At the end of the First World War and during the years that followed, many authors, artists and playwrights responded to the conflict through their work. One such example is the play Journey’s End by R C Sherriff.
Set over a period of four days from 18th – 21st March 1918, it recounts the experiences of the officers of a British Army company. The scenes take place in the trenches around Saint-Quentin in the days leading up to Operation Michael and the beginning of the German Spring Offensive.
The play premiered at the Apollo Theatre in London on 9th December 1928, starring a very young Laurence Olivier as Captain Stanhope. In 2017, it was adapted into a film starring Sam Claflin in the same role.
The original manuscript for the play is part of IWM’s collection and the First World War galleries at IWM London contain many objects connected with the events and themes explored in the play.
Explore the themes of the play and the events that feature in it with IWM''s Tony Richards, Head of Documents, and Alan Wakefield, Head of First World War.
Trench Raids
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By 1915, commanders on the Western Front were becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress and worried about the depleting morale of the soldiers in the trenches. Trench Raids were seen as a way of both capturing enemy troops and gaining intelligence, but also as one officer put it, to ‘worry the enemy to death and maintain … fine fighting spirit’.
Raids and patrols became a regular occurrence with the aim of gathering intelligence as quickly as possible to get back to headquarters. These ‘minor enterprises’, as they were known, were also a chance for soldiers to actively engage with the enemy, not just endure their artillery bombardment. The nature of these raids meant hand-to-hand combat was often the end outcome. A variety of weapons including clubs, knives and knuckledusters existed for confrontation with the enemy. Examples of British, French and German trench weaponry can be seen in the First World War Galleries at IWM London.
German Offensive
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By the spring of 1918, it was evident to the German forces that one final push was needed to beat the British and French forces on the Western Front before the abundance of American manpower and resources could be fully deployed. On 21st March 1918, the German forces began to launch attacks on allied soldiers on the Western Front – these consisted of artillery bombardment followed by gas and then advance by Stormtroopers.
Although the offensive failed to defeat the allied forces, the threat felt by British forces was real. R C Sherriff’s Play is set on the days preceding the offensive and looks at the thoughts and feelings of the officers before.
Everyday Life in the Trenches
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For the officers in Sherriff’s play, life would be more comfortable than the everyday soldiers’, but it was nonetheless still difficult and dangerous.
Food was important for those in the trenches both to keep them physically fit and attempt to maintain morale. In the First World War Galleries at IWM London, there are examples of tinned food such as ‘Maconochie’, a beef and vegetable stew, named after the company that made it. Maconochie was a staple of a soldier’s trench life even though it was largely detested, especially when it couldn’t be heated up. The rum ration and cigarettes were also important to those serving on the frontlines.
Stereotypes in the Play
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Representations of life for the soldiers who fought the First World War are now common – from poetry and novels, to film and television. Sherriff’s play, first staged ten years after the end of the war, depicts what was then seen as shockingly realistic in its portrayal of life in the trenches, the characters, and the struggles they faced.
Discover more about the themes Journey’s End explores in the First World War Galleries at IWM London.
