Journey's End Script

Raleigh What is it?

Osborne Trotter’s plan to make the time pass quickly. One hundred and forty-four little circles – one for each hour of six day. He’s blacked in six already. He’s six hours behind.

Raleigh That’s a rather good idea. I like Trotter.

Osborne He’s a good chap

Raleigh He makes things seem – natural

Osborne He’s a genuine sort of chap

Raleigh That’s it. He’s genuine. How topping to have played for England!

Osborne It was rather fun.

Raleigh (after a pause) The Germans are really quite decent, aren’t they? I mean outside the newspapers?

Osborne Yes (pause) I remember up ate the wipers we had a man shot when he was out on patrol. Just at dawn. We couldn’t get him in that night. He lay out there groaning all day. Next night three of out men crawled out to get him in. it was so near the German trenches that they could have shot our fellows one by one. But, when our men began dragging the wounded man back over the rough ground, a big German officer stood up in their trenches and called out ‘Carry him!’ – and our fellows stood up and carried the man back and the German officer fired some lights for them to see by.

Raleigh How topping!

Osborne Next day we blew one another’s trenches to blazes.

Raleigh It all seems rather - silly doesn’t it?

Osborne It does rather

There is silence for a while

Raleigh I started a letter when I came off duty last night. How do we send letters?

Osborne The quartermaster-sergeant takes then down after he brings rations up on the evenings.

Stanhope walks slowly sown the steps. Raleigh rises.

Raleigh I think I’ll go and finish it now-if I go on duty soon.

Osborne Come and write it in here, it’s more cheery.

Raleigh It’s aright thanks; I’m quite comfortable in there. I’ve rigged up a sort of little table beside my bed.

Osborne Righto

Raleigh goes to his dugout.

Stanhope What a foul smell of bacon.

Osborne Yes. We’ve got bacon for breakfast.

Stanhope So I gather. Have you told Raleigh about rifle inspection?

Osborne No.

Stanhope Raleigh!

Raleigh Yes?

Stanhope You inspect your platoon’s rifles at nine o’clock.

Raleigh Oh, righto, Stanhope

He goes again.

Stanhope I’ve arranged two wring parties to begin at 8 o’clock tonight – Corporal Burt with two men and Sergeant Smith with two. I want them to strengthen the wire all along the front.

Osborne It’s very weak at present.

Stanhope Every company leaves it for the next one to do. There’s great holes blown out weeks ago.

Osborne I know.

Stanhope Next night we’ll start putting a belt of wire down both sides of us.

Osborne Down the sides?

Stanhope Yes. We’ll wire ourselves right in. if this attack comes, I’m going to trust the companies on our side to hold their ground.

Mason Would you like a nice bit o’ bacon sir?

Stanhope No. thanks; I’ll have a cup to tea.

Mason Right sir

Stanhope I’ve been having a good look round. We’ve got a strong position here – if we wire ourselves right in. the colonel’s been talking to me up there.

Osborne Oh. Has he been round?

Stanhope Yes. He says a German prisoner gave the day of attack as the 21st.

Osborne That’s Thursday.

Stanhope Yes. Today’s Tuesday.

Osborne That means about dawn the day after tomorrow.

Stanhope The second dawn from now.

Pause

Osborne Then it’ll come while were here.

Stanhope Yes. It’ll come while were here. And we shall be in the front row of the stalls.

Osborne Oh, well –

Silence

Mason Would you like a plate of sardines, sir?

Stanhope I should loathe it.

Mason Very good, sir.

He goes out

Osborne Did the colonel have much to say?

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 I see.

Stanhope We’ll wire ourselves in as strongly as possible. I’ve got to arrange battle positions for each platoon and section this afternoon.

Osborne Well I’m glad it’s coming at last. I’m sick of waiting.

Stanhope (looking at Trotter’s chart) what’s this extraordinary affair?

Osborne Trotter’s plan to make the time pass by. A hundred and forty- four circles - one for each hour of six days.

Stanhope How many days are there till dawn on the 21st?

Osborne Goodness knows. Not many I hope.

Stanhope Nearly nine o’clock now. Twenty-four till nine tomorrow; twelve till nine at night – that’s thirty-six; nine till six the next morning; that forty-five altogether. (He begins to count off the circles on trotter’s chart)

Osborne What are you going to do?

Stanhope At the end of the forty-fifth circle I’m going to dram a picture of trotter being blown up in four pieces.

Osborne Don’t spoil his chart; it took him about an hour to make that.

Stanhope He won’t see the point. He’s no imagination.

Osborne I don’t suppose he has.

Stanhope Funny not to have any imagination. Must be rather nice.

Osborne A bit dull I should think.

Stanhope It must be, rather. I suppose all his life Trotter feels like you and I do when we’re drowsily drunk.

Osborne Poor chap!

Stanhope I suppose if Trotter looks at that wall he just sees a brown surface. He doesn’t see into the earth beyond - the worms wandering about round the stones and roots of trees. I wonder how a worm knows when it’s going up or down.

Osborne When it’s going down I suppose the blood runs into it’s head and makes it throb.

Stanhope Worms haven’t got any blood.

Osborne Then I don’t suppose it ever does know.

Stanhope Rotten if it didn’t - and went on going down and down when it thought it was coming up.

Osborne Yes. I expect that’s the one thing a worm dreads.

Stanhope D’you think this life sharpens the imagination?

Osborne It must.

Stanhope Whenever I look at anything now a days I look right through it. Looking at you now there’s your uniform – your jersey – shirt – vest – then beyond that –

Osborne Lets talk about something else – croquet, or the war.

Stanhope Sorry it’s a habit that’s grown on me lately – to look right through things, and on and on – till I get frightened and stop.

Osborne I suppose everyone out there feels more keenly.

Stanhope I hope so. I wondered if there was anything wrong with me. D’you ever get a sudden feeling that everything’s going farther and farther away – till you’re the only thing in the world - and then the world begins going away – until you’re the only thing in – in the universe – and you struggle to get back – and can’t?

Osborne Bit of nerve strain, that’s all.

Stanhope You don’t think I’m going potty?

Osborne Oh, lord, no!

Stanhope (Throwing back his head laughing) Dear old uncle! You don’t really know do you? You just pretend you do, to make me feel alright.

Osborne When people are going potty they nerve3r talk about it, they keep it to themselves.

Stanhope Oh well that’s alright then. (pause) I had this feeling this morning, standing out there in the line while the sun was rising. By the way did you see the sunrise? Wasn’t it gorgeous?

Osborne Splendid- this morning.

Stanhope I was looking across the Boche trenches and right beyond – not a sound or a soul; just an enormous plain, all churned up like a sea that’s got muddier and muddier till it’s so still that it can’t move. You could have heard a pin drop in the quiet; yet you knew thousands of guns were hidden there, all ready cleaned and oiled – millions of bullets lying in pouches – thousands of Germans, waiting and thinking. Then gradually that feeling came –

Osborne I never knew the sun could rise in so many ways till I came out here. Green, and pink, and red, and blue, and grey. Extraordinary isn’t it?