Surrey to mark 50 years since the death of playwright R.C. Sherriff

This November marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Cedric Sherriff (1896–1975), the Surrey-born playwright and screenwriter best remembered for his First World War play Journey’s End.

Sherriff, who attended Kingston Grammar School, originally worked as an insurance clerk before serving with distinction on the Western Front. His experiences in the trenches shaped Journey’s End (1928), the searing drama set in a British officers’ dugout during the last year of the war.

The play, which launched the career of a young Laurence Olivier – barely 21 at the time – was first staged at the Apollo Theatre in London. It became one of the defining anti-war works of its age and continues to be revived on stage and screen nearly a century later.

But Sherriff’s talents extended far beyond the theatre. He went on to become the highest-paid English scriptwriter in Hollywood, penning screenplays for classics such as The Invisible Man (1933), Goodbye Mr Chips (1939), The Four Feathers (1939), and The Dam Busters (1955). His work combined dramatic structure with cinematic flair, leaving an enduring legacy on both sides of the Atlantic.

To mark the anniversary, Surrey History Centre is hosting a special event in Woking on Saturday 8 November (10.30am–12.15pm). The programme includes:

• Dr David Cottis – “RC Sherriff and the Well-Made Screenplay”
  A look at how Sherriff brought stagecraft into cinema, illustrated with material from the Centre’s archives.
• Roland Wales – “Shirkers or Spies? RC Sherriff in Wartime Hollywood”
  Exploring Sherriff’s move to America during the Second World War, where British expatriates were accused in some quarters of being shirkers at home and even suspected spies abroad. Despite this, their patriotic films resonated strongly with American audiences, helping shape wartime morale.

The event will be held both in person at the Surrey History Centre, Woking (130 Goldsworth Road, GU21 6ND), and online via Zoom. Tickets cost £6 and must be booked in advance. Book HERE

For those interested in Surrey’s literary heritage, the occasion provides a rare chance to revisit the remarkable career of a local man who made a global impact – from Kingston schoolboy to West End dramatist, Hollywood insider, and chronicler of the war generation.

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