Till the Boys Come Home - Characters

 SPOILERS!!

These are the characters in the book for future reference:

• Edward Hunter (1869) (49 years old) is a banker in London and every day he commutes from his home at the Elms in Northcote to work. Edward has always proved to be loyal and steady.As part of his job as a banker Edward  met a French woman, Elise, who came to him for financial advice. Elise is a young widow, and she and Edward have a good friendly relationsip.  These regular visits become a fixture, especially when Edward feels pushed away by his wife. Edward decides to stop seeing Elise because he has realised that he has feelings for her and this is something that can't happen. In 1917 Edward receives a knighthood as a reward for his work in the Ministry of Food.  When he discovers that Beattie has been cheating on him, he goes to Elise and spends the night with her, but the following day he is remorseful. Elise understands his feelings. When he gets his call up papers, he decides not to appeal and goes to the front. During his experience in the war, he realises that he doesn't want to lose Beattie and writes to her, expressing his desire to save their marriage. 
• Beatrice (Beattie) Hunter (1872) (46 years old), nee Cazalet,  is Edward's wife and is involved in the community and volunteers for the war effort. Something that affected her terribly was when her son David enlisted. We discover that there is a reason why Beattie loves David most above her other children. David is the fruit of the relationship Beatrice had with an officer, Louis Plunkett, when she was still in Ireland. Louis left without any notice, and she found herself pregnant. Edward was a young man who had been interested in her, so she managed to marry him without him learning that she was still pregnant, but she suspects he has always known. In 1916 Beattie and Louis get reacquainted and they start an affair. Beattie doesn't tell him about David, though. Louis wants her to go to South Africa with him, and Beattie knows that she will have to make a decision when the war ends. Yet, Louis gets injured and becomes blind in December 1917, and Beattie feels that she has to stick to him and leave her family. Then Louis dies, and the decision is taken from her. When Edward finds out that she has been cheating on him and that David is not his son, he decides to leave for the front. Beattie tries to approach him and asked for his forgiveness before he leaves, but Edward is too hurt. Then from the front Edward writes to her, saying that he wants to save their marriage after the war. Beattie doesn't know how to respond because she can't regret what happened between her and Louis, but she really wants to have Edward back. 
• David Hunter (1894) (24 years old) is the Hunters' oldest son. When war breaks out, he volunteers, causing his mother to feel upset. David is in love with his friend Oliphant's sister, Sophy, and they become engaged. David also befriends a woman during his time training as an officer, Antonia Weston, and they have a good relationship. When he goes to the front, they keep writing to each other.  During the Battle of Somme he is injured in the leg, and he returns a broken man. For months David is depressed, and it is Antonia who comes to cheer him up. Then Sophy breaks off their engagement, which devastates David.  Beattie thinks that David could benefit from being with Antonia and her father in their home, and it is there that they get together. They marry and move to the Elms, where David teaches some private pupils. Now they have a baby, Marcus. Before leaving for the front, Edward tells David that he should find the opinion of a specialist about his leg, which still hurts terrible, and even though David is reluctant to do so, he finally goes to a doctor and has an operation. The pain is relieved a great deal even though he will always have a limp. 
• Antonia  Hunter (Weston) (29) is a young woman who David met when he was training to be an officer. Antonia is the only one who manages to cheer David up after he was wounded. When Sophy leaves David, David goes to spend some time with Antonia and her father in their home. David finally realises he wants to be with her , and they marry and move to the Elms. Antonia and Louis have a baby now, Marcus. ç
• Marcus Hunter is David and Antonia's baby son. 
• Diana Wroughton (1895) (23  years old) is the Hunters' eldest daughter. She was engaged to Charles Wroughton, Lord Dene, the heir of an old aristocratic family in the area, but he died in action, which left Diana devastated. Charles's brother, Rupert, who was rude and unkind to her, starts to socialise with her, and he asks her to marry him. and she says yes, and even at some point he tells her that he is marrying him because she won't marry anyone else after Charles, and he is already 'married' to Erskine, his friend, she thinks he is talking nonsense, and Rupert tells her that he was just joking. They marry and they have a child, George.  Diana becomes Lady Wroughton as her father-in-law dies, and Rupert inherits the title. Rupert dies in action, and Diana has her second son. A wing of Dene Park has been turned into a hospital, and one of Rupert's friends is there, and Diana starts visiting him. Then she gets a letter from Erskine, who tells her that Rupert only married her to be respectful but he only loved him (Erskine). When Diana tells the friend, Guy, he says that he shouldn't believe anything that Erskine says. It seems that Diana and Guy are becoming closer. 
