Stanhope is thought to be an amazing Commander and the men have a great deal of respect for him. On one occasion he is described by Osborne as "a long way the best company commander we've got." He is also very dedicated to his work, "He's never had a rest. Other men come over here and go home again ill, and young Stanhope goes on sticking it, month in, month out." He has had a small amount of practice at being a leader before the war as "He was a skipper of Rugger at Barford", but nothing could prepare him for the terrible conditions of war. He genuinely cares for the men's welfare, which is shown on one occasion when the men get back from the raid and the first thing he wants is "to go and see those men." The Colonel values Stanhope highly and he shows how important he is to him when Stanhope asks if he may go on the raid and the Colonel say’s "Oh, no. Stanhope. I- I can't let you go." Both Stanhope the soldier and the man regards loyalty very highly and he believes " It's a slimy thing to go home if your not really ill,". When Hibbert tries to leave the company complaining of neuralgia he manages to convince him that quitting is not an option. He uses persuasive language "If you went- and left Osborne and Trotter and Raleigh......could you ever look a man straight in the face again- in all your life?" to make him feel guilty and realise that it’s the same for everyone else. He is very responsible and this is shown when he arranges two wiring parties to strengthen the wire along the front, as it is very weak at the moment, because "Every company leaves it for the next one to do. There're great holes blown out weeks ago." Stanhope seems to be very mature for his age and his enthusiasm, youth and courage appear to have been jaded significantly by the war.
Contrastingly Raleigh as a soldier, he is full of vigor and school boy eagerness to fight for his country; he is how Stanhope would have been three years previously. Instead of being nervous and scared when he is selected to go on the raid with Osborne, which was an almost certain death mission, his outlook is optimistic and he thinks, " it's most frightfully exciting!" Also one of his first questions to Osborne is "Were you and I picked- specially?" This shows that he is most amazingly thrilled and honored to be taking part in it. On the other hand, when Osborne is informed about the raid by Stanhope he uses language like “I see” and “that’s all right, old chap.” which does not suggest that he is filled with enthusiasm or that he is grateful that he has been chosen to lead the raid. Instead of reacting in the way that Raleigh did, Osborne tries not to talk about the raid and he orders Trotter not to mention the danger of it to Raleigh, “There’s no need to tell him it’s murder”. His reaction to Osborne's death shows how young and inexperienced he is at witnessing death unlike Stanhope to whom death is almost too familiar. He is appalled at how Stanhope, Trotter and Hibbert sat down after Osborne's death and: smoked the cigars, drank the champagne and ate the fresh chicken, which had been sent up specially to celebrate a successful raid. All he can think of is how could he "sit down and eat that- when- when Osborne's- lying- out there." He soon realises how much this statement hurts Stanhope and how close he and Osborne were. He also understands that there is a" limit to what a man can bear" and that you must accept death and move on in these circumstances. Although he hasn't been there for a very long time he is already respected by the other officers Trotter comments, " 'E's got pluck. Strong lad, too-the way he came back through the smoke after that raid, carrying that boche under 'is arm like a baby." Also earlier in the play Osborne remarks that" He's a good-looking youngster. I like him." However he is liked less by Stanhope due to his hero-worshipping.
