 Hello and welcome to our video summarising everything you need to know about Journey's End, the play by R.C. Sheriff. My name is Barbara and in this first part of our three part video series, we'll go over the plot summary of this play. Do you remember to come back for part two and part three, where we go over all the characters, themes and also important quotations that you need to understand, especially if you're studying this play as part of your coursework or exams. So let's get started. Now as I mentioned, we shall look in this video at a summary of the plot. Now, in the first scene of Journey's End, Osborne arrives in the British trenches of Saint Quentin France in the last year of the First World War. He is the second in command of an infantry stationed only 70 yards from the trenches of the German enemies and the nature of this kind of military service is quite intense. So the infantry's rotate working this location, each group taking six day shifts. Now when Osborne arrives, he has a brief conversation with Hardy, the second in command who's just finished his six days. Hardy tells Osborne that there's a German attack expected to come in soon and the two soldiers talk about Stanhope, the captain of the infantry. Stanhope is a hard drinking young man who's been in the war ready for three years. Hardy exalts him as both a sound leader and a prolific drinker. Hardy also tells Osborne about an officer who recently left and he hopes that the replacement would be a braver, better soldier. When Hardy leaves, Osborne sits down to dinner made by Mason, the officer's cook. At this point, Rally, the new officer enters. As Osborne and Rally talk, Rally reveals that he knows Stanhope from before the war. He and Stanhope went to the same high school and Stanhope was a respected rugby captain whose father was friends with Rally's father. The boys spent summer together and Stanhope started dating Rally's sister. When Stanhope went off to war, Rally thought constantly of him as a brave captain. When Rally enlisted, he even asked a relative to help him get assigned to Stanhope's infantry. Hearing this, Osborne realises he should warn Rally that Stanhope has changed. Next, the two men talk about Rally's giant journey through the trenches to the front lines, which he says was an unnervingly quiet experience. Osborne confirms that it's often quiet there, despite it being one of the most dangerous places to be stationed. Osborne says they are just, and to quote from the play, waiting for something to happen. When Stanhope enters the dugout, he's stunned to see Rally. Rather than embrace him, he simply asks how he got there. He then turns his attention to Osborne and Trotter, another officer, and the group sit down to eat together. Eventually, the fourth officer of Stanhope's infantry hibbet enters and claims that he doesn't know if he can eat because of his neuralgia. This obviously annoys Stanhope, who urges hibbet to eat, but hibbet goes to bed. During dinner, Trotter decides to make a chart representing the remaining hours until he and his fellow officers can leave the trenches. On a paper, he draws 144 circles, intending to fill them in as the hours pass by. By the end of dinner, only Stanhope and Osborne remain in the dugout, and Stanhope is exceedingly drunk. He admits that he's afraid Rally will write his sister, who's waiting for Stanhope to return and tell her about his drinking. Stanhope declares that he's going to censor Rally's letters, and Osborne ports his drunken friend to bed. The following day, the colonel informs Stanhope that the long-awaited German attack is set to take place on March 21st in two days. Stanhope relays this information to Osborne, who says he's glad something is happening at last. Stanhope then muses on his experience in the trenches and worries that he's going crazy. Osborne assures him he's merely experiencing nerve strain. Rally enters the dugout with the letter, and Stanhope tells him to leave it open so that it can be censored. Rally says he hasn't said anything confidential, but Stanhope angrily insists that he has to follow orders and allow his letters to be censored. When Rally leaves, Stanhope asks Osborne to read the letter, only to discover that the boy has only said positive things about him. Later that afternoon, the colonel tells Stanhope that the higher-ups have decided to stage a raid on the German trenches before the attack on the 21st. To Stanhope, this sounds like a suicide mission, but the colonel insists that it must be done and the men determine that Osborne and Rally should be the ones to lead the effort. After the colonel departs, Hibbert enters the dugout and tells Stanhope that his neurologia has progressed so badly that he believes he must go home. This enraged Stanhope who pressures him to stay and even pulls a gun on him, though he doesn't shoot. Finally, Hibbert makes clear that he doesn't really have neurologia, rather he can't stand the wall. Stanhope becomes more sympathetic, telling Hibbert that he too falls this way. He reveals that only thing keeping him from falling, faking sick and going home, is his drinking. The next day, the colonel and Stanhope do go through the plan with the raid. Osborne and his men will launch a smoke bomb at a section of the German fence. Rally and his men will slip through the fence, grab the first German soldier they can find and take him hostage so that they can gather information about the attack. Stanhope and the colonel then visit Osborne and Rally, who are preparing for the mission. When they leave, Osborne and Rally wait to begin, sitting together at a table and trying to pass the time. Eventually they talk about where Rally grew up and in minutes before they leave, they continue to bond. The raid goes successfully and they kidnap a young German soldier. This pleases the colonel but Stanhope soon learns Osborne has been killed. Like Stanhope, Rally is stunned by the loss but the colonel has to strain to show his emotion. He's primarily excited to pass on news of the successful mission. When the colonel finally leaves, Stanhope and Rally look at one another as gunfire sounds overhead. That night, Stanhope, Trotter and Hibbet get drunk on champagne, which the colonel and other officers provide as a reward. Hibbet drinks more than he normally does and tells Stanhope that Rally isn't celebrating with them because he's with the soldiers on watch. This enrages Stanhope and when Rally comes into the dugout he asks why he would eat with the sergeants rather than the officers. Rally admits he can imagine feasting and partying on the day of Osborne's death. He asks how Stanhope can do so and Stanhope yells and to quit from the play. To forget, you think there's no limit to what a man can bear? The next morning the officers are hung over when the German attack begins. Stanhope and Hibbet are in the dugout and Hibbet tries to delay leaving. Eventually, Stanhope gets him into the trenches but he himself remains. Soon Rally is injured and brought into the dugout. At first he's in shock that he doesn't register how badly he's been hurt. Shortly thereafter though, he realizes he can't move his legs and starts calling Stanhope Dennis. In turn, Stanhope calls him Jimmy and tells him that he'll stay by his side. Stanhope goes to a candle and then he returns. Rally has stopped talking. A soldier enters and tells Stanhope that Trotter wants him to join them in the trenches. Stanhope stares at Rally's lifeless body and then climbs the steps of the dugout. Moments later a shell explodes nearby snuffing out the candle by Rally's side. So that's all in terms of the plot summary. If you found this video useful, we'd really appreciate it if you gave it a big thumbs up and also consider subscribing to our YouTube channel. Also, do make sure you check out our website which is www.firstreadtutor.com there you will find revision guides related to both this play but also lots of other areas when it comes to English. Thank you so much for listening and do make sure you come back for part 2 and part 3 where we will go over themes, characters and also key quotations for this play. Thank you so much for watching.