• Rupert Wroughton (27) is Diana's husband. He is boisterous, sociable and shrirks responsibilities. When Diana and his brother got engaged, he was very nasty to her, calling her terrible names.  When Charles died, he was shattered and seemed to show Diana some kindness. Then he asked Diana to marry him. He didn't offer love, just all the things that should have been Diana's if she had married Charles. Diana surprisinly agreed to marry him.  Rupert actually needed a wife and an heir, but the person he is in love with is his friend, Erskine. Rupert becomes Earl of Wroughton when his father dies, and in this time he reflects that he needs to do something for the war, and he decides to go to the front. He seems to be afraid of his behaviour affecting Diana and their son. Rupert is the only one who knows about Beattie and Louis, but he tells her that he will keep her secret. He is killed in action in 1918.
• George Wroughton (1917) is Diana and Rupert's baby son.
• Amyas Wroughton (1918) is Daiana and Rupert's second son.
• Sadie Hunter (1898) (20 years old) is the Hunters' other daughter, and she is very fond of horses. She helps in Highclere, the stables close to her home chosen for the army to prepare horses for the war. Sadie also starts volunteering in the hospital set for the war, keeping company to the injured soldiers. Sadie has been friendly to two men in these years, Private Sanhill and Christopher Bereford. Sadie only sees them as friends, and when each of them tell her how they feel, she has to tell them that she doesn't feel the same. Christopher even asks her to marry him. The man Sadie is in love with is John Courcy, who used to be the vet at Highclere, and just before the war he comes to see her on a leave because he needs to know if she loves him, and they finally confess their feelings to each other. They agree not to say anything until the end of the war. 
• William Hunter (1900) (18 years old) is another son. After deciding to leave school to learn to build planes, he makes the decision of enlisting because he feels he needs to finish the job Bobby started. 
• Peter Hunter (1906) (12 years old) is the Hunters' youngest child.
• Nails is the Hunters' dog. 
• Lieutenant Colonel Louis David Rathvilly Plunkett was Beattie's first love, and he got her pregnant and then left. He never knew she was pregnant, and Beattie has never forgotten him. When he gets back into her life, Beattie does not hesitate to become his lover. Louis wants her to leave Edward and live with him in South Africa. Then Louis gets injured in battle and loses his sight, and Beattie feels that she needs to make a decision and go with Louis.  However, he dies. 
• Ethel Lusby is the Hunters' underhouse parlour maid. Ethel is sassy and flirtatious. She used to flirt with many men, hoping to find the man who would give her a home, but at the same time she did not take them seriously. Ethel's family history is quite complex. She was born to a widowed mother, who didn't give her much love. She had two much older siblings: Edie ran away with a tinker, but her brother, Cyril was kind to her, and it was thanks to his advice that Ethel went into service, but Cyril died shortly afterwards. At the beginning of the war Ethel went to visit her mother, who was bedridden and sick, and she kept saying that she was not her mother. Then she revealed that her real mother was Edie.  Annie died. Something that affected Ethel greatly was when she and Eric, a good man she was walking out with, were bombed, and Eric died.  Ethel then went off the rails when she got pregnant by a married man she had previously seen.  Ethel left the Elms to discover the truth about her origins, and she got to see Edie, who told her that her real father was Cyril.  Ethel then returned to the Elms, heavily pregnant and despearte, and Beattie helped her. a Frank, the young gardener, then asked her to marry him, and she agreed, but when she lost the baby, she broke off the engagement. Frank keeps pursuing her, but she is certain that she won't marry because of her shameful origins.  Now Ethel has been put in charge of Baby Marcus and she is too attached to him. 
