Sergeant Pope is the secondary antagonist of the television movie Sharpe's Mission.
He was portrayed by Andrew Schofield.
Biography[]
In 1810, Pope was a corporal in the British army and the only member of a patrol to escape a French ambush. He guided Major Brand and Captain Richard Sharpe to the site of the ambush where they came under fire from the French. Brand appeared to unsuccessfully attempt to save the captured officer Lieutenant Graham. At some point either before or after this, Pope became aware that Brand was a French agent and the whole incident had been set-up to make him appear to be a hero. Brand was made a colonel and given his own regiment, with Pope serving as his sergeant. Pope was the only one of the regiment aware of Brand's true allegiance.
Three years later in 1813, Pope and Brand met with their handler Colonel Cresson, who enlisted their help in his plan to capture British intelligence chief Major-General Ross. Their meeting was spotted by a gypsy family. Pope and Brand killed the couple to stop them telling anyone. They then joined up with the main British force and arranged to escort Ross into French territory, along with a group of riflemen and saboteurs led by now-Major Sharpe and Major Septimus Pyecroft, who intended to destroy General Calvet's powder magazine. Pope and Brand became aware that Zara, the daughter of the gypsy couple they had killed, had escaped. They slaughtered a nearby gypsy camp thinking she was there but in fact she was now Pyecroft's lover and had spent the night with him.
Pope took a liking to Ramona, the wife of Sergeant Major Patrick Harper. She initially appreciated his compliments but then he tried to force himself on her. Harper stopped him but Pope gave him a beating as a result. Pope joined the rest of Brand's men in scouting on alone, where they massacred a group of French soldiers who had been set up by Cresson, issued with faulty powder so their muskets wouldn't fire. Pope poured scorn on Sharpe's men when they insisted on giving the soldiers a proper burial.
Aware that Zara had accompanied Pyecroft on the expedition, Pope was sent by Brand to kill her but was instead captured by Sharpe, Pyecroft and Harper, who had realised his and Brand's treachery. Pyecroft wrung a confession out of Pope by planting a small explosive in his groin with a long fuse until he admitted he and Brand were spies. He planned the intention had been to lead Sharpe, Ross and the others into an ambush, after which he and Brand would slaughter the garrison at the powder magazine, who had also been set up by Cresson. Pope was confident he could escape punishment by turning king's evidence, but Sharpe suggested he and Harper settle things between them instead. The pair went off to a secluded spot and briefly fought with swords before descending into a brutal brawl in a nearby river. Harper emerged triumphant, leaving Pope's body behind and returning to the camp with the crucifix necklace Pope had taken from Ramona.
