White poppies - Author's Notes
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White poppies
White poppies —
Author’s Notes
Contents
Author’s preface ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2
Guide to these notes������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Part One
Performance��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
Doubling of parts������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
Other important aspects of production����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Background information ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Part Two
Section One: Creating a character ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Improvisation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Section Two: Props��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Section Three: Writing, acting, recording, researching������������������������������������������������� 10
Section Four: The family tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � 13
Section Five: Designing a production����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Section Six: Use of words and language: discussion and writing ����������������������������� 14
Section Seven: Poetry inspired by the First World War����������������������������������������������� 16
Section Eight: Women in the First World War��������������������������������������������������������������� 17
Section Nine: Shot at dawn����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
Section Ten: Tunnelling����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
Section Eleven: Historical background��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22
Section Twelve: Resources������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 24
Part Three
Planning a production ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Props��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Characters as they appear in scenes��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
Part Four
Answers��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30
The first performance of White poppies ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
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White poppies —
Author’s Notes
Author’s preface
When my son was 16, I saw a production of the musical satire Oh! What a Lovely War. The
director had done some local research and had come up with an episode based on the
story of a boy who lied about his age and enlisted as a soldier in the 1914–1918 war.
Eventually, he just could not endure the hardship and horror of life on the battlefield any
more. He went absent without leave, was arrested, and was finally shot at dawn. The
story of Tom Hedley in White poppies developed from me imagining my own 16-year-old
son in that nightmare.
The other half of the play – Jenny Lucas’ story – came from remembering the lady who
lived next door to me in my childhood. Like countless others, she never married because
no one ever measured up to the sweetheart she lost in the 1939–1945 war. Like many
women of the time, she hoped and waited – and then lived on in loneliness.
Real people, real tragedies
Life at the time the play is set – the start of the twentieth century – was different in many
respects to life at the start of the twenty-first century. You should have fun researching all
these differences although when you get to know the young people in the play itself, I
think you will find them not so very different from yourself when it comes to their hopes
and dreams.
When I wrote the play, a handful of veterans from the First World War were still alive.
One of them, Henry Allingham (aged 112 in 2008), composed the following words
especially for all the young people who will read White poppies:
‘Your lives have been blessed by the opportunity to learn; you have been schooled, and
each one of you has benefited from this knowledge, proportionate to your own
intellect. Now is the time to use these years of learning to help shape your own
fortune. Set yourself goals and targets. Be positive – start today to think where you
would like to be next year. Don’t aim too high – always work within your own
capability. The best of luck to you all.’
Important
1. Some of those involved in performing or reading White poppies will themselves have
relatives in the Armed Services. Several topics for discussion, research and writing –
particularly in Part 2, Sections 3, 7 and 8 – may touch on potentially distressing issues.
Group leaders and teachers should be aware of this when approaching these topics.
2. The war which Tom, Mattie and Will were involved in (1914–1918) is referred to either
as the Great War (so-called because people of the time believed nothing could ever
again have such far-reaching consequences), or as the First World War, to distinguish it
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from the Second World War of 1939–1945. The description ‘world’ is used because so
many countries were involved.
3. The characters from scenes set in the past talk about Great Britain, whereas today we
would probably refer to the UK (United Kingdom). Now that the British Empire no
longer exists, the name ‘Great Britain’ is used less often.
4. Remembrance Day takes place on 11 November each year. It commemorates the day
when the guns ceased firing at the end of the Great War in 1918 (the eleventh hour of
the eleventh day of the eleventh month). It is sometimes referred to as ‘Armistice Day’
or ‘Poppy Day’ because it is the custom to wear an artificial red poppy around this
date.
Guide to these notes
Part One is aimed at groups who want to mount a full-scale production.
Part Two is aimed at close study of the play in the classroom. The twelve sections
provide useful background information about the First World War. There are numbered
activities throughout these sections for smaller and more self-contained projects (making,
discussing, writing, recording, acting, photographing and researching). There is plenty of
scope for cross-curricular activities.
Part Three contains some useful notes for planning rehearsals and class readings.
Part Four provides some answers to questions posed in Part Two, and also details of the
first production of the play in 2007.
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Part One
Performance
I wrote White poppies to be performed in a variety of spaces – from the corner of a
classroom to a sophisticated stage. I had English/Drama teachers and directors firmly in
mind, and know from experience that resources, technical backup and time are often
limited! I also wanted to involve as many actors as possible (although there can be
doubling), and wanted to create equally interesting female and male roles.
Many of the scenes can simply be read aloud in pairs, for example: Act One, Scene 8
between Jenny Lucas and Tom; Act One, Scene 9 and Act Two, Scene 7 between Mattie
and Tom; Act Two, Scene 15 between John Clark and Jenny Lucas; Scene 17 between Dr
Lindsay and Will.
Half the fun of presenting a play comes from deciding what it is going to look like in
front of an audience, or even just your friends in the lesson. The following ideas are
designed to make it easier for you to plan movements and scenery quickly, but you will
probably find it more fun to elaborate on these ideas or even to change them. (There are
more notes in Part Three which should help in planning rehearsals or deciding which
scenes to read or act out in class. A comprehensive props list can also be found there).
The most important thing is to decide what you are going to do about the scenes that
involve characters from the present, i.e., Jenny Clark and her mother. Do you want them
to make entrances or exits at the beginning and ends of their scenes, or do you want them
to stay still and observe the action that takes place in the previous century? Talk about the
advantages and disadvantages of both methods: keeping still might be one obvious
disadvantage; creating the impression that Jenny Clark is gradually learning Tom Hedley’s
story might be an advantage. Which method you choose may also depend on how big the
performance space is, what shape it is, and whether you can use lights to illuminate
characters when they are involved in a scene and ignore them when they are not. Be
careful not to hold the action up to set special furniture for the scenes set in the present.
