Characters
Private Frederick Parsons
Private Leonard James
Lieutenant Anthony Smith
Field Marshal Charles Axten
Private Greggory Morris
Mary James
Private David Jones
Private Francis Tyler
Private Archie Bishop
Tilde South
Heather Salt
Tilly Morris
Katie May
Sandy Lyons
Court Secretary
Military Inspector
Peter James
Sergeant Tyler Smith
(And now Scene 1)
Scene 1
Fade lights up on Leonard reading letters in a ‘trench’.
Leonard: “To my dearest Mary
I’m here writing to you from a trench in Belgium. The conditions here are awful all the things the posters said are not true, we are poorly looked after and we have barely any food just a singular piece of bread is fed to ten of us and the hierarchy here is broken cause the officers get all the bunks and most of us privates are on floor with all rats but the rats they don’t mean us no harm they might bite us if they threaten but the real problem is the repeated shelling and gunfire every time I them my hands shake and I have flashbacks to sights of the dead but the strangest part is that the pompous fool – the Field Marshal – is sitting a few miles away from the battle smoking a cigar and drinking claret and watching our progress but we make so little progress he’s basically watching us die. With this war it just a bunch of people wanting not to be branded as a coward. This war is taking so long because patriotism and no side backing down but I’ve got to tell you that I’m safe in the reserved going to the front line and it is the thought of you that keeps me going through this war.
I just look forward to coming off the train into your warm embrace and caress your warm rosy cheeks and look in your deep hazel eyes and tell you how much I love you and after this war you will be married to your love and a war hero, but there is a chance I won’t come back and now while I am safe I really want to tell you that I love you even if I am miles away…or dead.
Your fiancé Leonard”
Fade black out
Fade lights up on Leonard and Mary sitting at a table
Mary: “why have you got to go, Larry Baker from the bank isn’t going and neither is Mrs. Davis’ lad”
Leonard: “I’ve got to, I’m doing nothing with my life and I probably will never do anything with my life, I’m between jobs and we are running low on money. We’re living with my dad, for Christ’s sake.
Mary: “Well, you’d better come back to me Leo, or so help me”
Peter enters
Peter: Come now Leonard, they said that sign up starts at six o’clock sharp, it’s already half past five.
Leonard gives Mary an affectionate peck on the cheek and walks with Peter off stage.
Blackout
Private Frederick Parsons
Private Leonard James
Lieutenant Anthony Smith
Field Marshal Charles Axten
Private Greggory Morris
Mary James
Private David Jones
Private Francis Tyler
Private Archie Bishop
Tilde South
Heather Salt
Tilly Morris
Katie May
Sandy Lyons
Court Secretary
Military Inspector
Peter James
Sergeant Tyler Smith
(And now Scene 1)
Scene 1
Fade lights up on Leonard reading letters in a ‘trench’.
Leonard: “To my dearest Mary
I’m here writing to you from a trench in Belgium. The conditions here are awful all the things the posters said are not true, we are poorly looked after and we have barely any food just a singular piece of bread is fed to ten of us and the hierarchy here is broken cause the officers get all the bunks and most of us privates are on floor with all rats but the rats they don’t mean us no harm they might bite us if they threaten but the real problem is the repeated shelling and gunfire every time I them my hands shake and I have flashbacks to sights of the dead but the strangest part is that the pompous fool – the Field Marshal – is sitting a few miles away from the battle smoking a cigar and drinking claret and watching our progress but we make so little progress he’s basically watching us die. With this war it just a bunch of people wanting not to be branded as a coward. This war is taking so long because patriotism and no side backing down but I’ve got to tell you that I’m safe in the reserved going to the front line and it is the thought of you that keeps me going through this war.
I just look forward to coming off the train into your warm embrace and caress your warm rosy cheeks and look in your deep hazel eyes and tell you how much I love you and after this war you will be married to your love and a war hero, but there is a chance I won’t come back and now while I am safe I really want to tell you that I love you even if I am miles away…or dead.
Your fiancé Leonard”
Fade black out
Fade lights up on Leonard and Mary sitting at a table
Mary: “why have you got to go, Larry Baker from the bank isn’t going and neither is Mrs. Davis’ lad”
Leonard: “I’ve got to, I’m doing nothing with my life and I probably will never do anything with my life, I’m between jobs and we are running low on money. We’re living with my dad, for Christ’s sake.
Mary: “Well, you’d better come back to me Leo, or so help me”
Peter enters
Peter: Come now Leonard, they said that sign up starts at six o’clock sharp, it’s already half past five.
Leonard gives Mary an affectionate peck on the cheek and walks with Peter off stage.
Blackout