It is hard to think of Raleigh as a man in this play as he is still really a boy. He "only left school at the end of last summer term." Although Stanhope is also quite young he has had to grow up quickly as he is in a position of great responsibility. Raleigh’s relationship with Stanhope is mainly hero-worship throughout the play. Even before he arrives at the dug-out in the British trenches he has been to see his uncle and asked him if he could get him into Stanhope's battalion. This was probably not just due to his hero-worship for Stanhope but to also make him feel safer. At school Stanhope was asked" to keep an eye on the kid.” Raleigh never really thinks of him as an equal as when he describes how he knows Stanhope he says: " I was only a kid and he was one of the big fellows" His letter to Madge is crammed full of compliments about Stanhope: "He looks tired, but that's because he works so frightfully hard, and because of the responsibility." A Sergeant told him that " Dennis is the finest officer in the battalion, and the men simply love him." And he ends the letter by saying that" I'm awfully proud to think he's my friend." However, he realises near the end of the play that Stanhope does not want him there and he confronts Stanhope saying: "You resent my being here." Stanhope denies this but it is a poignant moment for the audience as they realise that he likes Stanhope so much, and Stanhope mainly throws his friendship back in his face and puts it down to hero-worship, which he believes should only be for little boys. His youth, naivety and courage is shown again at the end of the play after he is hit badly and he complains to Stanhope that he" can't go home just for- for a knock in the back." When he asks "What's- on my legs? Something holding them down" although Stanhope realises that he is probably paralysed he reassures Jimmy that it is just shock. Raleigh thinks he's been "So- damn- silly- getting hit." It's very moving to see how Stanhope comforts, nurses and tries to make Raleigh's last few minutes as pleasant as possible. I feel these last moments of Raleigh's life are very touching and likely to reduce many of the audience to tears.
Osborne is very different to both Raleigh and Stanhope as a man. We are told that he is "quite old with grey hair" and he becomes a father like figure to the men and they call him "uncle" except when they are in front of the men. He is very calm and phlegmatic compared to Stanhope who is either very tense and his nerves " are all to blazes" or he is happy and laid back as he was at the supper after the raid. In contrast Raleigh is delighted when he finds out he is in Stanhope's Company and that he is to go on the raid but he is then quite disturbed and sad after Osborne's death and he never appears to be very confident of himself during the play. One reason why Osborne probably remains so focused and at ease throughout the play is he had previously been a school master so he is used to dealing with lots of boys and young men in hectic circumstances and is able to organize his time well. Another reason is that Osborne is a family man with "two youngsters" and a wife waiting for him at home unlike Stanhope and Raleigh. Not only has having a family made it necessary for Osborne to mature a lot over the last few years, but they also give him a reason to really try and survive the war. He is a very kind and sensitive man he is always listening to Stanhope's worries and complaints but he never bothers other people with his. When everyone else was dismissing Hibbert’s claims of neuralgia he comments, " I wonder if he really is bad he looks rotten". He doesn't just stand up for Hibbert, he also protects Stanhope " You don't know him as I do; I love that fellow. I'd go to hell with him." He defends Raleigh in front of Stanhope" Raleigh looks a nice chap" and he even has nice things to say about Trotter." He's a genuine sort of chap."
Osborne seems to have a very stable and constant personality unlike Raleigh and Stanhope who both have more erratic personalities; Osborne the man and Osborne the soldier are very much the same person. Like Stanhope, Osborne has been in the trenches for some time now. Osborne's calm manner and experience of warfare compliments Stanhope's leadership tactics and plans well and this makes Osborne a very good choice for Stanhope's second in command officer. Similarly to Stanhope, he is not full of the excitement and school boy enthusiasm for the war which is often showed in Raleigh's personality. However, unlike Stanhope he can cope with the war without having to be supported by crutches like alcohol and his nerves have remained much more in tact than Stanhope's. He realises the reality that the raid they are asked to go on is a suicide mission and that he is unlikely to return. Before he leaves he asks Stanhope if he would mind looking after a few thing to send to his wife if he is not able to return from the raid: " I say, don't think I'm being morbid, or anything like that, but would you mind taking these?" He is the most supporting officer, as before the raid he tries to reassure Raleigh by saying, " I'm glad it's you and I- together, Raleigh" and he is loyal to the end of his life as he was killed by a hand grenade while he was waiting for Raleigh.
After considering all three characters I feel that Osborne’s calmness and wisdom strongly compliments Raleigh’s enthusiasm and energy. Stanhope appears to balance the situation with his bold character. He organises Osborne, Raleigh and the other officers to the best of his ability but as a result he needs Osborne to support him through difficult circumstances. Raleigh respects and looks up to Stanhope and Osborne and learns how to deal with war through them. I found that the three characters work well together in the play and they keep the audience interested and involved at all times.
