it would be better for him to die from the pain, than for being shot for desertion. Hibbert maintains that he does have neuralgia but when Stanhope threatens to shoot him if he goes, he breaks down crying. The two soldiers admit to each other that they feel exactly the same way, and are struggling to cope with the stresses that the war is putting on them.

Osborne admits that he reads Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in the trench. This is similar to Stanhope’s drinking and Trotter talking about his garden dick face bastard in that they all allow escape from the realities of the war. The scene ends with the idealistic Raleigh, who is untouched by the war, stating that it is “frightfully exciting” that he has been picked for the raid. John Tenniels illustration for A Mad Tea-Party, 1865 Illustration by Arthur Rackham Alices Adventures in Wonderland is a work of childrens literature by the British mathematician and author, Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, written under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. ...

Act III Scene I

There is confirmation that the raid is still going ahead. The Colonel states that a German soldier needs to be captured so that intelligence can be extracted from him. Osborne admits to Stanhope that he fears he might die and asks Stanhope to look after some of his possessions if he does not come back.

In the minutes before going over the top Raleigh and Osborne talk about home – the New Forest and the town of Lyndhurst, in order to pass the time. For other uses, see New Forest (disambiguation). ... Boltons Bench. ...

Smoke-bombs are fired and the soldiers move towards the German trench, a German boy soldier is captured. However Stanhope finds out that Osborne has been killed although Raleigh has survived. Stanhope sarcastically states: “It’ll be awfully nice the Brigadier’s pleased” when the Colonel's first concern is whether information has been gathered, not whether all the soldiers have returned safely.

The scene ends with Raleigh, without thinking, sitting on Osborne’s bed, causing a sad Stanhope to ask him must he sit there so soon after his death.

Act III Scene II

Trotter, Stanhope and Hibbert drink and talk about women. They all appear to be enjoying themselves until Hibbert brings up the raid in conversation, then Stanhope becomes angry and begins to shout at him and tells him to go away. Stanhope also becomes angry at Raleigh who did not eat with the men that night. Stanhope is offended by this and Raleigh eventually admits that he feels he cannot eat while he thinks that Osborne is dead and his body is in No Man’s Land. Stanhope admits that he drinks to cope with the fact that Osborne is dead. Stanhope asks to be left alone and angrily tells Raleigh to leave.

Act III Scene III

The play climaxes with a German attack on the British trenches, which the Sergeant Major tells Stanhope they should expect. When it arrives Hibbert is reluctant to get out of bed and get into the trenches.

A message is relayed to Stanhope telling him that Raleigh has been injured by a shell and that his spine is damaged meaning that he can't move his legs. Stanhope runs to comfort Raleigh and brings him a drink of water whilst bathing the boy's head while he is unable to move. Raleigh passes away silently as shells continue to explode around him.

Themes

• Conflict: the relationships of the characters, particularly between Raleigh and Stanhope.
• Death: the deaths of two of the most important characters in the play (Osborne, the paternal figure, and Raleigh, the figure of innocence and naivety) are extremely important, as are their effects on Stanhope.
• The futility of war: the fact that war is futile is pointed to by Sherriff in many of the play's scenes. For example Osborne describes to Raleigh how some German soldiers assisted their troops in retrieving a wounded soldier, yet we "blow (them) to bits the day after".
• The scarring effect of war: portrayed in the terrible effect of the war on the officers; may convey Sherriff's anti-war views.
• Love and friendship: the love between the two friends (Osborne and Stanhope), the hero worship of Stanhope by Raleigh, and the fatherly attitude of Osborne, known as "Uncle", are all important themes within the play.
• Class: the contrast between the middle/upper class officers, the lower middle class Trotter (now a commissioned officer, but a former sergeant major^[3]), and the working class Mason.
• Comradeship: throughout the play there are instances of comradeship and unity.

This article is about a military rank and position. ...