One way to keep the action running smoothly would be to use the Clarks (especially Mrs
Clark, as a way of involving her more) to set props and to clear them away.
Think about the music and other sound effects which can be used as well as lighting to
suggest a change of scene; for example, country dance music of the period at the end of
Act One, Scene One could give way to the kind of pop songs Jenny Clark might listen to
in Act One, Scene Two. Military music or bugle calls could help set the scene in France. If
you get the chance, try to watch Oh! What a Lovely War (see the Resources section on page
24), a musical satire that features many of the songs of the period; you might want to use
‘Goodbye Tipperary’, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ or ‘Your King and Country Need You’ (see
page 11 for the words and tune of this last song). See the Resources section for books
containing more songs. Search engines should provide you with sites that can play back
recordings. If you want to use classical music, you might find inspiration in Vaughan
Williams Symphony No. 3 (the rather misleadingly named ‘Pastoral’), especially the
bugle calls.
Careful costume design will also help distinguish the present from the past. Period
female costumes can be easy and cheap to design, adapt and make. Male costumes are
harder, so you will have to use your ingenuity. Trouser width, the shape of a collar, a
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jacket fastening – these can all be used to adapt a contemporary item of clothing to the
period of choice. Uniforms may need to be hired. If you look in books of costume design
for inspiration for the earlier scenes, remember that styles changed much more slowly
around 1900 than they do now, in the age of mass media/advertising, especially in rural
areas. So you would probably be able to use designs from anywhere within a period of
about 30 years. One interesting thing to note is that it was round about the time of the
First World War that women’s costumes began to change more quickly and more
radically, partly because women began to have more power in society and were more
obviously taking an active part in the working world.
If you are designing scenery you also need to think carefully about how to stage the
tunnelling sequence so that setting it up does not interrupt the flow of the action too
much. The first production of the play solved this problem very simply, but the simple
solution probably took careful thought! See Part 2, Section 10, page 21 for diagrams
illustrating the events in Act Two, Scene 8.
Some special effects also need care. The obvious example here is Tom’s execution. You
need to decide just how realistic you want it to look. It could be just as effective done in
mime, or slowed down, or with a sound effect very different from a volley of gunshots.
Remember to always look at what follows a special effect: in this case, it is Hannah
singing a lullaby to her baby. Make sure the two moods complement each other.
The last scene of the play requires special attention. After Dr Lindsay quotes the poem,
members of the cast might like to substitute the names of their own ancestors for those in
the list of names read out for the war memorial. Think about what music you could use
in this scene: Carl Jenkins’ ‘Benedictus’ from The Armed Man might be suitable.
The most important thing is that the scenes of the play (which are all quite short) should
flow, using relevant musical/sound/audio-visual/lighting effects to link them together.
No complicated changes of scenery are necessary.
Doubling of parts
●● In the dance at the beginning, the two church scenes, and in the scenes in Act Two
where the telegrams arrive, all the unnamed characters can play the parts of other
villagers.
●● Jenny Lucas and Hannah from 1914/15 can play the same characters in 1941.
●● Any of the actors playing the parts of the army officers can double up with the
actors playing the parts of the Milkman, the Vicar and Lord Fordham. The Recruiting
Officer from Act One can double up with the Corporal in Act Two, and even also
with any of the officers in the trial scene.
●● Think of how to use all the actors in the Poppy Day scene at the end. Who will
appear in modern dress, and who, if any, as they were in the earlier action?
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Other important aspects of production
Give considerable thought to how you are going to finance your production, advertise it,
and make your audience feel welcome (both programmes and posters will need to be
designed).
Background information
Although the rest of these web pages are really designed for students of the play rather
than those putting on a production, you may still find them useful. See also the Resources
section.
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Part Two
Section One: Creating a character
Activity 1: Understanding the characters
As you read the play and gain some understanding of the characters, pair up with a
partner and discuss the suggestions in italics.
●● Tom Hedley Tom was seven when his father was killed. He has grown up with a
deep sense of responsibility for his mother. He loves books, is interested in ideas,
and wants to be a schoolteacher. The actor playing Tom should look carefully to see where
he can bring out the lighter side of his personality.
●● Jenny Lucas Whereas Tom is still at school at the start of the action, Jenny is earning
her living for the first time, and living away from home. Mrs Hedley soon becomes a
second mother to her. Jenny’s bond with Tom is strong enough to survive his
absence in France, the horror of his disgrace, and the loneliness of life without him.
Whoever plays Jenny’s part has to balance her vulnerability with her strength of character.
●● Jenny Clark We do not get a chance to see how the twenty-first century Jenny reacts
to circumstances, so the actor has a chance to develop her character exactly as she
wishes. What clues are there to build on?
●● Mrs Hedley She is a hard-working single parent, devoted to her son and also later
on to Jenny. Tom’s decision to enlist hits her hard because of her husband’s early
death. She loves looking after people (sometimes comically so) but remember that she’s
still a comparatively young woman when the play begins, certainly no older than 35.
●● Will Fordham Will is in many ways the most interesting and complex character in
the play. He is one of Tom’s best friends and yet he becomes the agent of his
destruction. How sympathetically should Will be presented? Is he entirely to blame for the
tragedy?
●● Polly and Lizzie Is it altogether fair to lump these two together? They do certainly
have different personalities, working together to make them intensely unlikeable,
especially to Jenny. Can you see them as characters from your favourite soap? Work out
how they behave together as a comic duo (with sinister overtones), and decide just how much
one of them is the leader and one the follower.
●● Mattie Clark Jenny Clark’s great grandfather is a hardworking young man, fiercely
protective of his young wife and his best friend. If it had not been for his strong
sense of patriotism, he might well have carried on in much the same unambitious,
straightforward way all his life. He represents all the young men from the village
who believed it was their duty to defend their families and their country, and who
died in doing so. Look for the places where Mattie behaves as any other uncomplicated
young man, past or present, enjoying life to the full and always ready for the next escapade.
