# The Officer — Now It Can Be Told character guide > The Officer in Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs. **Role:** minor **Also known as:** The officer, himself, myself, the officer **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Who they are A generic but recurring officer figure in various scenes. ## Relationships ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ The Officer interacts frequently with the Narrator, likely as a superior or colleague in a military command structure. ### [The Germans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_germans) _rivalry_ The Officer directly engages with German forces as a battlefield adversary. ### [General Haldane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/general_haldane) _professional_ General Haldane and the Officer have a command relationship, with Haldane likely giving orders to the Officer. ### [The Australians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_australians) _friendship_ The Australians and the Officer share an allied bond, fighting together against a common enemy. ### [The Colonel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_colonel) _professional_ The Colonel and the Officer have a hierarchical military relationship, with the Colonel likely superior. ### [The Boy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_boy) _friendship_ The Boy and the Officer share a protective, possibly paternal bond within the military setting. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ The Officer interacts frequently with the Narrator, likely as a superior or colleague in a military command structure. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ The Officer interacts frequently with the Narrator, likely as a superior or colleague in a military command structure. ### [The Germans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_germans) _rivalry_ The Officer directly engages with German forces as a battlefield adversary. ### [The Colonel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_colonel) _professional_ The Colonel and the Officer have a hierarchical military relationship, with the Colonel likely superior. ### [The Colonel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_colonel) _professional_ The Colonel and the Officer have a hierarchical military relationship, with the Colonel likely superior. ### [The Australians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_australians) _friendship_ The Australians and the Officer share an allied bond, fighting together against a common enemy. ## In the story ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii) An Indian Civil Servant serving as a censor, who is frustrated with G.H.Q.'s restrictive rules and argues that the nation has a right to know what its men are doing. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv) The narrator's companion, a former ruler in India, who advises a young subaltern to take cover and later navigates the bombardment with the narrator. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/v) A young gunner officer who tells the story of the château's capture. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vi) The gunner officer who guides the narrator to the cemetery and introduces him to the battery. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xii) Presides over the court-martial, sentences a soldier to death for cowardice, and shows grim humor and irritation at German shelling. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xiii) A young officer who was brave under machine-gun fire but terrified of high explosives; sentenced to death after three instances of wandering back from the trenches, he calmly sorted his belongings and faced the firing squad with a cheerful 'Right O!' ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/v) An officer of the Coldstream Guards who lived in a dugout on the canal-bank, known for his refined tastes and resilience under fire. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vi) An officer who leads the narrator through the trenches, making dark jokes about the conditions. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vii) A tall, lean-limbed officer, later sniper-in-chief of the British army, accompanies the narrator and expresses rage at the destruction of war, reflecting on its mechanized nature. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/viii) A Devonshire officer spending the night alone in a dugout, described as pale and thoughtful. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/ix) Four young officers who hold their ground for two nights without water, one with a broken jaw and wounds to shoulder and leg, still leading his men. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xvi) The narrator who observes and reflects on the laughter and grim humor of the soldiers. ### [The Endless War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xix) An officer returning from leave steps back into his old routine, finding his pipe and papers in his dugout, and resumes his duties. ### [Béthune: The Black Country Capital](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii) British officers are mentioned frequenting teashops, flirting with the girls, and sometimes sitting on their knees in inner rooms. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/v) Expresses boredom and cynicism about the lack of visible action in modern war. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xi) An officer accompanying the narrator who comments on the 'glory' and 'romance' of war. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xiii) Young officers who tried to lead their men forward but were bewildered and without orders. ### [Part IV: A Winter of Discontent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-iv-a-winter-of-discontent) A bitter, mocking officer who dined with the narrator and delivered a scathing critique of G.H.Q., its traditions, and its disconnect from the front. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii) Medical officers are mentioned as treating trench-foot cases and expressing concern over the rising numbers. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv) Refers to Lieut. Lea Smith of the Buffs, who single-handedly held off German bombers with a Lewis gun and grenades, and to Officer Smeltzer, who withdrew his platoon under fire but modestly downplayed his actions. ### [Christmas in the Trenches, 1915](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/v) An officer accompanying the narrator in the trenches, warning of dangerous spots and later sighing at the contrast between Christmas and war before telling a funny story. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/viii) One of the lieutenants who leads the raid and shoots the German sentry. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/x) Some officers lead an attack in the snowball fight with expert knowledge of enfilade fire. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xi) A bitter, mocking officer who has fought since 1914 criticizes GHQ's incompetence, red tape, and the waste of life, telling the story of trench J.3. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xvii) The captain of the battery who commands the firing and jokes about touching wood. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xviii) A cavalry officer who reflects on the transition from peace to battle and back, and expresses revolutionary sentiments against politicians. ### [The Heart of a City](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-v-the-heart-of-a-city) A young officer just down from the Somme speaks of the waiting and animal fear under shellfire. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv) A dandy French officer of Chasseurs Alpins intervenes to protect the drunken soldier from arrest. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xii) Two officers engage in a philosophical debate about Christianity and war outside the cathedral. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xv) An officer who had been near the blast-furnace of Les Izelquins, traumatized by repeated air raids, fears he will go mad during another raid. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xvi) A young officer just down from the Somme expresses his fear of waiting and the psychological toll of war. ### [Part VI: Psychology on the Somme](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-vi-psychology-on-the-somme) An elderly officer in Contalmaison speaks glowingly about the possibility of death for one's country. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii) A young officer with gray eyes who points out the brave deeds of his men and speaks of them as 'great lads' eager to finish the war. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vi) One of the officers in the group with the narrator, asking about the mine explosion. ### [The Butcher's Shop of Corbie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/ix) Young officers in the hospital speak with a sporting spirit, praising German machine-gunners as 'topping' and 'wonderful fellows.' ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xiii) The little Irish major who dances an Irish jig, tells stories, and suffers from asthma and heart trouble. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xiv) An elderly officer in Contalmaison who speaks of death as a little thing to give for one's country, with a glow in his voice. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xvii) A German officer expresses amazement at the kindness and trust of British soldiers toward prisoners. ### [The Breaking Point on the Somme](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xxii) German officers are described as demoralized, shirking their posts, shamming sickness, and sometimes leading surrenders. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii) A cavalry officer who looks worn and haggard, expresses nervousness about the men and horses under shellfire. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vi) A black-eyed officer who tells gruesome tales of executions and prison happenings, including the story of a young officer shot for cowardice. ### [Part VIII: For What Men Died](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-viii-for-what-men-died) Officers returning from leave express bitterness and disillusionment about the war's purpose. ### [What of England?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv) Quoted expressing bitter hatred: 'If I had a thousand Germans in a row... I would cut all their throats, and enjoy the job.' ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/v) Officers express rage at home front optimism and question the purpose of the war. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vii) Officers are described as being hardest hit, unable to find jobs despite distinguished service, with some driven to suicide. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters/the_officer - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/characters