Quotes

Dialogue

Blake: You get anything? Schofield: No. Blake: I'm bloody starvin', aren't you? I thought we might get some decent grub out here. It was the only reason I decided against the priesthood. What have you got there? Schofield: Ham and bread. Blake: Where did you find that? Schofield: I have my uses. Here. [hands Blake a chunk of bread] Blake: [chewing] Ugh, tastes like old shoe. Schofield: Cheer up. This time next week it'll be chicken dinner. Blake: Not me. Leave got cancelled. Schofield: They say why? Blake: No idea. Schofield: It's easier not to go back at all. Blake: Something's up. Did you hear anything? Schofield: No. Blake: Has to be the push, right? Ten bob says we're going up. Schofield: I'm not taking that bet. Blake: Why? 'Cause you know I'm right? Schofield: No, because you haven't got ten bob.

Dialogue

Blake: Is there any news, Sarge? Sergeant Sanders: News of what Blake: The big push. It was supposed to happen weeks ago. They told us we'd be home by Christmas. Sergeant Sanders: Yes, well, sorry to disrupt your crowded schedule, Blake, but the Brass Hats didn't fancy it in the snow. Blake: More's the pity, Sarge. I could have done with some turkey. Sergeant Sanders: Well, I'll be sure to relay your displeasure to Command. Blake: So, what's on the cards then, Sergeant? Sergeant Sanders: The Hun are up to something. Blake: Any idea what? Sergeant Sanders: No, but it's about to ruin our weekend. [Sanders stops in front of a dugout entrance and turns around to face Blake and Schofield] Now, listen. Erinmore is inside, so tidy yourselves up. Never know. Might be mentions in dispatches for this one... if you don't bugger it up.

Dialogue

Sergeant Sanders: Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield, sir. General Erinmore: Which one of you is Blake? Blake: Sir. General Erinmore: You have a brother, a lieutenant in the Second Devons? Blake: Yes, sir. Joseph Blake; is he--? General Erinmore: Alive. As far as I know. And with your help, I'd like to keep it that way. Sanders tells me you're good with maps. That true? Blake: Good enough, sir. General Erinmore: So... [indicates the British position on map] We are here. The Second Devons are advancing here. [indicates an 'X' on map] How long will it take you to get there? Blake: [confused] I don't understand, sir. Schofield: Sir, that land is held by the Germans. General Erinmore: Germans have gone. Don't get your hopes up. It appears to be a strategic withdrawal. They seem to have created a new line, nine miles back here by the look of it. Colonel Mackenzie is in command of the Second. He sent word yesterday morning he was going after the retreating Germans. He is convinced he has th

Dialogue

Blake: Sir? Lieutenant Leslie, sir? Lieutenant Leslie: [half asleep] What is it? Blake: We have a message from General Erinmore. Lieutenant Leslie: Are you our relief? Blake: No, sir. Lieutenant Leslie: Then when the fucking hell are they due? Blake: We don't know, sir, but we've got orders to cross here. Lieutenant Leslie: That is the German front line. Blake: We know, sir. If you'll just take the letter. [hands Leslie the note from Erinmore] Lieutenant Leslie: Settle a bet. What day is it? Blake: Friday. Lieutenant Leslie: Friday. Well, well, well. None of us was right. [indicates soldier] This idiot thought it was Tuesday. Soldier: Sorry, sir. Lieutenant Leslie: [reading the note] Are they out of their fucking minds? One slow night, the brass think the Hun have just gone home? Schofield: Do you think they're wrong, sir? Lieutenant Leslie: We lost an officer and three men two nights ago. They were shot to bits patching up wire. We dragged two of them back here. Needn't have bothered-

Dialogue

Blake: Your hand alright? Schofield: Put it through an effing German. Blake: Patch it up. You'll be wanking again in no time. Schofield: Wrong hand.