●● Dr Lindsay He stands out from the other adult males in the play, fearing the terrible
consequences of the war and not being convinced of how just and right it is for so
many young men to risk their lives. Remember – he probably treated all the young
men in the village, rich and poor, from babyhood upwards. He risks social
embarrassment in taking on Jenny and Mrs Hedley after Tom’s death. The actor
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playing Dr Lindsay will need to decide why he takes this risk, and how he feels about Will
when Will confesses to him what really happened.
●● Other characters All the characters are important, even if they are not mentioned
above. In some ways, it is harder for the actors playing these parts to develop them
because they have been given fewer clues. Remember, if you are asked to play, for
example, the part of the Vicar, the Recruiting Officer or the 6th villager (hurling
insults at Jenny and Mrs Hedley in Act Two, Scene 13), you should still see her/him
as an individual.
Activity 2: Hot-seating
Pick one of the main characters in the play. Work out what questions you could ask to
encourage them to imagine what it would be like to be that character. Try to choose
questions which reflect some problem or dilemma the character is facing, for example,
you might ask Tom if he feels responsible for his mother’s happiness, or Hannah if she
will ever forgive Jenny. You might want to work these questions out in pairs, and perhaps
write them down. Then, as a group, sit in a circle and ask someone to sit in the middle,
imagining him/herself as one of these characters. Put your questions to them.
Hot-seat the other characters as well, with questions along the following lines: What is
your first name? Why did you join up, or not join up? If you didn’t have the chance to
join up (maybe you are a woman), would you have wanted to do so – and why? Did you
know Tom personally? If you did, what did you think of him before he went to France?
Improvisation
This means that you work without a script, saying what you think your character would
say in a certain situation.
Activity 3: Thinking aloud
In a group, work on the following exercise to warm up to improvisation:
●● Stand in a circle and appoint someone to start. This person should say aloud the
name of one of the main characters, e.g., ‘Jenny!’
●● S/he should point at, or throw a ball to, another, naming that person aloud, e.g.,
‘Tom!’ Jenny should then say aloud what she is thinking about that character at a
certain point in the play, e.g., ‘If Tom really wanted to stay my sweetheart he
wouldn’t have enlisted’.
●● The other person should respond in character, e.g., ‘I’ll really miss Jenny but I want
to do what all the other lads are doing.’
●● He should then throw the ball or point to another character, naming him/her, e.g.,
‘Mam’ and say something such as ‘Mam’ll have a fit!’ The person named should
then say what Mrs Hedley is thinking.
●● Restart the chain after a few turns.
Activity 4: Dialogues
1. Tom, aged 10, falls on Mr Clark’s cabbages.
Begin – Tom: ‘Ouch! Sorry!’
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2. Jenny and her auntie talk about how Jenny should go away to work.
Begin – Jenny: ‘What about seeking work where Hannah is, Auntie?’
3. Hannah and Mattie discuss Jenny’s romance.
Begin – Hannah: ‘Is that Tom Hedley to be trusted?’
4. Hannah and Mattie’s farewell before he goes to training camp and then France.
Begin – Mattie: ‘Now make sure you eat for two!’
5. Mrs Hedley and Tom say goodbye before he goes.
Begin – Mrs Hedley: ‘Now mind yourself – and do as you’re bid!’
6. Jenny and Tom say goodbye.
Begin – Tom: ‘If we both look at the same star each night…’
7. Two soldiers at the field hospital in France.
Begin – 1st Soldier: ‘Tom Hedley tried to scarper? Nah!’
8. Imagine that John Clark (at the age you are now) asks Hannah, his mother, about how
his father, Mattie, died. (Make sure that the person taking John’s part keeps asking
questions, e.g., ‘Did you know Tom Hedley before he and Dad went off to war?’)
Begin – John: ‘Mam, how did my dad die?’
9. Dr Lindsay, Mrs Hedley (now Mrs Lindsay) and Hannah meet at Jenny’s funeral.
Begin – Mrs Hedley: ‘I’m so glad to see you again, Mrs Clark… Hannah!’
Section Two: Props
Props are objects that characters use or refer to on stage. You must choose them carefully
to match descriptions in the play, or to give an idea of the time and place of the action.
Activity 5: The bait box
As a class, design the box Jenny Clark uses to research Tom’s story. Divide into about
four groups and look carefully at sections of the play to decide what sort of things could
go into the box (some of them may not be directly referred to in the script).
●● Group 1: Act One, Scenes 1–7 e.g., the poem from Scene 6 (referred to); Tom’s birth
certificate (not referred to – see if your family has one of a similar age).
●● Group 2: Act One, Scenes 8–16 e.g., the white feather (referred to); Mrs Hedley’s
recipe for treacle toffees (not referred to).
●● Group 3: Act Two, Scenes 1–12 e.g., one of the letters Tom writes to his mother and
which is lost in the explosion (referred to); a pressed flower sent by Hannah to
Mattie, with her hopes for the new baby (not referred to).
●● Group 4: Act Two, Scenes 13–20 e.g., the telegram to Hannah, telling her of Mattie’s
death (see page 18); Jenny Clark’s memorabilia from the 11 November ceremony at
her school (not referred to). This would have been put into the box for her own
children, and could include photographs or recordings.
When you have collected your ideas, get together as a class to make sure you have not
duplicated any! Then get to work to fill the box. Find a volunteer to make or bring in a
suitable box, which should look as though it came from 1900. You could think of ways to
‘distress’ the box, i.e. make it look older than it is.
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Activity 6: Making a props list
Under scene headings, make a list of all the props needed for a production of the play,
e.g., a hunting whip, a gas mask for the older Jenny Lucas in the train, Mrs Hedley’s
knitting, a bowl of peas for Jenny Lucas to shell. If you are acting the play out in front of
the class, or another group, you could ask the audience to make a list of these props for
you, as a way of involving them. Compare your list with the list on page 27.
