OSBORNE ...."he's commanded this company for a year - in and out of the front line. He's never had a rest."
Osborne is a chatty ex-school master and is regarded by everyone as uncle. He respects Stanhope and is very loyal to him.
OSBORNE ...."Don't be an ass. He was out here before I joined up. His experience alone makes him worth a dozen people like me."
Later we hear,
RALEIGH ...."Are you a schoolmaster, then?"
OSBORNE ...."Yes. I must apologise."
Osborne says to Raleigh
OSBORNE ....You'll find the other officers call me "Uncle."
Also Trotter says to Osborne
TROTTER ...."Cut us a chunk of bread, Uncle."
We hear Stanhope calling him "Uncle"
STANHOPE ...."Well, Uncle - how are things going on up there?"
Raleigh is very young and keen, straight from school.
OSBORNE ...."Ever been up in the line before?"
RALEIGH ...."Oh, no. You see, I only left school at the end of last summer term.
Trotter is overweight, very fond of his food and lazy.
COLONEL ...."Well, there's Trotter - but he's a bit fat, isn't he? Not much good
at dashing in?"
Trotter exclaims to Mason
TROTTER ...."What a lovely smell of bacon!"
Hibbert appears to be very weak and frightened. Cannot face going over the top
with his men and is full of excuses.
HIBBERT ...."This neuralgia of mine. I'm awfully sorry. I'm afraid I can't
stick it any longer - "
For instance Stanhope says later to Hibbert....
STANHOPE ...."Good God! Don't you understand! - He'll send you back here. Dr. Preston's never let a shirker pass him yet - and he's not going to start now - 2 days before the attack."
Mason is a cook soldier who waits on the officers
TROTTER ...."It wants some pepper. Bring some pepper, Mason."
The Set
The Set is purely a British trench with a wooden bench against the wall. With beds and boxes to sit on, a table which occupies most of the room and candles for light. The whole atmosphere is cold, dark and dank.
"A table occupies a good space of the dug-out floor. A wooden frame, covered with wire netting, stands against the left wall and serves the double purpose of a bed and a seat for the table. A wooden bench agaibnst the back wall makes another seat, and the two boxes serve for the other sides."
As a result of this I believe the set is very realistic in showing the conditions the men had to live in and the sounds from outside the trenches were used to very good effect.
As there are prolonged periods of inactivity the men have their own ways of
passing the time.
Stanhope spends his time drinking:
HARDY ...."drank a whole bottle in one hour and fourteen minutes - we timed him"
He also talks about his past:
STANHOPE ...."You know what that means at school. I was the skipper of Rugger and all that sort of thing...."
Trotter draws on paper to pass the time:
TROTTER ...."I going to draw a hundred and forty-four little circles on a bit o' paper, and every hour I'm going to black one in, that'll make the time go alright."
Hardy has Earwig races to pass the time:
HARDY ...."Ever had Earwig races, great fun, we've had 'em every evening."
Osborne talks about home.
OSBORNE ...."I spent all my time in the garden, making a rockery. In the evenings I used to sit and smoke and read - and my wife used to knit socks and play the piano....we pretended there wasn't any war at all..."
Naturally, Osborne enjoys reading:
TROTTER ...."What are you reading?"
OSBORNE ...."(Wearily) Oh, just a book.
TROTTER ...."...Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - why, thats a kids book!"
Conversations of the officers and in particular those with Mason tend to be of a very banal nature possibly to help them to forget that they are in the war:
MASON ...."You know that tin o' pineapple chunks I got, sir?"
OSBORNE ...."Yes?"
MASON ...."Well sir I'm sorry to say its apricots."
The war is very seldomly discussed. Even when the day of the attack is mentioned the two main officers in charge speak in a very casual manner:
STANHOPE ...."Only that when the attack comes we can't expect any help from behind. We're not to move from here. We've got to stick it."
OSBORNE ...."Well I'm glad its coming at last, I'm sick of waiting."
Follwing the raid. When Osborne is killed. Stanhope is bitter, disappointed and upset at the loss of a trusted colleague. His reaction is to give a very curt reply to his commanding officer:
COLONEL ...."I'm sorry. Poor Osborne!"
STANHOPE ...."Still it'll be awfully nice that the Brigadier's pleased."
Also following the raid, Raleigh's reaction is to throw himself into his work and he is too upset to eat with the officers causing a confrontation with Stanhope:
STANHOPE ...."(shouting)Are you going to eat your dinner?"
RALEIGH ...."Good God! Don't you understand? How can I sit down and eat that - when - when - Osborne's - lying - out there - "
STANHOPE ...."My God! You bloody little swine! You think I don't care - you think you're the only soul that cares!"
All the officers have different methods for coping with the stress of their duties: Stanhope copes purely by drinking to blot out the horrors of war and at more than
one point the stress seems to be too much for him:
STANHOPE ...."I know what you feel, Hibbert. I've known all along - "
HIBBERT ...."How can you know?"
STANHOPE ...."Because I feel the same - exactly the same! Every little noise up there makes me feel - just as you feel.
Hibbert tries to fake an illness to avoid his responsibilities and ultimately get sent home.
HIBBERT ...."I can't bear to go up into those awful trenches again - "
Osborne always tries to change the subject if the topic is too difficult for him to handle.
RALEIGH ...."How topping if we both get the M.C.!"
OSBORNE ...."Yes.(Pause.)Your coffee sweet enough?
The play offers an insight into several aspects of the First World War
Terrible living conditions
Relentless stress and fear
Periods of boredom
Huge pointless waste of life
Ineptitude of the commanding officers
I feel the play was very realistic in showing numerous small often insignificant details of life in the trenches which combine to make a full picture of what it was like in the First World War.