Dialogue

Schofield: [pouring water from his canteen on his face] Dust... so much dust in my eyes! Blake: [hands Schofield his canteen] Here. Have some of mine. I wish I'd shot that rat now. Schofield: And I wish you'd picked some other bloody idiot. Blake: What? Schofield: Why in God's name did you have to choose me? Blake: Well, I didn't know what I was picking you for. Schofield: No, you didn't. You never know. That's your problem. Blake: Alright then, go back. Nothing's stopping you. You can go all the bloody way home if you want. Schofield: [sharply] Don't. Just don't. Blake: Look, I didn't know what I was picking you for. I thought they were going to send us back up the line, or for food or something. I thought it was going to be easy, alright? I never thought it would be this. [pulls out flare gun] So, do you want to go back? Schofield: Just fire the fucking flare. Blake: Up yours, Lieutenant. [fires flare]

Dialogue

Blake: Hey, did you hear that story about Wilko? How he lost his ear? Schofield: I'm not in the mood. Keep your eyes on the trees, top of the ridge. Blake: Bet he told you it was shrapnel. Schofield: What was it then? Blake: Well, you know his girl's a hairdresser, right? And he was moaning about the lack of bathing facilities when he wrote to her. Remember those rancid jakes at Arras? Schofield: Yeah. Blake: Anyway, she sends him over this hair oil. Smells sweet, like Golden Syrup. Wilko loves the smell, but he doesn't want to cart it around in his pack. So, he slathers it all over his barnet, goes to sleep and in the middle of the night he wakes up, and a rat is sitting on his shoulder licking the oil off his head! [Schofield laughs] Wilko panics, and he jumps up, and when he does, the rat bites clean through his fucking ear and runs off with it! Schofield: [laughing] No! Blake: He made a hell of a fuss, yellin', screamin'; the best part of it was, he put so much bloody oil on himsel

Dialogue

Schofield: Well, that's your medal sorted, then. Blake: What do you mean? Schofield: "Lance Corporal Blake showed unusual valour rescuing a comrade from certain death", blah, blah, blah. Blake: You reckon? Schofield: I do. Blake: Well, that'd be nice, since you lost yours. Schofield: I didn't lose mine. Blake: What happened to it, then? Schofield: Why do you care? Blake: Why do you not? Schofield: I swapped it with a French captain. Blake: Swapped it?! Schofield: Mm-hmm. Blake: For what? Schofield: Bottle of wine. Blake: Well, what did you do that for?! Schofield: I was thirsty. Blake: What a waste. You should have taken it home with you, you should have given it to your family. Men have died for that. If I got a medal, I'd take it back home; why didn't you just take it home--? Schofield: Look, it's just a bit of bloody tin! It doesn't make you special. It doesn't make any difference to anyone. Blake: Yes, it does. And it's not just a bit of tin. It's got a ribbon on it. Schofield: I h

Dialogue

Blake: You bastard! You bloody bastard! [he opens his coat to see blood seeping profusely through his shirt from his stab wound] Oh, God, no. Oh, God, no! [he collapses, groaning in shock] Jesus. Jesus, no! Schofield: We have to stop the bleeding. [presses a cloth on Blake's wound] Blake: [screams in pain] Stop, stop it! Stop it! Schofield: It's alright, it's going to be alright. We're going to stand up. Blake: Yes. Schofield: Right. [he tries to pull Blake to his feet] Blake: No, I can't, I can't! Ow! Schofield: We have to get to an aid post. Blake: I can't! Schofield: I'll carry you. It isn't very far. Blake: Just bring a doctor here. Schofield: We can't. We have to go together. We're going to get up. We're going to get up. [he tries to drag Blake] Blake: Stop! Schofield: Come on. Blake: Please stop! [kicking in pain] Put me down! Put me down, you bastard, please! Put me down! Schofield: You have to try to keep moving. Blake: Let's just sit. Let me sit. Schofield: [trying to stop the

Dialogue

Schofield: How did you get here, sir? Captain Smith: Crossed no man's land just outside Bapaume. Took us the whole night. Bumped into a couple of Hun stragglers on the way who made a nuisance of themselves. Schofield: You going up to the new line? Captain Smith: Attempting to. The Newfoundlands have pushed forwards and requested reinforcements. I'm sorry about your friend. May I tell you something that you probably already know? It doesn't do to dwell on it. Schofield: No, sir.