Section Three: Writing, acting, recording, researching
There is plenty of scope here. Suggest some of your own ideas or ask your teacher for
advice. One possibility would be to work as a group or a pair, each of you making a
different suggestion for the other to write about. In the activities below are some ideas.
Activity 7: Writing
1. Hannah writes a letter to Mattie, telling him about the baby. This letter arrives too late.
2. Mr Mariner, Tom Hedley’s headmaster, writes a school report for Mrs Hedley,
recommending that Tom should go to the grammar school. Note: It was not until 1918
that the school-leaving age in England was raised to 14. Parents or scholarships/bursaries
would have had to pay for any further education. Poorer parents often could not afford the
uniforms, books or travelling expenses involved in keeping their children at school. In any case,
they might need their children to help with younger or sick family members, to earn a wage or
help with a family business. In the play, Will is rich enough to be heading for university before
the war intervenes but Jenny has to go out to service. Tom’s mother would have to make
sacrifices if Tom is to become a teacher.
3. Compose the text messages that Jenny Clark and her school friend, Sarah, might send
each other, e.g.:
a. to explain the Remembrance Day homework
b. when Jenny starts going through the boxes
c. when she discovers the truth about her middle name
d. to exchange the ideas they are each going to bring to the ceremony at school.
4. The local newspaper reports the explosion at Hill 60, and its social impact on Byford
village. This could be extended to make a whole class activity, filling the newspaper
with accounts of the war, and local advertising, or human interest stories of the period,
not necessarily connected with the play. Begin by looking up contemporary examples
of local newspapers.
5. Write another scene for the play to end Act One, in which Tom and Jenny Lucas say
goodbye to each other.
6. Imagine that Jenny Lucas was not killed in the air raid (Act Two, Scene 15) and that
her meeting with John Clark led to a reconciliation between her and her sister,
Hannah. Write the scene where they meet for the first time after 25 years.
7. Look through the script for Jenny Lucas’ diary and Tom’s letters. Copy them out in the
handwriting style of the period: ‘copperplate’ – slightly slanted to the right and with
lots of loops. Alternatively, experiment with fonts on the computer. You could include
the illustrations/decorations the characters might have put in. Remember that very
few private households of the time would have owned a camera.
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8. Make the telegram that Hannah would have received, telling her about Mattie’s death.
Most of the wording is to be found in Act Two, Scene 12, but look on page 18 to find
the rest of the telegram. This page also shows you an example of what bereaved
relatives would have received, signed by the War Minister, Lord Kitchener. You can
also make the telegram that Mrs Hedley, by contrast, received.
Activity 8: Acting
1. Perform the new ending for Act One that you wrote in Activity 7.5.
2. Perform the scene that you wrote in Activity 7.6, in which Jenny Lucas and her sister
Hannah are finally reconciled after 25 years.
3. Try out some of the songs referred to on page 4 (look under ‘Song Books’ in the
Resources section). An example is given here, with a transcription of the melody and
guitar chords:
Marching rhythm
Dmin G7 C G
Oh we don’t want to lose you but we think you ought to go!
Dmin G F G7
For your king and your country they need you so.
Gmin F Dmin G7
We shall want you and miss you but with all our might and main
(slower) F A7 Dmin A (in time) G C
we shall cheer you, thank you, bless you when you come home a-gain.
Your King and Country Need You (chorus)
Oh, we don’t want to lose you but we think you ought to go.
For your King and your country both need you so.
We shall want you and miss you
But with all our might and main
We shall cheer you, thank you, bless you
When you come home again.
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Activity 9: Recording
1. Make audio recordings of the diaries/letters that you found in Activity 7.7.
2. Look at one of the websites listed in the Resources section for Field Marshal Lord
Kitchener’s address to the British troops in 1914. Copy it out and/or make an audio
tape of it, or present it live to your group.
Activity 10: Researching
1. The song in Activity 8.3 reflects the feelings of many people in Mattie and Tom’s
village when they waved their men folk off to war. A sculpture made in the 1920s
called ‘The Response’ in Newcastle-upon-Tyne shows soldiers of the Northumberland
Fusiliers saying goodbye to their children in April 1915 as they marched from their
camp in Gosforth Park to the Central Station, to set off for the battlefields of France. It
bears the epitaph ‘non sibi sed patriae’, which is Latin for ‘not for oneself but for one’s
country’. Find and write down some of the things Tom says in Act One, Scene 8 which
show that he is thinking along the same lines as ‘non sibi sed patriae’.
2. Take any aspect of the Great War (e.g., the Battle of the Somme) and look to see how it
was reported in The Times newspaper. (See Resources section.)
3. The following epitaph came from the memorial standing in the village that provided
the author’s inspiration for Byford in White poppies:
See ye to it that these have not died in vain.
Their names shall live for evermore.
Research examples of First World War memorials in your home area. Look at the ages
of the dead, notice which names were fashionable at the time, or concentrate on any
other aspect that interests you. In particular, you might like to make a note of the
epitaphs that appear on the memorials.
4. Find details of specific aspects of a soldier’s life in the First World War from the books
and websites listed in the Resources section, particularly the first website listed, with
its photographs of souvenirs left underground. Consider such things as:
●● recruitment
●● training
●● meals at the Front
●● time on leave.
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Section Four: The family tree
Activity 11: Making a family tree
1. Create a family tree for Jenny Clark, going back to Hannah/Jenny Lucas. Put in as
many dates of births, deaths or marriages as you can. You may be able to find
references to months as well as years for some of these dates. (Look at the example
given below for the little bit we know about Tom Hedley’s family tree). When you
have finished, compare your version with the one on page 30.
