The War That Saved My Life characters

Appears from the start

A nine-year-old London girl whose untreated clubfoot has left her unable to walk normally. Her mother keeps her confined indoors and has taught her to see herself as shameful. Ada is watchful, stubborn, and fiercely protective of her younger brother Jamie. When she learns that London's children will be evacuated, she secretly begins teaching herself to walk so that she can escape with him.

Appears from the start

Ada's six-year-old brother, an energetic and sociable child who is allowed to leave their London flat. He brings Ada news of the outside world and tells her about the planned evacuation. Though younger than Ada, he is her closest companion and shares her determination to get away from their mother.

Also known as Mam

Appears from the start

Ada and Jamie's mother, who treats Ada's disability as a disgrace and uses violence, confinement, and humiliation to control her. She refuses to have Ada's foot corrected and plans to send Jamie away without her when the children are evacuated from London.

First appears in chapter 7

A solitary woman in the Kent village where Ada and Jamie are evacuated. She has no wish to take in children, but the billeting committee places the unclaimed siblings with her. Blunt, capable, and still burdened by grief, Susan provides food, cleanliness, medical attention, and safety that the children have never known.

First appears in chapter 9

A neglected pony kept in a nearby field. Ada is immediately drawn to him and names him Butter. Learning to care for and ride him gives her a form of movement that does not depend on walking and becomes central to her growing confidence.

First appears in chapter 10

The village farrier and Butter's owner. Practical and patient, he allows Ada to work with the pony and teaches her about horses without treating her injured foot as a reason she cannot learn.

First appears in chapter 13

A girl from the local manor whom Ada meets while riding. Maggie is confident, friendly, and accustomed to a secure home and education. She accepts Ada as a companion without pity and begins opening a wider social world to her.

First appears in chapter 15

Maggie's mother, the poised mistress of the local manor and a leading figure in the village's wartime organization. She is direct about duties and social expectations, but she treats Ada seriously and recognizes her intelligence and usefulness.

First appears in chapter 17

Maggie's father, a military officer whose work takes him away from the manor. His presence connects the children's changed village life with the widening war beyond it.

First appears in chapter 27

A Jewish girl sent to Kent as a refugee from Nazi-controlled Europe. She lives at the manor and is wary of strangers after being separated from her family. Her arrival makes the danger behind the war immediate to Ada and the other children.

First appears in chapter 19

Susan's closest friend before the children's arrival, remembered through Susan's home and grief. Becky shared Susan's life and love of books, and her death has left Susan isolated and reluctant to form new attachments.