Dialogue

Sepoy Jondalar: So, where are you going? Schofield: I have to get to the Second Devons, just past Écoust. Sepoy Jondalar: Why? Schofield: They're attacking at dawn. I have to stop them. Private Malky: How come? Schofield: They're walking into a trap. Private Cooke: How many? Schofield: Sixteen hundred. Private Cooke: Jesus. Private Butler: Why did they send you on your own? Schofield: They didn't. There were two of us. Private Rossi: So now it's down to you. Schofield: Yes. Private Cooke: You'll never make it. Schofield: Yes, I will. [Butler hands him a bottle of whisky] Thank you. Privatve Rossi: [noticing dead cattle in the fields] Look at it. Fucking look at it. Three years fightin' over this. We should've just let the bastards keep it. I mean, who machine guns cows? Private Malky: Huns with extra bullets. Privatve Rossi: Bastards. Sepoy Jondalar: Clever. They know if they don't shoot the cow, you will eat it. Privatve Rossi: Still bastards. Private Malky: Yeah, it's not even our bl

Dialogue

Captain Smith: Next bridge is six miles. We'll have to divert. Schofield: I can't, sir. I don't have the time. Captain Smith: Of course. [shakes Schofield's hand] Best of luck. Schofield: Thank you, sir. Captain Smith: Corporal, if you do manage to get to Colonel Mackenzie, make sure there are witnesses. Schofield: They are direct orders, sir. Captain Smith: I know. But some men just want the fight.

Dialogue

Schofield: Sir! I have orders to stop this attack! Lieutenant Richards: What? Schofield: Where is Colonel Mackenzie?! Lieutenant Richards: He's further up the line. Schofield: How far? Lieutenant Richards: Three hundred yards. He's in a cut in cover. You'll have to wait until the first wave goes over. Schofield: No. No, I can't. Lieutenant Richards: Second Platoon, thirty seconds! Lieutenant Richards: You can't possibly make it that way man, are you bloody insane? [Schofield looks looks back at the officer, who realizes what he is about to do] What the hell are you doing, Lance Corporal? [Schofield climbs up over the trench into the open field] No. No, no, no, NO!

Dialogue

Schofield: Colonel Mackenzie! This attack is not to go ahead! You have been ordered to stop! You have to stop! Colonel Mackenzie: Who the hell are you? Schofield: Lance Corporal Schofield, sir, Eighth. I have orders from General Erinmore to call off this attack. Colonel Mackenzie: You're too late, Lance Corporal. Schofield: Sir, these orders are from Army Command. You have to read them. Major Hepburn: Should we hold back the second wave, sir? Colonel Mackenzie: No, Major, hesitate now and we lose; victory's only five hundred yards away. Schofield: Sir, please read the letter! Colonel Mackenzie: I have heard it all before. I'm not going to wait until dusk or for fog. I'm not calling back my men only to send them out there again tomorrow, not when we've got the bastards on the run. This is their last stand. Schofield: The Germans planned this, sir. They've been planning it for months. They want you to attack. Read the letter. Colonel Mackenzie: Major. Major Hepburn: Yes, sir? Colonel Mac

Dialogue

Schofield: Lieutenant Blake? Joseph Blake: Yes? Do you need medical assistance? Schofield: No, sir. I'm from the Eighth. Joseph Blake: What the hell are you doing here? Schofield: I was sent here to deliver a message-- Joseph Blake: The Eighth? You must know my brother. Schofield: I was sent here with him. Joseph Blake: Tom's here? Where is he? Schofield: It was very quick. I'm sorry. Joseph Blake: What's your name? Schofield: Schofield, sir. Joseph Blake: I'm sorry... what? Schofield: It's Schofield, sir. William Schofield. Will. Joseph Blake: Well, you need some food. Get yourself to the mess tent. Schofield: If I may, I'd like to write to your mother. Tell her that Tom wasn't alone. Joseph Blake: Of course. Schofield: He was... he was a good man. Always telling funny stories. He saved my life. Joseph Blake: I am glad you were with him. Thank you, Will.