Note:
c = circa (Latin for approximately)
? = no information on date given
m = married
Robert Hedley
m Mrs Hedley m Dr Lindsay
(died 1905)
Thomas (Tom) Edward Hedley
(born June 1898)
(died June 1915)
(As part of a costume design project, you could photograph the head and shoulders of
yourself/friends wearing period costume and place these shots beside the names on
the tree. You could do this on a computer if you wish.)
2. Research and draw up your own family tree as far back as you can, with photographs
if you want. Your parents/grandparents may wish to help you.
3. Write up the relevant parts of your family tree alongside the one you have created for
the play, keeping the generations even.
4. Indicate important historical events (see ‘Historical background’ section on page 22)
on either or both of the family trees you have made. You will need to do some research
for events in the last 60 years! One quick way would be to ask your parents/
grandparents/family friends what significant events they remember.
Section Five: Designing a production
Activity 12: Planning a production
Even if you are not mounting a full-scale production, you could still design scenery,
costumes, posters, and programmes, etc.
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1. If you have not already done so, read the first section of these notes, under the
heading ‘Performance’ on page 4.
2. Think of a group of people you know (your class/school, or actors from stage/
cinema/TV drama). Make a cast list for the play from this group, or a mixture of
groups.
3. Design a poster and/or programme for the play – create the finished product if you
have time. Your poster should draw attention to what you think are the most
important aspects of the play and those that will attract potential audiences. Your
programme might include some background historical information; you might want to
use some of the information in later sections of these notes (e.g., ‘Shot at dawn’ page
18).
4. Choose a character and design the clothes s/he will need in the play. You do not need
to be a good artist to do this: clear diagrams will be enough! See the Resources section
to access websites that will show you what clothes looked like at the time of the Great
War, and for the scene set in 1941.
5. Work alone or as a group. Take one of the more complex and dramatic scenes in the
play and imagine that you are going to put it on stage. Think about:
●● the space in which you will perform
●● the music/sound effects
●● the scenery
●● the props
●● how the characters will move within the space
●● the costumes your characters will wear
●● whether you are going to learn the words or use scripts
●● the important ideas/arguments/events within the scene
●● the most dramatic moments, which you will need to emphasise.
Make clear notes about your ideas.
6. If you have the time and the facilities, your group could rehearse and stage this scene.
a. Decide who will be the director and, as you rehearse, use careful direction to bring
out the personalities of your characters within the scene (use the notes on ‘Creating
a Character’ on page 7 to help you here). Look carefully at the last two points
above.
b. Concentrate on having the characters speak sufficiently slowly and clearly; it is
tempting to gabble if you are nervous!
Section Six: Use of words and language: discussion and writing
Activity 13: Colourful and interesting expressions
1. Act One, Scene 8: ‘He doesn’t know a bee from a bull’s foot’ (Jenny).
What do you think Jenny is saying about Will here? Is she saying this kindly or not, do
you think? This old-fashioned saying was overheard in 2008 – if you look it up you
will find that a ‘bull’s foot’ does not mean what you might think! What similar
expressions have you heard used to say the same sort of thing?
2. Act One, Scene 15: ‘cut off my nose to spite my face’ (Mrs Hedley).
If Mrs Hedley had not forgiven Tom for enlisting, she wouldn’t literally have cut her
nose off! What do you think she means here?
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3. Act One, Scene 1: ‘…wouldn’t have sent me to seek you…’ (Milkman)
What would you say instead? All the less well-off people in the play (e.g. Jenny, Tom,
Mattie and Mrs Hedley) use phrases that might sometimes seem rather old-fashioned
(e.g. ‘lass’, ‘bairn’, ‘courting’). In this scene, the Milkman also says the party sounds
‘champion!’ What might you say instead?
4. Some expressions have almost completely fallen out of use in their original meaning.
Look at Act One, Scene 11 and Act Two, Scene 2 to find out what word for ‘boyfriend’
was sometimes used in the early twentieth century.
In Act Two, Scene 2, Polly and Lizzie refer to a ‘mademoiselle’ and ‘a blighty one’:
look these words up and find out what they mean. (See page 30 for the answers.)
Activity 14: Sometimes characters don’t mean quite what they say
1. In Act One, Scene 8, does Tom really believe that Hannah first fancied Mattie at the
conker competition? What does his remark tell us about the relationship between the
two of them?
2. In Act One, Scene 13, the Recruiting Officer says ‘I’ll bet you haven’t’ when Tom quite
truthfully declares that he has never been in the army before. What is the officer
hinting at here?
Activity 15: Pronunciation
1. Sometimes the words reflect the way they are pronounced in certain parts of the
country (e.g. ‘me dad’ instead of ‘my dad’, ‘nowt’ instead of ‘nought’ i.e., ‘nothing’).
The soldiers at the Front often pronounced French words in an English way. How does
Tom pronounce ’Ypres’, the Belgian town near Hill 60 (look at Act Two, Scene 7)?
Activity 16: Flow
Sometimes the rhythm of the sentences, or the way they are put together (the syntax),
gives the impression of a different time and place:
1. Act One, Scene 11: Mattie says to Lizzie: ‘Don’t be getting Polly to do your dirty work’,
instead of ‘Next time, don’t get Polly to do your dirty work.’
See if you can find where Mrs Hedley uses the same kind of grammar as Mattie does
in the example above in her speech in Act One, Scene 15, beginning: ‘That’s a fine
thing’.
2. Act One, Scene 11: What is idiosyncratic (odd) about the way Hannah expresses
herself in the last sentence of her speech, beginning: ‘My Mattie…’?
Activity 17: More language activities
Look closely at Act One, Scenes 8 and 9, where there are several particularly colourful
expressions, and try to rewrite these two scenes:
1. As if they were taking place amongst Lord Fordham and his family (the rich
aristocracy).
2. As if the original characters were speaking in your own century, and in surroundings
you are familiar with.