• Joan Dunkley is the Hunters' cook. Almost everybody calls her Cook, and she is in charge of the servants. She is very strict in her views about decency. Joan goes to look after her sister after an operation in Folkestone and there is an air aid, and she ends up injured. It is during her stay at the hospital Joan meets Fred, an Australian serviceman, who falls for her and wants to marry her. 
• Nula Wilkes is the sewing maid who used to be the children's nanny. Nula is the only one who knows about Beattie's past as she was a servant in her family's home when Beattie was young. 
• Ada Cole (43) is the Hunters' head house parlour maid.  She started a relationship with Corporal Len Armstrong when she met him in a recital the town did for the hospital. When Len receives orders of going to the front, he and Ada marry. Then he is killed in action, and Ada receives a pension as his widow. 
• Emily Conaghan (19)is the kitchen maid. She is quite naive and romatic at heart. Cook often tells her off. Emily decides to leave the Elms to work in a munitions factory, but the experience proves to be terrible. She is injured and becomes weak and sick, so she decides to return to the Elms, and Cook and the others look after her. During the summer holiday Emily usually goes away with Cook to visit the latter's sister as Cook feels it is her responsibility to look after Emily. In 1918 Emily says that she won't go this year as she has saved her money to go home and visit her mum, so she goes. Yet, she doesn't return, and nobody knows what happened to her whether her ferry was torpedoed or if she decided to stay in Ireland. 
• Munt is the gardener and is a man of old-fashioned, strict views. Munt is upset when Edward tells him that he needs to get rid of his flowers and turn the fields for farming. Yet, he eventually feels proud of his crops. 
• Ginger is the bootboy working for the Hunters. He is quite vocal in his opinions. Now he becomes a helper for Munt, when the gardener  has to turn his garden into a farming field. Then he leaves to work in a factory. 
• Timmy (10) is the new bootboy who replaces Ginger. He is quite shy and quiet. 
• Eileen (12) is the girl who replaces Emily as kitchen maid.
• Mrs Effie Chaplin is the charwoman who comes to the Hunters' a few times a week.
• Frank Hussey used to work for Munt and now he is a gardener in a neighbouring property. He looks up to Munt despite the man's difficult personality. He is friendly to Ethel, and when she returns pregnant and desperate, he proposes to her. Yet, when she loses the child, she refuses to marry him. Yet, Frank pursues her, but Ethel keeps blowing hot and cold. .
• Beryl is the nwe underhouse maid after Lillian leaves. 
• Laura Hunter (1872) (46 years old) is Edward's sister. She is single and for years she worked as a secretary much to Edward's dismay. In 1914 she lost her job as her boss couldn't keep her as he was going through financial problems. Laura is sympthetic to the suffragetts' cause, and in one of the gatherings she met Louise, who became a good friend to her. Laura and Louise learnt to drive, and they started driving to help in the war. Then they became aware of the new Police Women Service, and they decided to become policewomen. Then Laura became bored, so she started helping in France as an ambulance driver with a group of women. Louisa joined them later after she and Laura made up after they fell out. Laura decides on a new venture when she decides to create a club for the women in the front after the ambulance just can't go on. Louisa followed her, but Louisa is now difficult, especially as she seems to be jealous of Major Ramsley, who is helping Laura. Laura and Ramsley get together before he is transferred, and then Laura's club is bombed, and both Laura and Louisa have to return to England. When Ramsay goes to visit Laura, Louisa is spiteful and they quarrel, resulting in Louisa moving out. Later she tells Laura that she has left her pull her along when she was not happy. Laura and Louisa part as friends. Then Laura returns to the front, driving one of Lady Overton's X-Ray ambulances with Lady Annie. Now Laura and Ramsay want to get married after the war.
• Louisa Cotton is Laura's friend. She also sympathised with the suffragettes and was a secretary in the association. She is single and used to live with her aunt until she decided to move in with Laura.  She and Laura joined the Police Women Service. When her brother died, she and Laura fell out when the latter decided to go to France and work as an ambulance driver. They made up when Laura went to find her and discovered that Louisa's aunt had died. Louisa went with Laura to France, but she was not happy. After that, they ran the club together until it was bombed. Louisa and Laura fall out over Major Ramsley as Louisa is jealous of him. She finally decides to lead her own life away from Laura as she is too tired to follow her and she needs to have a quieter life. What she is going to do now is to work in clinics in the East End, helping women.  
