Tom Oakley (Mr. Tom)
Tom is one of the two protagonists of the book. He is a widower in his 60s who lives on his own in a cottage with his dog, Sammy. Tom has kept to himself since the death of his wife, Rachel, and baby son, William, almost 40 years earlier. He has withdrawn both emotionally and socially, and thus many of the other villagers think of him as unfriendly and reclusive. However, through the plot we begin to see how this grumpy exterior shields a kind, caring man who has needed another person to care for in order to return to his true self again.
Tom is a hardworking, responsible man and puts the need to take care of Willie above his own preferences, such as his years-old daily routine. With the addition of Willie in his home, Tom begins to take seriously the community safety precautions to prepare for the coming war. For example, he constructs an air raid shelter in his backyard and purchases gas masks for them in case of an attack. Tom is extremely thoughtful when it comes to Willie, inviting his friends to the house for a birthday party and even going so far as to enter the village art shop to buy paints for Willie, a place he has avoided as the store reminds him of his deceased wife.
Tom is deeply fond of Willie from the outset, but loathes to admit that he loves the boy as it is a vulnerable position for him. Willie evokes all of his old emotions related to the tragic events of his life, and in that way, Willie initiates a process of healing for Tom. Tom and Will form a deep connection, so much so that Tom is informed through a dream that Willie is in danger while in London. Tom's adoption of Will at the end of the novel allows Tom to finally step into being a father, a role that was cut short for him previously in life.
We see that Tom is a man of integrity, who has a strong grip of what is right and wrong. If something is right, he will do it, regardless of whether or not it is easy. Tom breaks the rules of the hospital by kidnapping Willie because his moral sense, personified through his wife, tells him to do so. His fiercely loving nature gives him the courage to make these difficult choices and take risks to defy what he perceives to be unfair.
William Beech
The other protagonist of the novel, Willie is an eight-year-old evacuee from Deptford, a neighborhood of London. After a huge threat of bombing raids from the German Air Force in his hometown, Willie is sent to Little Weirwold, a country village in the north of England. When Willie arrives on the doorstep of Mr. Tom, he is a nervous, scrawny, and quiet little boy. He has been subjected to intense abuse and neglect from his extremely religious mother all of his life. This abuse has shaped Willie into someone who can barely engage in a conversation with Mr. Tom and frequently wets the bed. Everything in his new home initially terrifies Will, such as a squirrel in the yard and Sammy the dog, who he eventually comes to love.
Willie does not really know himself when he first arrives to stay with Tom; all he knows is what he has been told by his mother—that he is a sinner, innately unlovable, and the only way anyone can tolerate him is if he is quiet and still. Consequently, Willie has developed a genuine talent for drawing, which is a quiet pursuit, and something for which he receives great praise. He has never been praised for anything before and feels embarrassed by it, but he soon comes to enjoy being appreciated by others. He forms an instant friendship with another evacuee, Zach. Although Zach is loud and boisterous—the opposite of Willie—they quickly take a liking to each other, which further helps Willie come out of his shell and see that he is a likable person who deserves to have friends. It is not long that he is in Weirwold before Willie has made bonds with other children and adults in town, who have welcomed the boy with open arms. Tom also is pivotal in encouraging Willie to speak up for himself and be more confident in life.
Throughout the book, as his confidence builds, he feels comfortable developing other skills and talents such as acting (at which he is extremely skilled), swimming, and riding a bicycle. The Willie who arrived at the village is not the same boy who goes back to London but it is his desperate desire to get back to Tom's house that keeps him alive as he waits for someone to come rescue him. The many traumas Willie has lived through has made him a resilient person who is very grateful for the simple pleasures of life, such as nature, drawing, and friendships. His transformation is the central storyline of the book and is symbolized through the change of his name from Willie—associated with his old life in London and his abusive mother—to Will, the confident and likable young boy and son of Mr. Tom.