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3. As if they were being spoken in your local area, maybe even increasing the amount of
dialect words and expressions used, and giving an impression of the ways the words
should be pronounced by changing the spelling.
Section Seven: Poetry inspired by the First World War
Over the past century there have been countless anthologies published of poems written
by the soldiers who fought in the First World War.
Activity 18: Reading, research and discussion
1. The poem quoted in the last scene is often heard on Remembrance Sunday. It was
written in 1914 and its title is ‘For the Fallen’. Find out the name of its author (the
answer is on page 30).
2. One of the best-known First World War poets is Wilfred Owen, who wrote a moving
and bitter poem about a soldier dying after a gas attack; one of the first examples of
chemical warfare in history.
a. Find where in Act Two, Scene 5 such an attack is referred to. Read the poem ‘Dulce
et Decorum Est’. The title is part of a quotation, which the poet wrote out in full in
the last two lines of the poem. Research the meaning of this quotation, which comes
from the Roman poet Horace. Look in Act One, Scenes 9, 11 and 14 of White poppies,
and discuss where the thought behind the quotation is referred to. Would the
characters from Byford agree with Wilfred Owen’s description of it as a ‘lie’?
b. Make a list of as many wars as you can think of, past and present. Take one or more
of the wars from this list and imagine being involved in each one. Discuss with a
partner or as a class whether you would have believed the saying ‘Dulce et
decorum est’ if you had been involved in that war, or whether you would have
thought of it as a lie?
3. In Act One, Scenes 3, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and Act Two, Scenes 21 and 23 in particular,
some of the characters describe everyday details of life out at the Front (e.g. the
problem of lice) or refer to some of the larger and more terrible issues. Look through
one of the anthologies of poems about the war (see Resources section) and pick out
some of the ways in which the writers give us a vivid description of their everyday
lives as soldiers.
4. Poems by Thomas Hardy:
a. Using an index of titles, find the poem by Hardy in which the surname ‘Hodge’
appears (see the list of names on the war memorial from the last scene of the play).
See page 30 for the title of the poem.
b. Try to find the magnificent and rather unusual poem by Thomas Hardy (who was
an old man at the time of the First World War) in which the poet imagines the
spirits of the bodies buried in an English churchyard responding to the muffled
sounds of the guns over on the battlefields of France. There are records that these
sounds could in fact be heard over that distance (see page 30 for the title of the
poem).
c. Read these two poems by Hardy and talk about the ideas in them.
5. In the first production of the play, the director chose to have a pre-recorded reading of
a famous poem by Rupert Brooke, ‘The Soldier’, as the background to the scene where
Tom is led out to be executed (Act Two, Scene 11). Look at the words of this poem and
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talk about whether you think this was a good choice. Consider whether the ideals in
the poem tie in with the reasons why soldiers like Tom and Mattie joined up, and
whether it was an appropriate place in the play to have this recording.
6. See Act One, Scene 2 when Jenny Clark is on the phone to her friend Sarah. They have
been set to work on a project for Remembrance Day (which takes place on
11 November each year). Find a poem called ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae
which helps to explain the custom of wearing red poppies on that day (see the
Resources section).
7. Think back to the title of the play.
a. Talk about what associations the words ‘white’ and ‘poppies’ have for you. The first
Poppy Day, when artificial red poppies were handed out to make money for
ex-soldiers and their families, was held in 1921. (There is also a peace movement
called ‘White Poppies’, founded in 1933, and you may like to find out what its
purpose was, but note that the author was not referring to this in the play’s title.)
b. Look in Act One, Scene 11 and find out why Polly and Lizzie hand Mattie a white
feather.
c. Now talk about why the play might have been given its title.
8. Look through some war poetry anthologies and group some of the poems that appeal
to you into different groups: poems that seem to promote the ideals of the war; poems
that criticise the generals; poems that show particular regret for the life left behind at
home; any other category. (Look out for poets such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried
Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg and Rudyard Kipling.)
9. The poem that Will quotes in Act One, Scene 5 was written long before the First World
War, in 1875. Find out:
a. who wrote it
b. under what circumstances it is supposed to have been written
c. what its Latin title was and what that title means.
(The answers are on page 30).
Activity 19: Writing
1. Choose any of the topics in Activity 18 to write about.
2. Make your own anthology of war poems, choosing from some of the most impressive
ones that you have read.
a. You could extend this anthology by writing about why you were moved by one or
more of the poems.
b. You could also write your own poem(s), maybe imagining yourself as a younger
member of a soldier’s family, or his wife, sweetheart or parent left behind.
c. If you are interested in the individual battles of the war, or any other aspect of its
history, you could include writing, pictures or diagrams in the anthology.
Section Eight: Women in the First World War
In the twenty-first century, women are playing an increasingly active part in armed
combat. Even though this was not considered appropriate in the 1914–1918 war, women
were nevertheless directly involved in different ways.
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Activity 20: Women in the war
1. Do some research on women’s involvement either in war work, e.g. espionage
(spying) or nursing, or in jobs left vacant because of all the men who had gone to fight
(see Resources section).
2. Look at an anthology of women’s poetry from the period: Scars upon my Heart edited
by Catherine W. Reilly, and particularly three poems in it: ‘Education’ by Pauline
Barrington, ‘Lamplight’ by May Wedderburn Cannan, and ‘Perhaps’ by Vera Brittain,
whose soldier boyfriend abandoned his university education to fight at the Front (see
Resources section). Brittain enrolled as a nurse, and writes movingly of the physical
hardship, heartache and loneliness involved in her situation. All this reflects Jenny
Lucas’ experience.
3. Read the following example of a telegram sent home, announcing a fictional soldier’s
death. This was a standard form – the parts in italics were originally left blank so that
the individual details could be inserted.