• Major Jim Ramsley helps Laura to set the club for women in Pop, Belgium. They are now a couple and hope to get married after the war.
• Madame Elise de Rouveroy is a French refugee, whose husband and stepson were killed in the war. She goes to Edward for financial advice, and when Edward tells her that there is no money, he offers to sell her jewels. Elise and Edward become friendly, and they  meet and have dinner regularly. Elise finds a job as a dance teacher, and she starts hanging out with a Bohemian crowd that Edward finds in her flat one day. When Edward tells her that they cannot see each other again because it is not right as he feels drawn to her, Elise feels hurt and tells him that if he changes his mind, he knows where to find him. When Edward discovers that Beattie has been unfaithful, he goes to Elise and she welcomes him in her bed. The next day Edward is regretful, and Elise tells him that they can be friends, but he owes her something for hurting her, so she wants him to have dinner with her just like they used to. 
• Sonia Palfrey, nee Hunter (1874) (44 years old) is Edward's sister. She tends to be too dramatic and caraefless. Her home is always full of people. 
• Aeneas Palfrey  is Sonia's husband and has a biscuit factory.
• Donald Palfrey (1893) (27 years old) is Sonia and Aeneas's oldest son. He worked in the factory with his father, but he has been called up and goes to war. In 1917 he is seriously wounded and sent home. 
• Mary Palfrey (1895) (23 years old) is Sonia and Aeneas's daughter. She and Audrey are twins.
• Audrey Palfrey (1895) (23 years old) is Sonia and Aeneas's daughter . She and Mary are twins. When Donald is called up, she tells her father that she can take Donald's place in the factory. At first, Aeneas doesn't take her seriously, but he eventually gives her the opportunity to prove her worth. It seems that Aeneas is very happy with her work now. 
• Douglas Palfrey (Duck) (1901) (17 years old) is Sonia and Aeneas's son.
• Fergus Carbury (1898) (20 years old) is Adelaide and John's second son.  After the upring, his parents send him and his brother to America, and then he becomes a pilot. He and William meet in William's headquarters.
• Jack Hunter (1872) (46 years old) is Edward's cousin.  In 1915 Jack is injured in Ypres, but he recovers. When he goes home on leave, Beth feels that her husband has changed. 
• Beth Hunter (1876), nee Cargill (40 years old) is Jack's wife.
• John Courcy is the vet working for the army. Sadie first met him when he incidentally ran Nails over. Sadie and he worked together in Mrs Cuthbert's stables until he had to join the army. John is the man Sadie is in love with. In this book they finally get together.  
• Lady Violet Wroughton is Charles and Rupert's mother, and she  has always disapproved of Diana. When Rupert dies and Diana has her second child, the woman seems to realise that she and the children are the only family she has, so she mellows around Diana. 
• Christopher Bereford is a young man working with Edward for the Ministry of Food. Christopher finds Sadie intelligent and good to talk to, so he and Sadie go out together a few times. Sadie thinks that their relationship is just friendly, but then he proposes to her. For a second she considers saying yes because she likes him, but then she thinks he deserves someone who loves him, so she turns him down.
• Sergeant Fred McAusland is Cook's fiancé. They met when she was bombed and he pushed her out of the way. In hospital Fred went to find her and told her that he liked her and wanted to court her.  Fred thinks that after the war they can marry and go to live in Australia.
• Corporal Len Armstrong is the soldier who Ada marries before he goes to the front. Len is killed in action in 1917.
• Lord Arthur Forbesson (55) is a friend of Edward's. He works for the war office and is married to Dorothy, and they have a son in the front. 
• Annie (Lady Agnes Dauberey) is the woman who gets Laura interested in driving an ambulance in France. They work together for months, but they have to leave the adventure when the car stop working. After Laura's club is bombed, they work together again in Lady Overton's X-Ray ambulance. 
• Veronica Mildmay (Ronnie) helps Laura and Louisa to run the club in the front. 
