LLW chapter summaries Flashcards
Chapter 1
Willie is born, background of his life, gets an apprenticeship with Dempsy, meets Gretta and falls in love, joins the war
Chapter 2
Northeners join the war to show support for England, southeners also join, Willie meets Moran & Pasley and they go the the trenches in France, begin to know what trench life is like
Chapter 3
Description of trench life, shell fire, no-mans land amending the barbed wire and Germans attack
Chapter 4
Willie writes to Gretta but she doesn’t write back (rejected his marriage proposal), gas attack, Pasley dies
Chapter 5
Willie & Ohara have sex with prostitutes, Ohara gets an STD, Willie writes to Gretta again, meets a soldier shot in the eye, told they are going home on leave
Chapter 6
Willie goes home, visits Gretta (rejects 2nd marriage proposal)
Chapter 7
meets Jesse Kirwan, cavalry charge Sackville street, republicans try to take Willie hostage, JK tries to explain to Willie but he doesn’t understand
Chapter 8
another gas attack, Willie joins back with his old comrades to the war, him and many others don’t think they should be fighting if there is conflict back home in Ireland, Willie kills a guy and gets knocked out
Chapter 9
over 75% of people died in the gas attack, he buries the dead German solider, Moran sends Willie to the headquaters with a message
Chapter 10
all the soldiers have a “bath” concert, Moran thinks about his wife and the accident but keeps it to himself
Chapter 11
Willie’s father sends a letter about the Easter rising, Willie writes back to him seeking guidance
Chapter 12
Willie is still confused about Ireland due to further news and concerned for the families, they feel like them being at war lacks meaning and purpose
Chapter 13
Jessy Kirwan executed, Ohara tells Willie about the rape story and Willie punches him
Chapter 14
troops are sent back to the trenches to capitalise on advances made at Guillermot and to occupy German trenches, Captain Sheridan dies, Germans surrender
Chapter 15
Maud sends a letter to Willie telling him their father is angry, boxing match, Joe Kietly tells a story of being given a white feather
Chapter 16
Willie confesses to Father Buckley about prostitution and they talk about his dad, FB also confesses to Willie, new soldiers introduce them to new things
Chapter 17
Moran opens up about his wife’s accident, he takes machine gun post and gets a medal, Biggs (English captain) dies, Kings visits, battle of messiness on the frontline
Chapter 18
Willie Remond (FB brother) dies, FB then also dies, and thinks he sees a ghost attending to dead bodies on no-mans land, he is granted home leave, Moran gives him a medal for good luck on his journey home
Chapter 19
Willie’s sisters are happy to see him home, but his father is not, he then goes to see Gretta and finds she has had a child which is not his (she is also now married), so he finds a hotel to stay in for the night
Chapter 20
Willie visits Captain Pasley’s family and they treat him very well
Chapter 21
they anticipate a new attack, Ohara gets wounded and confesses to Willie he wrote to Gretta about their prostitution and dies, Willie gets hit by a shell and losses consciousness
Chapter 22
Willie has shellshock, Moran saved his life, Willie writes to his father and apologises, nurse holds him and he magically heals from his shellshock
Chapter 23
Willie returns to France, British establishment thinks Irish soldiers cannot be trusted, he is excited to go back to the frontline as he feels that is the only place he belongs, hears a German singing “Silent Night” and is then killed, his father’s letter is too late, Moran & Kielty bury his body and mark his grave