Sir/Madam
It is my painful duty to inform you that a report
has this day been received from the War Office notifying
the death of (No.) 4568 (Rank) Private
(Name) R.J. Tennant (Regiment) Durham Light Infantry
which occurred Abroad – Locality not Stated on the
24th of May 1917 and I am to express to you the sympathy
and regret of the Army Council at your loss. The cause
of death was Killed in Action
If any articles of private property left by the
deceased are found, they will be forwarded to this
Office, but some time will probably elapse before their
receipt and, when received, they cannot be disposed of
until authority is received from the War Office.
Application regarding the disposal of any such
personal effects or of any amount that may eventually be
found to be due to the late soldier’s estate, should be
addressed to “The Secretary, War Office, London, S.W.”,
and marked outside “Effects”.
I am
Sir/Madam
Your obedient Servant
Section Nine: Shot at dawn
The central episode of this play is the accusation against Tom Hedley after the explosion
at Hill 60. Tom was innocent. Had Will been put in front of a court martial, he may have
been judged differently – he was an officer.
The inspiration for the play came from reading about all the 15–17-year-old soldiers
found guilty and shot at dawn under the Army Act of 1881, which applied to everyone
above the age of 14 even though they were not officially old enough to enlist. Many of
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those who joined up, both young and old, realised too late that they could not cope with
the horror of life at the Front, and either went absent without leave, slept or drank at
their posts, or behaved in such a way that the lives of their fellow soldiers were put in
danger. Some of them simply fell asleep on sentry duty.
At the court martial, the charge would be read and the prisoner asked whether he
pleaded guilty or not guilty. Witnesses would testify for the prosecution, and the
defendant or his representative would have the chance to cross-examine – a chance rarely
taken up, especially for those of a lower rank. The defendant could call upon his own
witnesses – again this rarely happened. He was told immediately if he had been found
guilty but not told of the sentence until the Commander in Chief of the area had
confirmed it. Sometimes this was just the night before his execution. A chaplain might sit
with him and perhaps efforts would be made to get him drunk before he was led out to
be shot, usually by members of his own unit under orders.
Nowadays, such condemned soldiers would perhaps have been said to be suffering from
‘post traumatic stress disorder’ and would have received treatment and counselling.
‘Shell-shocked’ was the term used after the Great War, and there were men (the poets
Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon amongst them) who were lucky enough to be sent
to hospital.
The families of those shot at dawn also suffered. Sometimes the soldier’s superior might
try to conceal the reason for his death and the local paper occasionally reported him as
having ‘died of wounds’. The story usually got out eventually and the War Office would
notify those at home of the truth. Pensions for these families were delayed until 1917 so
there was financial as well as emotional misery. Graves in France were left unmarked,
and the soldiers’ names would not appear on war memorials.
In 2001, a memorial garden opened at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire,
UK to the memory of more than 300 Allied soldiers shot at dawn. Not long afterwards,
one of these executed soldiers, Harry Farr, was pardoned. The British government set the
wheels in motion to investigate individual cases and, where appropriate, grant
‘parliamentary posthumous pardons’ to the condemned. The task is particularly difficult
because of the lack of existing legal evidence. Be careful not to take too biased a view of
those who were responsible for signing the death warrants. The son of Field Marshal
Haig records that his father reprieved many who had been arrested and that his regret
and sorrow when he had to sign the death warrants was considerable.
The Shot at Dawn memorial in the memorial garden was inspired by the stories of Private
Herbert Burden, of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and Private Herbert Morris, of the 6th
Battalion British West Indies Regiment. Like Tom Hedley in White poppies, they lied
about their ages to join up and were executed for desertion, aged 17 and 16 respectively.
Activity 21: Life at the Front
1. How do you think you would have responded to the terror and hardship involved in
life at the Front?
2. What clues are there earlier in the play to indicate that Will might break down under
pressure?
3. Why do you think the descendants of those shot at dawn might be so eager to see
their forefathers pardoned?
4. Look back at some of the wars that have taken place in previous centuries and talk
about some of the customs and manners of conducting these wars; many of them
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might seem totally barbaric to us now but may not have seemed so then. Can you
therefore blame the men responsible for signing the death warrants of those shot at
dawn? Can the present judge the past?
5. How far back in history should you go to issue official pardons to people who may
have been falsely accused and sentenced to death?
6. Given that some of the men who were shot were perhaps guilty of really terrible acts
of treachery against their fellows, would it be fair to issue a ‘blanket’ pardon?
7. How might you have felt if you had been one of the soldiers in the firing squad, who
was given no choice about executing someone who might have been a comrade? See if
you can find any accounts written by such soldiers. They do exist.
Activity 22: Life at home
1. What must it have been like to wait for news of a son, brother, husband or sweetheart
away at the Front?
2. How might you have tried to rebuild your life after a bereavement?
3. What differences do you think modern technology and media coverage of the war
have made to the waiting situation? Consider how they might actually have made the
situation worse (often a death is not reported to a relation until all the dead personnel
have been identified).
4. What must it have been like if you lost all your sons, your husband, and maybe even a
brother or cousin? This sometimes happened then and, more to the point, still does
happen in places where brutal conflicts arise as a result of civil unrest or invasion.
5. Do you think anyone in the 1914–1918 war talked about the human rights of the
soldier? Do you think there would have been court cases (as there have been in recent
years) if there had been the suggestion that a soldier in the Great War had been sent
into battle inadequately equipped, or allowed to use faulty equipment?
Section Ten: Tunnelling
Many people are familiar with the conditions faced by soldiers who fought in the
trenches. Fewer know anything about the tunnelling regiments who worked on both
sides to mine and countermine strategic positions at the battlefront. Hill 60 was one such
position (see the Resources section for websites that can give you more information about
it, and about other positions).
None of the tunnels would have been dug in straight lines, either horizontally or
vertically. This was done in an attempt to lessen the effects of explosions, and also so that
if the Germans spotted the entrance to a mine they would not have been able to draw a
straight line from it to their own lines and so find out where it was heading.