Production history

Sherriff had trouble getting the play produced in the West End, writing that "Every management in London had turned the play down. They said people didn't want war plays [...] 'How can I put on a play with no leading lady?' one [theatre manager] had asked complainingly."^[4] West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre...

Geoffrey Dearmer of the Incorporated Stage Society suggested that Sherriff send the script to George Bernard Shaw, because a good word from him would convince the ISS committee to stage it.^[5] Shaw replied that, like other sketches of trench life, it was a "useful [corrective] to the romantic conception of war", and that "As a 'slice of life'—horribly abnormal life—I should say let it be performed by all means".^[6] Geoffrey Dearmer (March 21, 1893 - 18 August 1996) was a British poet. ... George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856–2 November 1950) was an Irish dramatist, literary critic, and socialist. ...

The play opened as a semi-staged production running for two nights at the Apollo Theatre.^[7] It starred Laurence Olivier, then only 21, offered the role of Stanhope by the then equally unknown director James Whale.^[8] The play soon transferred to the Savoy Theatre where it ran for over a year starting on January 21, 1929 with the entire cast from the Apollo reprising their roles (George Zucco playing Osborne and Maurice Evans Raleigh) except for Olivier who had secured another role and was replaced by Colin Clive as Stanhope.^[9] The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed[1] West End theatre, designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield and is located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... James Whale (July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a ground-breaking British Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. ... Savoy Theatre London, December 2003 The Savoy Theatre, which opened on 10 October 1881, was built by Richard DOyly Carte (1844 - 1901) on the site of the old Savoy Palace in London as a showcase for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy Operas... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Zucco (January 11, 1886–May 28, 1960) was an English character actor who appeared, almost always in supporting roles, in 96 films during a career spanning two decades, from 1931 to 1951. ... Maurice Evans (born June 3, 1901 in Dorset; died March 12, 1989 in East Sussex) was a British-born actor who became a US citizen in 1941. ... Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ...

Whale accompanied the play's transfer to Broadway in 1930, with the dress rehearsal at the Henry Miller Theater, the first performance in USA at the Great Neck Playhouse in Great Neck, New York on the north shore of Long Island, and the Broadway première the next evening.^[10] Colin Keith-Johnston played Stanhope, and Leon Quartermaine Osborne.^[11] For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Great Neck is a village in Nassau County, New York, in the USA, on the North Shore of Long Island. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ...

By the northern hemisphere autumn of 1929 it was played by 14 companies in English and 17 in other languages; in London (where it later moved to the Prince of Wales Theatre), New York, Paris (in English), Stockholm, Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Madrid, and Budapest, and in Canada, Australia, and South Africa.^[12] This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Prince of Wales Theatre is a theatre located on Coventry Street, London. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ...

Journey's End, directed by James Whale.

In 1930, James Whale directed a motion picture based on the play, starring Colin Clive, David Manners and Ian Maclaren.^[13] Image File history File links image of the actors in James Whales Journeys End File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links image of the actors in James Whales Journeys End File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... James Whale (July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a ground-breaking British Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ... David Manners as Jonathan Harker in Dracula (1931). ... Ian Maclaren (pseudonym of Rev. ...

The play was produced by the BBC Television Service, live from their Alexandra Palace studios, on November 11, 1937, in commemoration of Armistice Day. Condensed down into a one-hour version by producer George More O'Ferrall, some short sequences from the 1930 film Westfront 1918 by G. W. Pabst were used for scene-setting purposes. Reginald Tate starred as Stanhope, with Basil Gill as Osborne, Norman Pierce as Trotter, Wallace Douglas as Raleigh, J. Neil More as the Colonel, R. Brooks Turner as the Company Sergeant-Major, Alexander Field as Mason, Reginald Smith as Hardy and Olaf Olsen as the young German soldier. Due to the live nature of the play and the fact that the technology to record television programmes did not exist at the time, no visual records of the production survive other than still photographs.^[14] For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... Set in Alexandra Park, Alexandra Palace was built in an area spanning Wood Green and Muswell Hill, North London, England in 1873 as a public recreation, education and entertainment centre and North London counterpart of The Crystal Palace. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Armistice Day Celebrations in Toronto, Canada - 1918 Armistice Day is the anniversary of the official end of World War I, November 11, 1918. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Westfront 1918 is German director G.W. Pabsts 1930 film about World War I in Germany based on the novel Vier von der Infanterie by Ernst Johannsen. ... Georg Wilhelm Pabst (August 25, 1885 - May 29, 1967) was a film director. ... Reginald Tate (December 13, 1896 – August 23, 1955) was a British actor, veteran of many roles in film and on television. ... Live television refers to television broadcasts of events or performances on a delay of between zero and fifteen seconds, rather than from video recordings or film. ...

