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Clifford Purchas
One of the soldiers, along with Lieutenant Bonnycastle, whom Robert Ross and Levitt relieve of their position in the dugout at St. Eloi. Devlin dreams of owning an antique shop and collects valuables from war wreckage that he uses to furnish the dugout. At the end of the novel, Devlin helps Robert disobey Captain Leather’s orders and free their company’s horses and mules from shellfire. This act of defiance causes Leather to shoot and kill Devlin.
Devlin Quotes in The Wars
The The Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Devlin or refer to Devlin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 5, Chapter 8 Quotes
He got out the Webley, meaning to shoot the animals not yet dead, but he paused for the barest moment looking at the whole scene laid out before him and his anger rose to such a pitch that he feared he was going to go over into madness. He stood where the gate had been and he thought: “If an animal had done this—we would call it mad and shoot it,” and at that precise moment Captain Leather rose to his knees and began to struggle to his feet. Robert shot him between the eyes.
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Having returned to fight in Belgium after his time in Bailleul, Robert Ross and the rest of his convoy are brutally attacked by the Germans. He asks Captain Leather, his Officer Commanding, if he can free their horses and mules from the impending shellfire. When Leather refuses, Robert and Devlin disobey orders to free the animals, and Leather retaliates by shooting Devlin just before an explosion hits the battlefield and fatally wounds all of the animals they were trying to save. This passage is the climax of the plot, as Robert is finally broken psychologically by the war and can Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum.
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Devlin Character Timeline in The Wars
The timeline below shows where the character Devlin appears in The Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2, Chapter 7
Robert and Levitt relieve two other men, Devlin and Bonnycastle, from their position in the dugout. Devlin, who dreams of owning an antique...
(full context)
...Robert empties his knapsack full of food and cigarettes to share with the other men. Devlin and Bonnycastle are delighted. They ask Levitt what he has in his sack, teasing him...
(full context)
Part 3
...while Levitt goes mad and sits immobilized with his books piled up on his knees. Devlin, Bonnycastle, and Roots make forays from Wytsbrouk, and Robert and Bonnycastle fight in confusion over...
(full context)
...his daughter for safekeeping. Captain Leather finally makes an appearance, commanding Robert, Levitt, Poole, and Devlin to return to Wytsbrouk while Bonnycastle and Roots stay with the men. He says that...
(full context)
Part 5, Chapter 8
As shells begin to land in the barnyard, Robert can no longer stand it. Devlin agrees to help him disobey orders and save the horses and mules. Captain Leather sees...
(full context)
