Journey's End characters

Appears from the start

The young officer newly posted to C Company in the British front line. He requested the assignment because he knew Stanhope at school and still regards him as a model of courage. His eagerness and innocence expose how far the war has changed the man he remembers.

Appears from the start

The exhausted commander of C Company, after three years of almost continuous front-line service. He was a celebrated athlete and senior pupil at Raleigh's school, and is engaged to Raleigh's sister. He now relies heavily on whisky to master his fear while maintaining exacting standards as an officer.

Also known as Uncle

Appears from the start

Stanhope's older, steady second-in-command, affectionately nicknamed Uncle by the company. A former schoolmaster with a calm manner and a fondness for Lewis Carroll, he understands Stanhope's strain and quietly protects both his commander and the younger officers.

Appears from the start

A cheerful, rotund officer whose talk of food, gardening, and home helps make trench life bearable. His unshowy endurance and practical good sense contrast with both Raleigh's idealism and Stanhope's frayed intensity.

Appears from the start

An officer preparing to leave the company as its tour in the line begins. His account of the dugout, the rats, and the enemy's proximity establishes the routine discomfort and danger into which Raleigh arrives.

Appears from the start

The company cook, heard and seen around the officers' dugout. He answers complaints about the meals with literal explanations and keeps the domestic machinery of the mess going amid shortages and shellfire.

First appears in chapter 2

A senior officer who brings Stanhope intelligence that a German offensive is expected and relays orders from brigade. He admires C Company but is constrained by commanders who treat the men as pieces in a larger operation.

First appears in chapter 2

A junior officer suffering from acute fear and what he calls neuralgia. He wants to report sick and leave the line, bringing Stanhope's harsh ideas about duty into direct conflict with another man's breaking point.

First appears in chapter 4

A young German soldier captured during the British raid. Frightened and closely questioned, he carries papers that confirm the timing of the expected attack.

First appears in chapter 6

The experienced senior non-commissioned officer who reports to Stanhope and helps execute the company's orders as the German assault begins.