The play has been revived in the West End three times since and has received countless school and amateur productions.

Sherriff produced a novelisation of the play in 1930. A novelization (or novelisation in British English) is a fictional book that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work. ...

Journey's End was the basis for the 1976 film Aces High, although the action was switched from the infantry to the Royal Flying Corps. Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aces High is a 1976 1st World War film starring Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer and Simon Ward. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. // Formed by Royal Warrant on 13 May 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ...

The play was also adapted for television in 1988, starring Jeremy Northam as Stanhope, Edward Petherbridge as Osborne and Timothy Spall as Trotter. It held very close to the original script although there were changes, the most obvious being the inclusion of the raid on camera (which was done off-stage in the theatre production), and is frequently still shown in conjunction with study of the written play at an academic level. Jeremy Philip Northam (born December 1, 1961 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England) is an English actor. ... Edward Petherbridge (born on August 3, 1936 in Bradford) is a British actor. ... Timothy Leonard Spall OBE (born February 27, 1957) is an English BAFTA award-nominated film, stage and television actor. ...

Rights to the play are owned by the British Scout Association. ^[15] It has been suggested that Gimmie 5 be merged into this article or section. ...

Recent productions

In 2004, the play was once again revived by David Grindley in London's West End, becoming the undoubted hit success of the year. From its initial 12-week season at the Comedy Theatre from January 2004, it transferred to the Playhouse Theatre, playing from April to October before transferring once again to the Duke of York's Theatre and playing into its second year, finally closing on 18 February 2005. David Allan Grindley (born 1972) was a British 400 metres runner who reached the final of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. ... The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... The Royal Comedy Theatre, as it was then known, opened in Londons West End on October 15, 1881. ... The Playhouse, with hoarding for 2006 production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square and very close to the river Thames. ... The Duke of Yorks Theatre in London, UK, opened on 10 September 1892 with Wedding Eve, was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the same time, the phenomenal success of the production led to another company being formed to tour the UK venues, initially booking ten theatres across the country in Autumn of 2004.

The success of this tour led to its continuation into 2005, finally closing on the road in July 2005 after playing to over 30 venues across Britain. In September 2005, the production's popularity and public demand led to its return once again to the West End, and its fourth London home - the New Ambassadors Theatre, where it opened on 15 September. This particular production came to an end on 28 January 2006. The Ambassadors Theatre in April 2007 The Ambassadors Theatre (previously New Ambassadors Theatre), is a West End theatre located in West Street, near Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Grindley's production received its Broadway airing in 2007. Starring Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, Jefferson Mays and Stark Sands, Journey's End opened to previews in New York at the Belasco Theatre on February 8 with its official opening on February 22, 2007. It closed on June 10 after 125 regular performances. That same evening, it won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2007. Hugh Dancy (born 19 June 1975) is a British actor. ... Boyd Gaines is an American actor born on May 11, 1953. ... Jefferson Mays is an award-winning American theatre and film actor. ... Stark Sands (b. ... The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tony Award for Best Revival (Play) has only been awarded since 1994. ...

References

Robert Cedric Sherriff (6 June 1896 – 13 November 1975) was an English writer. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A Gollancz edition of The Door Into Summer, displaying the distinctive yellow dust jacket style. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• 2005/06 London production