Pte. Charles Godfrey

Private Godfrey is the platoon's gentlest soul, a frail, softly-spoken old gentleman who lives with his sisters and turns up for parade with an apologetic smile and, frequently, a need to be excused. Mild, courteous, and seemingly the least soldierly man in Walmington-on-Sea, he never complains and never pushes himself forward.

The comedy leans on him as the platoon's harmless duffer, which makes Arnold Ridley's quiet performance all the more disarming — a stillness and dignity that hint at a man who has seen far more than his bumbling comrades realise. He never has to raise his voice to be the most quietly moving thing in a scene.