• Lady Overton is the woman who finances the club for women that Laura runs, and when the club is bombed, she sends Laura to be the driver of one of her X-Ray ambulances.
• Ivo Rainton is Rupert's friend and was in his unit. He saw him die, and after that, he goes to tell Diana. 
• Lord Guy Teesborough was Rupert's best friend, and he is Ivo's brother. When he is injured, he is sent to Park Dene, and Ivo asks Diana to go and see him. Diana starts visiting him, and she finds she enjoys his company
• Erskine Ballantine was Rupert's lover and was called up. Erskine is wounded and writes a catty letter, telling her that Rupert loved him and only married her to be respectful. 
• Mr Weston is Antonia's father. He used to be the headmaster in a boarding school.
• Mrs Yvonne Turnberry is a neighbour who Mr Weston has been seeing and now they are engaged to be married. 
• Olive Marlow, Obby, is a woman who Diana met when she and Charles were courting, and now they are good friends. 
• Annabel Cuthbert is the woman who owns the stables where Sadie gives a hand. Now the army has extended the stables and she houses some voluntary girls. 
• Horace Cuthbert is Mrs Cuthbert's husband.
• Mrs Honoria Fitzgerald is the rector's wife and tends to be bossy and determined in her views about how the ladies' committee need to help in the war and organise activities. 
• Mrs Fanny Oliver is a parishioner and is the chairman in the Northcote branch of Red Cross.
• Dr Fitzgerald is the vicar. 
• Rolo is Obby's brother.
• Victor Sowden (18) was a mischievous child that in 1914 he lied about his age and enlisted at the age of 13. He and Sadie were friendly, and she was shocked when he enlisted. In this book he goes to visit her, and then just minutes after the ceasefire is signed, he is killed in action. 
• Colonel Prewitt Dancer (Prancer Dancer) is Edward's commanding officer in the war.
• Morgan (22) is one of the Frenchmen who work in the ambulance with Laura.
• Jean-Marie (21) also works in the ambulance with Laura. 
• Padmore is Diana's maid
• Captain Campion led Edward's unit but he is killed in action, and as a consquence, Edward is promoted to Captain. 
• Sir Duncan Kenealy and Thomas Barnard are the doctors who opeate on David.
• Sister Horrocks is the private nurse who is hired after David's operation.
• Catherine Beresford (Cat) is Christopher Beresford's friend. She is a FANY and Christopher introduces her to Sadie, and it is Cat who pushes him to tell Sadie how he feels. 
• Dr Fleming delivers Diana's sons.
•  Albert Waites is Louis's soldier servant
• Sister Ryman works in the war hospital in Northcote.
• Baby Melville and Tom Melville are friends of Louisa's and when she and Laura fall out, they take he in in their home.
• Con Meyer is the delivery man who Emily is sweet on.
• Mildred is Diana's nursery maid.
• Lady Caroline Crosmore is Rupert's sister.
• Solange is Elise de Rouveroy's maid. 
• Podrick is a head groom at the stables where Sadie works.
• Mr Murchison is Edward's new secretary after Warren leaves for the war. 
• Sergeant Cairns is the officer who is in charge of the horses brought to Mrs Cuthbert's stables.
• Captain Casimir is the requisitioner officer and supplies horses for the army.
• PC Whittle is the constable in Northcote 

Characters who have appeared in one of the books  (and may reappear)

• Bobby Hunter (1896 - 1916) (20 years old) was the Hunter's second son. He decided to enlist following his brother's steps and became a pilot. He was killed in action in 1916,
• Adelaide Carbury (Addie), nee Cazalet (1870)(47 years old) is Beatty's sister and lives in Ireland with her husband. 
• Sir John Carbury is Adelaide's husband.
• Johnny Carbury (1896) (22 years old) is Adelaide and John's son. After the upring, his parents send him and his brother to America. 
• Charles Wroughton (28)  was of an aristocratic family in Northcote. He and Diana were engaged, but he died in action in 1915 just a few weeks before the wedding. Charles was always kind and loyal, and Diana still thinks about him quite often.