Zacharias Wrench
Zacharias, who goes by Zach, is a flamboyant, artistic boy who is also an evacuee. He is confident and loves being different from other people. His parents are traveling actors so he is wildly theatrical and a compulsive performer who loves to entertain everyone. He deeply loves reading and writing epic poetry and plays. He is also kind and always encouraging Willie, such as when he tells him that it is not his fault he cannot read and that he is extremely clever for learning so quickly. Zach's friendship means the world to Willie which is why he has so much difficulty accepting Zach's death. Zach is an overwhelming presence even after he passes, inspiring Willie to act in the school play and take on a more extroverted role.
George Fletcher
George is one of Willie's closest friends and the first boy he meets in the village. Initially, George is not very happy that he has to invite the two evacuee boys on his blackberry picking afternoon, but he ends up liking both Willie and Zach very much and from that afternoon onward he becomes a very good friend. It is George who encourages the others to sing in the church choir with him and also he who ropes Tom in to be the new choirmaster. George is a typical northern-England boy with a matter-of-fact attitude and character that is the antithesis of Zach's dramatic personality.
Carrie and Ginnie
The twins Carrie and Ginnie are almost impossible to tell apart but are actually quite different in personality. Like George, Carrie is very interested in plants and animals, whereas Ginnie prefers more traditionally feminine pursuits, such as homemaking and sewing. They tend to confide everything in each other so when Carrie decides to ask if she can take the examination for the local high school and confides her plan in Zach, Ginnie's feelings are very hurt. Carrie is extremely intelligent and loves studying, and is also ambitious and determined to not fit into the usual mould when it comes to opportunities for women. Despite support from her father, Carrie's attendance at the high school is not something her mother truly believes in and consequently Carrie often has to study outside of the home where her mother cannot find her to avoid being told to stop reading and do chores instead. Carrie has a particularly close relation with Zach, and so his passing deeply affects her. In the last chapter, we see a budding relationship between Carrie and Will.
Annie Hartridge
Mrs. Hartridge is Willie's school teacher and they have a special bond, mainly because she is so proud of Willie's accomplishments. Halfway through the book, she gives birth to a baby girl named Peggy. At the same time, her husband is reported to be missing, presumed dead, but later it is discovered that he is a prisoner-of-war in Germany. Willie loves her and thinks that she is the most beautiful person he has ever seen. She is a motherly presence in his life.
Emilia Thorne
Miss Thorne is the local librarian. She produces the school Christmas pageant and plays and is also the person responsible for unlocking Willie's hidden talent as an actor.
William's Mother
We don't know too much about William's mother except that she is abusive both emotionally and physically. She beats him daily with a thick leather belt and is so convinced that this is perfectly normal that she sends the belt in Willie's bag of things when he is evacuated. She is what her neighbors call a "Bible thumper" and uses her religious fervor to terrorize Willie. She admonishes him for smiling or talking and is enraged when she learns he has been spending his Bible study time listening to the verses rather than learning by rote. After leaving Willie and his baby sister locked in the cellar with no food or water, she commits suicide a month later. Although she is somewhat of an antagonist in the book, she is not rendered two-dimensionally. We are also able to feel compassion for her in the book, understanding, as Tom points out to Will, that she is a mentally ill person who has most likely had a very sad life. Unfortunately, she has dealt with her pain by becoming abusive.
Charlie Ruddles
Charlie is the village busybody who comes into his own in this time of war when someone is needed to make sure that everyone is pulling their weight and complying with all the new rules. Charlie is given the role of Air Raid Warden and is focused on ensuring that everyone puts up their blackout curtains each evening.
Geoffrey
Geoffrey turns out to be the ghostly presence at Spooky Cott, the believed-to-be haunted house at the end of the village. He is a soldier returned from war with the devastating loss of a leg and lives out at the cottage because he does not feel ready to join in village life yet. He is a professional artist and offers to teach Willie. Geoffrey also becomes an additional teacher at the local school. He is instrumental in helping Willie find a way to deal with Zach's death, as he has also lost his best friend in the war.
