In Memoriam Chapter 35 Summary – The Casualty Lists

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Gaunt and Pritchard spend a restless night in Amsterdam after Gaunt’s nightmares about shooting Harkins. They walk the quiet canals, finding a moment of peace, then board an early train to Hoek van Holland and a ferry to England. On the ferry, they confront the casualty lists in British newspapers. Pritchard searches for his brother Bertie; Gaunt looks for Ellwood. Bertie is listed as killed in action at the Somme, aged 18. Ellwood is listed as wounded. Pritchard is overcome with grief, and Gaunt reads cricket scores aloud to comfort him. The chapter ends with Pritchard unable to see through his tears.

Key Events

Gaunt wakes from a nightmare about shooting Harkins and apologizes to Pritchard.
They take a late-night walk through Amsterdam, feeling a rare sense of tranquility.
At dawn, they leave for Hoek van Holland without returning to their hotel.
On the ferry, they find copies of The Times and other British newspapers.
Pritchard searches for his brother Bertie; Gaunt looks for Ellwood.
Gaunt finds Bertie’s name in the killed column; Ellwood is listed as wounded.
Pritchard breaks down; Gaunt reads cricket scores to distract him.

Character Development

Henry Gaunt continues to struggle with guilt and trauma. He apologizes repeatedly for his nightmares and shows a protective instinct toward Pritchard. His sharp laugh when Pritchard notes that “shooting your own countrymen will always feel wrong” reveals his dark humor and the moral blurring of war—he was shooting Germans, but the act feels similar. Gaunt also demonstrates his care for Pritchard by reading cricket scores, a trivial yet comforting distraction.

Pritchard maintains a facade of optimism (“It’ll be better when we’re back at the front”) but is gradually worn down by the burden of waiting for news. Upon learning of his brother Bertie’s death, his composure shatters. He becomes blind with tears and cannot read the newspaper. This loss deepens his character, showing the personal cost of war on soldiers who must continue fighting after devastating family sacrifice.

Ellwood is absent from the chapter but his presence looms large. Gaunt’s reaction to finding Ellwood wounded—he “couldn’t breathe”—underscores how much Ellwood means to him, even though they are separated.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Grief and the Randomness of War: The casualty lists treat all deaths equally—a single line of print. Pritchard remarks that a fatal stomach wound is listed the same as a minor injury. The arbitrary nature of who lives and who dies is stark: Bertie is killed while Ellwood is only wounded.

Friendship as Solace: Gaunt and Pritchard support each other through silence, shared walks, and small acts of kindness. The chapter opens with them sharing cigarettes and ends with Gaunt reading cricket scores. These gestures become lifelines in a brutal world.

The Dehumanizing Power of Lists: The Honour Roll reduces men to names on a page. Gaunt finds it “the cruellest thing he had ever seen.” The newspapers are an object of dread, and both men hesitate to look.

Canal and Sea as Liminal Spaces: Amsterdam’s canals and the ferry journey represent a pause between violence and news. The peaceful night is a brief respite before the devastating information arrives.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 is a turning point in the second half of In Memoriam. It delivers the news that Ellwood is alive (though wounded) and confirms the death of Pritchard’s brother. Pritchard’s grief humanizes the scale of the Somme (60,000 casualties, mentioned in the chapter) by focusing on one family’s loss. It also tests Gaunt’s ability to be present for others while wrestling with his own fears. The chapter reinforces the novel’s central themes: war’s randomness, the fragility of hope, and the necessity of human connection.

Study Questions

Why does Gaunt laugh when Pritchard says shooting your own countrymen feels wrong?
Gaunt’s laugh is bitter and ironic. He points out that he was shooting Germans, not British soldiers, yet the act of killing another person – regardless of nationality – feels the same to him. The line between enemy and fellow soldier has blurred, revealing the absurdity of war.
What is the significance of the cricket scores that Gaunt reads at the end?
Cricket scores are a reminder of the pre-war world – an orderly, normal life that now seems impossibly distant. Gaunt reads them as a form of comfort, an attempt to restore a sliver of normalcy in the face of devastating news. The triviality of sports contrasts with the gravity of death, underscoring how survivors try to cope.
How does the chapter portray the way soldiers receive news of loss?
Soldiers must rely on official casualty lists printed days after battles. The process is impersonal and charged with dread. Both Gaunt and Pritchard have to steel themselves to look, and the absence of information about Ellwood before this chapter creates a long, agonizing wait. The chapter shows that even good news (Ellwood is alive) is tempered by grief for others.