Casualties of War
Michael & Rebecca Tildesley
Genre: Drama
Cast size: 6
Duration: 50 mins approx
Michael & Rebecca Tildesley | Drama | One Act | 3m, 3f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
In the aftermath of the First World War, Sergeant Peter White arrives at a recuperation ward in a military hospital in England. He has recently returned from the front line, suffering from no visible wound but a constant shaking in his leg that he is unable to control. In the hospital he meets Edward, a former corporal who has received a life changing wound at the front, and Giles, a young private suffering from shell shock who believes that he is still trapped in no man’s land.
The ward is run by an uncompromising matron who shows little compassion for men such as Peter and Giles who have no apparent physical injuries and staffed by the caring but practical Sister Hardwick, and Sister Cross, a young and emotional nurse who is still traumatised by her work in the front line.
Over the next few days, Peter begins to bond with the slowly deteriorating Edward and eventually reveals the truth behind his condition, whilst Sister Cross risks her career in protest at the treatment of Giles. As the story continues, we learn that these six people are all casualties of war in their own way. However, in the final moments we witness an event that offers a ray of hope for one individual for the future.
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