Act 2: Tensions & the Raid
Act 2 — The Pressure Builds
Act 2 of Journey’s End deepens the tensions established in Act 1. The German attack is now imminent, and the Colonel arrives with orders for a dangerous trench raid. Stanhope must send men across no man’s land to capture a German prisoner for intelligence. This act also contains two of the play’s most important scenes: Stanhope’s decision to censor Raleigh’s letter, and Hibbert’s attempt to leave the front line by claiming illness.
Sherriff structures Act 2 around the theme of duty versus self-preservation. Every character is forced to choose between obeying orders and protecting themselves or the people they care about. The raid hangs over the act like a sentence of death, and the audience watches the men respond in different ways: Osborne with quiet acceptance, Stanhope with fierce control, Hibbert with desperate evasion, and Raleigh with naïve willingness.
The Colonel orders the raid to capture a German soldier for intelligence about the expected attack. Stanhope objects that Raleigh is far too new to be sent, but the Colonel insists. This reveals the military hierarchy’s disregard for individual lives — decisions made from behind the lines directly cause the deaths of men the audience has come to care about.
The Censorship Scene
One of Act 2’s most revealing scenes occurs when Stanhope insists on reading Raleigh’s letter home before it is sent. He has been dreading this moment — convinced that Raleigh will describe his drinking. The censorship of soldiers’ letters was a real practice during WWI, and Sherriff uses it here to create dramatic irony.
When Osborne reads the letter aloud, it contains nothing but admiration: Raleigh writes that “Dennis is the finest officer in the battalion, and the men simply love him,” and adds “I’m awfully proud to think he’s my friend.” Stanhope is stunned and ashamed. The moment is devastating because it reveals the gap between Stanhope’s tortured self-image and how others actually see him. He has been so consumed by guilt and fear that he cannot recognise loyalty when it is offered.
Stanhope’s insistence on censoring the letter exposes his deepest fear: not the Germans, not death, but being seen as he truly is. His identity is split between the heroic schoolboy Raleigh remembers and the alcoholic wreck he believes himself to be. The dramatic irony is powerful — the audience already suspects that Raleigh’s letter will be positive, but Stanhope cannot imagine it. His shame has so distorted his perception that he is incapable of trusting anyone’s good opinion of him.
After hearing the letter, Stanhope quietly says he will not censor it after all. This small moment of grace is one of the few times in the play where Stanhope lets his guard down. Sherriff shows that beneath the toughness, Stanhope is still capable of being moved — but the war has made vulnerability feel like a threat.
Hibbert’s Attempt to Leave
Second Lieutenant Hibbert claims he has neuralgia (severe headaches) and asks to be sent to the rear. Stanhope sees through the excuse immediately and confronts Hibbert in one of the play’s most intense scenes. He tells Hibbert that every officer is afraid — including himself — and threatens to shoot him if he tries to leave.
This scene is crucial because it shows Stanhope at his most complex. He is simultaneously cruel (threatening to shoot a fellow officer) and honest (admitting his own fear). When he says that he, too, has considered pretending to be ill, he strips away the mask of the fearless leader. The scene also raises an uncomfortable moral question: is Hibbert a coward, or simply a man who has reached his breaking point? Sherriff refuses to give a simple answer. Hibbert’s fear is real, even if his excuse is not.
Stanhope tells Hibbert: “If you went, I’d have you shot — for deserting. It’s a hell of a disgrace — to die like that. I’d rather spare you the disgrace.” He threatens to shoot Hibbert if he leaves, then admits his own terror: “I feel the same — exactly the same!” The scene ends with both men agreeing to go on together. Sherriff shows that courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to carry on despite it.
The Raid Preparations
The Colonel selects Osborne and Raleigh to lead the raiding party. Stanhope objects that Raleigh has only just arrived, but the Colonel dismisses his concerns. This moment reveals the callousness of military command: the Colonel is more interested in capturing a prisoner than in the lives of the men he sends. Headquarters lays on two bottles of champagne, six cigars and a fresh chicken for afterwards, a detail that highlights the grotesque disparity between the commanders behind the lines and the men who face death.
Osborne reads Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in the dugout in Act 2, and Trotter laughs at him for reading “a kid’s book.” In the last minutes before the raid, in Act 3, Osborne and Raleigh sit together and talk about England, home, and mundane things. This quiet domestic scene, set against the knowledge that one or both may die within the hour, is one of Sherriff’s most effective dramatic techniques. The contrast between the ordinariness of their conversation and the horror of what awaits them creates unbearable tension.
Osborne’s choice of reading material is significant. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a children’s book about a nonsensical world where normal rules do not apply. There is a clear parallel with the war: the officers have fallen into their own nightmarish wonderland where death is random and authority makes no sense. The book also connects to Osborne’s former life as a schoolmaster — it is a reminder of the civilised, orderly world he has left behind.
By having Osborne read a children’s book just before he goes to his death, Sherriff emphasises his innocence and gentleness. It also functions as a form of escape: Osborne retreats into a fantasy world rather than facing the reality of the next day. The scene is profoundly moving because it shows a good man quietly preparing to die.
Themes in Act 2
Act 2 brings several key themes into sharp focus. The conflict between duty and self-preservation is dramatised through Hibbert. The gap between the military command and the men on the ground is shown through the Colonel’s casual ordering of the raid. The theme of appearance versus reality deepens as Stanhope’s fear is contrasted with his outward authority, and Raleigh’s admiring letter reveals the disconnect between Stanhope’s self-image and how he is perceived. Every scene in Act 2 tightens the pressure towards the inevitable catastrophe of the raid.