Sherriff effectively introduces Stanhope personally when the officers gather to have their meal. We are given details about his physical appearance and countenance. He is described as “tall” and “broad-shouldered” but “no more than a boy”. In the dialogue between him and Osborne, he asks Osborne to “tuck me up”. This indicates he is a young boy that needs parental love and care. He is also described as “good looking but has “dark shadows under his eyes” and “there is a pallor under his skin”. This suggests he is feeling unwell as his unhealthy, pale appearance contrasts with the “healthy good looks of Raleigh”. He could be feeling unwell mentally too, as the “dark shadows” indicate exhaustion and tiredness. This illustrates the point made by Osborne in the first dialogue that “he’s never had a rest”. His attire is “well cut” and “cared for” and his dark hair is “carefully brushed”. This shows how immaculate he is as a person and it coincides with the fact that he desires a neat and tidy place. This point elucidates Hardy’s desire in the first dialogue to leave instead of staying because Stanhope instantly criticises his untidy regime, saying it is “perfectly foul”.
Furthermore, Stanhope calls for a bottle of whisky: “Damn the soup! Bring some whisky!” This shows his growing alcoholism as he seems quite and direct in his way of ordering for the whisky. This may also be linked to his state of mind – he is angry about the state of the trenches and wants the whisky to suppress his feelings because we know that he can lose control over himself, as stated in the first dialogue. Moreover, the stage direction which accompanies this is significant. Stanhope calls for the whisky whilst “taking a cigarette from his case and lighting it”. As we know from the dialogue between Osborne and Raleigh that Stanhope was particularly hard on boys who smoke and drank whisky, this shows how much he has changed from being “frightfully down” on smoking and drinking whisky to drinking whisky and smoking. This immense alteration shows the audience that Stanhope must have gone through a lot of bad times to turn to the poisons he was against before.
The character of Raleigh is hinted about in the conversation between Hardy and Osborne. Osborne says that “a new man’s coming up tonight”, indicating the arrival of a new character. He also hopes the new officer is “straight from school. They’re the kind that do best”. This suggests that this new officer might be a young boy or not. Raleigh is introduced personally in page 9. The stage directions indicate that Raleigh is straight out of school, suggested by the “boyish voice”. He “looks round” and is described as a “bit bewildered” which suggests he is new to these surroundings and maybe inexperienced which may be the cause of his evident confusion. His personal appearance is taken into account, as he is described as “well built”, “healthy looking boy of about eighteen”. This shows he is a young boy and he is in good health. He is also shown to be wearing the “very new” uniform of a 2nd lieutenant. This implies the fact that he is a new soldier, emphasised by the “very”. In addition, when he is talking to Osborne, the stage directions give us a better insight into his character. He “sits gingerly” on the box opposite Osborne. The use of the word “gingerly” shows how cautious Raleigh is, if he sits on the box with care. It may also show how naive Raleigh is because he is not sure whether the box will support him. He also “laughs nervously”. The use of the word “nervously” here suggests how agitated Raleigh is as a new officer and the pause suggests he is not sure what to say or do.
Raleigh seems to hesitate at the start of the conversation with Osborne. This is shown by the dashes, separating his words. This implies that Raleigh is nervous because he is talking to a character which he doesn’t know. Whatever hesitance and nervousness he had before at the start seems to completely vanish at the mention of Stanhope. He “suddenly brightens up” and starts to engage in conversation with Osborne about Stanhope. This suggests that Stanhope has a great impact on Raleigh if he is babbling about him. This transition, from being nervous at the start to confidently talking is important to note. Raleigh seems energetic and enthusiastic that he has found himself in Stanhope’s company, which suggests that he looks up to him, clarified by the statement: “I was frightfully keen to get into Dennis’s regiment” However, when Osborne tries to persuade him that Stanhope has changed, Raleigh does not seem to understand, showing his blatant naivety.
In the dialogue between Stanhope and Osborne, Stanhope is shown to be Raleigh’s hero. This is confirmed by Stanhope saying in a forthright manner: “I’m his hero”. He is also shown to be a ‘hero worshipper’. This is illustrated in this dialogue – Osborne states that Raleigh seems to “think a lot” about Stanhope and that Raleigh will “go on liking” him. This suggests that Raleigh has come to war just because of Stanhope. The purpose of Raleigh’s character is to show the normal energetic, young soldier and the effect his character has is that a young soldier’s naivety may be good or bad.
The character of Osborne is first introduced in the first part of the play. He is described as “tall”, “forty five” and “hard as nails” with “iron-grey hair”. This suggests that Osborne is a rather old man, for he has “grey hair” which symbolises old age and he is “forty five”. He seems to be an experienced soldier, being so old, and he is “hard as nails” which indicates his frame. When Hardy is conversing with Osborne, he makes many references to his age, referring to him as an “old man”, “old thing” and “old darling”. This shows that the men regard Osborne as very old. He is also shown as a fatherly figure because he has to put Stanhope to bed “when he gets home”. This suggests that Osborne is a caring and loving man which is why Hardy describes him as “sentimental”. This is why Osborne is referred to as “uncle” by the other soldiers – he is a dominant, paternal figure.
An important thing to note is the relationship between Stanhope and Osborne. In the dialogue between Hardy and Osborne, Osborne defends Stanhope, calling him the “best company commander”. He also declares his affection for Stanhope openly by saying “I love that fellow” and “I’d go to hell with him”. This evidently shows his attachment to Stanhope, being second in command. Hardy remarks that he should be company commander himself, calling him “level-headed”. This shows how calm and sensible Osborne is which is why he ‘could’ be the company commander. Furthermore, Osborne cares about Stanhope. This is shown in the dialogue between Stanhope and him where he prepares the bed for Stanhope. He helps Stanhope onto his bed and puts the blanket over him. This shows his paternal side as he makes sure that Stanhope is comfortable and that he will “get called at two o’clock”. Osborne is portrayed as a caring, old character who seems to take care of the younger soldiers. The purpose of his character is to show an experienced, aged soldier who finds solace in being a fatherly figure for his men and the effect his character has is that it makes the other characters feel reassured.