• Freddie Oliphant (Jumbo) was David's best friend. Oliphant was killed in action in 1917
• Earl Wroughton is Rupert's father and dies in 1917, so Rupert becomes the new earl.
• Lillian is the maid who replaced Ethel when she went away. At first, Lillian felt like a fish out of water but Ada helped her. Lillian leaves the Elms to work in a munitions factory
• Private  Hugh Stanhill  started working at HIghclere and he and Sadie became friendly. They go out to the pictures from time to time, and when he tells Sadie that he has feelings for her, she refuses him as she doesn't feel the same. He is then tranferred from Highclere to some other army post. 
• Lady Beningbrough helped Laura when she needed help to set the club for women in Pop. 
• Sophy Oliphant (20) is Freddie's sister. She and David were engaged, but when he was wounded, she left him to marry Humbrey Hobart. 
• Humphrey Hobart is the man who Sophy marries.
• Hattie is Cook's sister who lives in Folkestone. 
• Horry is Hattie's nephew
• Flora Hazlitt worked with Laura in the ambulance. 
• Catherine (17) is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert. She is quite shy.
• Jane (18)  is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert. She and Jennifer are chatty and keep giggling together. 
• Jennifer (19)  is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert. She and Jane are chatty and keep giggling together. 
• Winifred (20) is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert.
• Monica  is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert.
• Mary (20) is one of the new girls working for Mrs Cuthbert. She comes from a rich family who own horses, and her mother thinks that if she wants to have horses, she needs to learn how to work with them. 
• Dr Elsie Murray started in the ambulance that Laura drove but she left soon to work in a hospital
• Mrs Milly Dawson is a woman who offers Beattie voluntary work in a canteen for servicemen, and Beattie accepts. 
• Peter Warren (29) was Edward's secretary until he was called up. He was killed in action. His death makes Edward very upset.  
• Jimmy Covington is Peter's friend.
• Sergeant Andy Wood is a man who Ethel dated for a while but then he discovered he was married and had children. After Eric died, she succumbed to Andy's tireless pursuit, and she got pregnant. Frank, who is in love with Ethel, beat him up after he knew what he had done to Ethel. 
• Farringdon was one of Bobby's fellow pilots. 
• Horsey (Dobbin)  was Bobby's friend. He fails the physical and goes into the Intelligence Corps. 
• Mary Talbot was Dobbin's fiancée.
• Brigadier General Boom Trenchard was Bobby's superior.
• Sister Heaton was the nurse who Edward hired to help David when he first came home after the hospital.
• Jim Cotton was Louisa's brother, but he died when his ship sank after hitting a mine. 
• Mrs Oliphant is Freddie Oliphant's mother. She seems to be quite stiff in her views.
• Mr Oliphant is Freddie's father. He is in two minds about David as Sophy's future husband. He likes the young man, but he thinks his daughter could do better than him. 
• Henry Binns  used to be the Hunters' boot boy. When Henry made a mistake, ringing the bells in the village  after dreaming of an attack, he was so ashamed that he left his job for the Hunters.
• Henry Bowers (Hank) was Mrs Oliver's nephew's brother-in-law in America and ended up in England when the war caught up with him in Germany. He was also in love with Diana. He was killed in action during the Irish uprising.
• Eric Travers was the young man who Ethel had a relationship with and died when he and Ethel were in London and were bombed. . 
• Tom Piper was a young soldier who was convalescing in the war hospital and Sadie used to go andkeep him company. He lost an arm, and his condition worsened and he died. .
• Annie Lusby was Ethel's mother, but before she died she confessed that her real mother was  the person who she thought was her sister. 
• Edie Lusby is Ethel's real mother. Edie ran away with a tinker when Ethel was young. Ethel goes to find her and she discovers that Edie has had a long line of husbands and partners, none too good to her. She lives in squalor, and has several children of different relationships, and she even had two children who died. Edie tells her that Ethel's real father was the man she thought of as her brother, Cyril.
• Cyril Lusby was Edie's brother, and Ethel discovers that he is her real father. Cyril died years ago, and Ethel  can't deny that he was good to her, made her go to school, and made her go into service.
• Alicia Harding is the local doctor's daughter and a friend of Diana's. 
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