# Dottrell — Memoirs of an Infantry Officer character guide

> Dottrell in Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Joe, old Joe, Joe Dottrell

**First appearance:** 0000-i-at-the-army-school

## Snapshot

Known to his comrades as old Joe, Dottrell is a front-line soldier whose easy humour and unshowy endurance embody the men the narrator believes he is speaking for.

## Who they are

Dottrell belongs to the narrator's unit, one of the ordinary soldiers whose patience and good temper survive the mud and monotony of Corps Rest. His presence sharpens the narrator's sense that the War's real cost is paid by men who never asked to be heroes, and that any protest must answer to them. He matters because he keeps the abstract argument tethered to flesh and blood.

## Relationships

### [The Quartermaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/characters/the_quartermaster)

_professional_

Dottrell and The Quartermaster have a professional relationship, likely involving supply and logistics duties.

## In the story

### [I: At the Army School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/i-at-the-army-school)

Writes to Sherston from the Battalion, reporting quiet conditions and progress on the kippers.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/ii)

Quartermaster who writes to the narrator, reporting that things are quiet at the front and that he is enjoying the kippers and cream sent by Aunt Evelyn.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/ii)

Arrives with ration-limbers every evening at 71 North.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/i)

Drives the narrator back to Morlancourt on the way to leave.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/iii)

The Quartermaster, makes a 'providential appearance' with rations, hot tea, and rum, symbolizing temporary security.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/iv)

Arranges the motor transport for the trip to Amiens and shares stories about the Battalion's past in Ireland.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/v)

Returns with the ration-party and provides information about the previous day's attack.

### [Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/v-escape)

Among the officers who comment on Cromlech's death.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/i)

One of the officers who comments on Cromlech's death with a brief, understated remark.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/iii)

Writes letters to the narrator describing the Battalion's heavy losses and the deaths of mutual friends.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/iv)

Writes a letter complaining about the selfishness of commanding officers and his own uncertain future.

### [At the Depot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/vi-at-the-depot)

Writes to Sherston from the First Battalion, describing the cold and mud at Beaumont-Hamel, advising him to stay away until the weather improves.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/iii)

Writes from the First Battalion, advising the narrator to stay away until the weather improves.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/ii)

Mentioned in a comparison with Bates during the march.

### [X: Independent Action](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/x-independent-action)

Sherston sends him a copy of his protest statement, hoping for understanding from the First Battalion.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/v)

Mentioned as having written to Sherston about men asking what they are fighting for; Sherston sends him a copy of his protest statement.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/characters/dottrell
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/characters