Tommie MacIvor

Thomasina 'Tommie' MacIvor (born 17th February 1920 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a main character in From The Wolf's Den. She is the second child and only daughter of Cal and Stella MacIvor. She has two younger brothers, Sandy and Ruairidh.

Early Life (1920-1938)
Tommie was born on 17th February 1920 in Edinburgh, Scotland to Cal and Stella MacIvor. Tommie was raised in Edinburgh with her parents and brothers, Sandy and Ruairidh. Her mother, Stella and brother, Sandy, were killed in a fire. Soon after, the MacIvor family re-located to Gravesend in Kent.

After moving to Gravesend, Tommie gets work as a gardener, working around the town. Soon a job opens up at the Grimley Institute For Boys, rekindling her friendship with Harry Marlowe, a teacher at the school and an old friend of her father, Cal.

Life in the Women's Land Army (June 1939-)
In early June 1939, the Second Women's Land Army was formed and recruitment got underway. The minimum age was 17 but by this time, Tommie had already turned 18. She signed up and was subsequently given an interview and medical test. She enrolled soon after.

In July 1939, Tommie is sent to Shackleton Farm, a farm on the outskirts of Gravesend belonging to the Shackleton family. Tommie cares for the horses, milk the cows and delivers the milk to local houses by pony and trap. She helps the other land girls and finds good friends in Molly, Hannah and Charlotte.

Tommie also helps the eldest son, George, with harvesting the wheat and planting potatoes in the fields. Over the course of the summer, Tommie and George become extremely close friends.

In October 1939, George is conscripted and is forced to go and fight in the RAF.

The Blitz (13th/14th November 1940)
...

Aftermath of the War (1945)
On 2nd September, the war officially ends.

Physical Appearance
Tommie is described as having very pale skin and quite a medium frame, but she is very strong for her size. She is said to have shoulder-length dark blonde hair and sky blue eyes. From the ages of seven until she was eleven, Tommie dressed in boys clothes, much to her mother's disapproval.

Personality and Traits
Tommie is a very strong, selfless, hard-working, headstrong and courageous individual who was quite the tomboy as a child. Tommie was very rebellious and got into various fights with boys at her school, landing her in a lot of trouble. Growing up in Edinburgh, the vast majority of Tommie's closest friends were boys, including the neighbours son, Roger, and so she grew up around his hobbies.

Tommie and Roger used to play pranks on neighbours, buttering milk bottles and knocking on their doors before running away. They sometimes even ran away together and built dens in the middle of the woods. The three of them were very adventurous. The three of them spent many days in Edinburgh city centre, stealing from market stalls and pickpocketing strangers, but then came a time where Tommie had to leave her rebellious past behind her and take on adult responsibilities.

Tommie doesn't mind getting dirty doing work and spends a lot of time on the farm and hunting. She has a very thick skin and is very tough and she isn't afraid to stand up for herself. Tommie always puts the people she cares about before herself.

Tommie is a quite over-protective character at times, especially when in the company of her family or friends. At times, it seems that Tommie sees Stefan as a close resemblance to her deceased friend, Roger, perhaps explaining why she is so over-protective of him.

Cal MacIvor
Tommie's relationship with her father has varied somewhat over the course of her life. Growing up, she was extremely close to her father and they would do everything together. Tommie was always a bit of a tomboy, much to her mothers' disapproval, but Cal always told his daughter to be who she wants to be and not to change for anyone - a piece of advice she keeps close. After Stella and Sandy's deaths, Cal, Tommie and Ruairidh moved to Gravesend where Cal's father, Ivor lived to start a completely new life together.

Cal began drinking heavily after the disaster that killed his wife and son, and eventually ends up gravely ill. By this point, it's 1938 where we first meet Tommie in the novel, working as a gardener to provide for her family. Cal can't work because of his drinking problems, so Tommie has to work day and night to look after their grandfather, Ivor, her father, Cal and brother, Ruairidh.

Cal becomes a very angered man who occasionally results to violence if he doesn't hear what he wants to hear, but the truth is, Cal is an extremely broken man who is in desperate need of help. Tommie is very overprotective of her father as she understands why he is struggling, but she is desperate for him to be there for her, but more specifically her younger brother, Ruairidh. Tommie feels more alone than she ever has, but her father is drinking himself into an early grave and she can't face any more pain of losing someone she loves.

Stella Galloway
Tommie never particularly had a close relationship with her mother, Stella. She was very much a traditionalist whereas Tommie never particularly took to tradition.

Ivor MacIvor
Ivor and his granddaughter have a very close relationship. They both do whatever it takes to provide for their family.

Ruairidh MacIvor
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Magnus Galloway
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Isabella Boyd
...

Harry Marlowe
Tommie has grown up with Harry always being around the family since he knew both of her parents and sees him very much as a member of the family. Having worked together at the institute for a time, they have grown a much closer friendship.

Gideon Riggs
Tommie is fond of Gideon and creates a friendship with him after been given a job as a gardener at the Institute.

Ebenezer Finch
A man Tommie tried to avoid at all costs, she found Ebenezer a very mysterious and isolated man. She never took to him and barely spoke a word to him. The only thing that seperated Tommie from others was that she was the only person who was never intimidated by Finch and stood her own ground whenever she felt threatened by him.

Euphemia Roe
Effy is more of a sister to Tommie than a friend. The two of them have both worked at the institute for some time and both faced difficulties and tragedies in their lives. They are very close. They are both similar in personality too, both being strong and selfless.

Etymology

 * The name Thomasina derives from the male name, Thomas, meaning twins.
 * The surname MacIvor is of Scottish and Norse origins.
 * Tommie shares her birthday, 17th February, with her grandfather, Ivor.
 * Is named after her paternal grandmother, Thomasina Gunn.