Sometimes mines would meander for many hundreds of yards, or even miles, to the left
or right of the entrance before they moved towards the German lines. This is why not all
of the mines that were laid in the Great War were actually detonated at the time. It was
not until 1955, for example, that an abandoned mine exploded in a thunderstorm,
reputedly beneath a field of unsuspecting cattle. There must still be other undetonated
mines out there, waiting!
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Diagram (a) below should help you in imagining Act Two, Scene 8 of White poppies and in
staging it. Look at the key for an explanation of the letters A–E.
Diagram (b) below shows an elevation of the action in Act Two, Scene 8, which allows
you to imagine the scene from a different angle.
German Reserve Trench
German Listening Tunnel
German Support Trench
German Front Line
British
Mine
C A
B
British British Front Line
Listening
Post
Explosion
Site
British Support Trench
D
Main British
Tunnel
E British Reserve Trench
Diagram (a)
Key
A: Location of ‘C’ company at the time of the explosion.
B: Location of Matty at the time of the explosion. This is the position from which Tom has dragged Will.
C: The German listening tunnel in which Tom and Matty can hear movement.
D: Possible position of Tom and Will at the time of the explosion (see ‘E’).
E: The end of the tunnel (well behind the reserve lines so that the enemy would not see the preparations and
equipment being brought up). This is where Will speaks alone before crawling along to talk to Tom and
Mattie. ‘E’ is also an alternative position for Tom and Will at the time of the explosion. In staging the scene a good
amount of distance must be suggested between A/B and D/E otherwise the audience will not find it credible that
Will and Tom escape death.
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German British
German
Front Front British
Support
Line Line Support
Trench
Trench
German
Reserve
British
Trench
Reserve
Trench
A
German Listening Tunnels British Mine
Main British Tunnel
Explosion
Site D
B E
C British Listening Tunnels
Diagram (b)
Section Eleven: Historical background
Here follows a list of some important events in the First World War (1914–1918), also
sometimes called the Great War, and some of the events leading to the Second World War
(1939–1945). Jenny Lucas’ life and death were bound up in these two humanitarian
disasters.
Note: In 2008 the author spoke to a Mr Leslie Phillips, aged 96, who was living at the
little village of Wennington in Essex, near the Thames estuary during the Great War. On
3 September 1916, when he was just 4, he actually witnessed a German Zeppelin (an
airship filled with helium) being shot down by a 21-year-old airman, Lieutenant William
Leefe Robinson, who was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. Robinson’s single-
seat night fighter plane was only armed with one fixed Lewis machine gun. He flew the
night fighter under the Zeppelin and shot a magazine upwards behind the centre section
of the upper wing. Leslie Phillips vividly remembers the flames shooting out from the
Zeppelin before it was grounded. Like Will in the play, Robinson died, aged 23, in the flu
pandemic of 1918–1919.
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Activity 23: The history of the war
1. Match up the events on the right with the dates on which they happened.
First World War
1914 (28 June): War Minister Lord Kitchener issues his call to arms:
‘Your country needs you!’
1914 (4 August): the first Zeppelin (airship) raid on London
1914 (August Great Britain declares war on Germany after Germany
and September): invades Luxembourg
1915 (22 April): assassination of Tsar Nicholas 2 and the beginning of
Communist rule in Russia
1915 (31 May): nurse Edith Cavell is executed by the Germans for
sheltering Allied soldiers
1915 (12 October): Armistice Day (ceasefire)
1916 (15 September): German gas attack at Ypres, Belgium, on the Western
Front
1917 (1 July): the first tank is used in battle
1917(17 July): Battle of the Somme begins in France: nearly 60,000
British soldiers die on this day
1918 (11 November): assassination of the heir to the throne of Austria,
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophia, in
Sarajevo by a Serbian patriot, Gavrilo Princip
Between the wars
1919 (28 June): Jarrow March – unemployed miners march from the
northeast to London, to lobby Parliament
1928: the Great Depression – a period of great hardship and
poverty across Europe
1929–1936: the Peace Treaty of Versailles is signed
1933: for the first time, all the women in Great Britain are
given the vote
1936 (October): Adolf Hitler assumes power in Germany, eventually
establishing the Nazi dictatorship
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Second World War
1939 (3 September): Battle of Britain – Hitler tries and fails to gain air
supremacy prior to invading Great Britain in Operation
Sealion
1940: Hitler advances into Belgium and France, and the
Allied troops retreat from Dunkirk
1940 (May): Battle of El Alamein in which the Allied forces are
victorious
1940 (August): the Allies declare war after Hitler invades Poland
1943 (May): Germany sets up extermination camps (e.g.,
Auschwitz) which kill nearly six million Jews in the
Holocaust, as well as many others from various
marginalised groups
1945 (30 April): the Allies drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima; Japan
(Germany’s ally) surrenders
1945 (8 May): facing defeat, Hitler commits suicide
1945 (6 August): the war in Europe ends
2. Find out exactly which countries took part in the two wars and which sides they
fought on (see Resources section).
3. Look up some old editions of The Times newspaper to see how some of these events
were reported at the time (see The Times online web page in the Resources section).
Section Twelve: Resources
Books
Non-fiction
War Underground: The Tunnellers of the Great War by Alexander Barrie
We Will Not Fight…: The Untold Story of World War One’s Conscientious Objectors by Will
Ellsworth-Jones
The First World War by David Evans
For King and Country: Voices from the First World War by Brian MacArthur
Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War by
Virginia Nicholson
Shot at Dawn by Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes
Poetry
Up the Line to Death: War Poets, 1914–18 selected by Brian Gardner
Scars Upon My Heart edited by Catherine W. Reilly
Autobiography
Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study of the Years 1900–1925 by Vera Brittain
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