Plot
- In March 1918, British officers wait in a dugout in the front-line trenches near St Quentin, expecting a German attack.
- Captain Stanhope, only 21, has served for three years and drinks heavily to cope. Raleigh, 18, arrives; he hero-worshipped Stanhope at school, and Stanhope fears Raleigh will tell his sister about his drinking.
- Osborne, an older former schoolmaster, calms everyone. Hibbert tries to escape the front line, and Trotter jokes to cope. Osborne is killed leading a raid to capture a German soldier.
- The German attack begins on 21 March. Raleigh is fatally wounded and dies in the dugout with Stanhope, who then goes out to the fighting as a shell destroys the dugout.
Themes and context
- The horror and waste of war, heroism, fear and ways of coping, friendship and class.
- R. C. Sherriff served in the First World War and wrote the play in 1928. It is set just before the German Spring Offensive of 1918.
Form
- All of the play happens in one dugout, which makes it claustrophobic.
Key terms
- Dugout
- A shelter dug into the trench.
- Claustrophobic
- Feeling trapped in a small space.
- Spring Offensive
- The German attack of March 1918.
- Morale
- The confidence and spirit of a group.
Quick questions on Journey’s End
- Where is Journey's End set?
- A dugout in the trenches near St Quentin: The whole play happens there.
- How does Stanhope cope with the war?
- By drinking heavily: He has served for three years.
- Who is Raleigh?
- A new officer who hero-worshipped Stanhope at school: Stanhope fears what he will write home.
- Who is the older officer known for calming everyone?
- Osborne: He was a schoolmaster.
- What happens to Osborne?
- He is killed leading a raid: It is a turning point in the play.
- Who tries to avoid the front line by claiming illness?
- Hibbert: Stanhope stops him leaving.
- How does the play end?
- Raleigh dies and a shell destroys the dugout: It shows the waste of war.
- Who wrote Journey's End and when?
- R. C. Sherriff, in 1928: Sherriff served in the war.