Island at War

James Dorr

James Dorr is a member of the St. Gregory Senate, and is deputy bailiff of the island’s government. His family is well-known and respected; both his father and grandfather have served as Bailiff. He loves his wife Felicity, but cannot be sure she loves him and often finds that she gets in his way. He sent his son Phillip to England to go to boarding school, something that Felicity never quite forgave him for.

James takes his job in the Senate very seriously, and works hard to ensure that the transition into occupation is as painless as possible for his fellow islanders. He knows full well that the Germans are capable of killing every person on St. Gregory, and encourages his friends and family to avoid stirring up the waters for fear of German retaliation. He is suspicious of his wife’s relationship with Baron Von Rheingarten, and doesn’t trust either of them completely. When Phillip and La Salle arrive on St. Gregory to gather information, James worries that their presence may invite resistance; his sense of duty to St. Gregory tends to cloud his judgment.

Felicity Dorr

Felicity is James Dorr’s wife. Not a native of St. Gregory, she was born and educated in England, where she met James. She and James conceived a child the night they met, and were married very quickly afterward. Felicity does not terribly enjoy living on St. Gregory, finding island life boring and stuffy. She is, however, very devoted to her husband James, especially after the occupation begins. Felicity does not quite share her husband’s loyalty to St. Gregory itself, but rather to her friends and family on the island.

Felicity is good friends with Urban Mahy; the two perform in a theatre troupe on St. Gregory (known as AmDrams, a commonly used portmanteau of amateur dramatics).

Felicity misses her son Phillip terribly, and is delighted when he returns to St. Gregory to gather information for the war effort. She forms a rather uneasy friendship with Baron Von Rheingarten, and the two often sit outside at night and talk. This makes James suspicious of both of them, despite Felicity’s refusal of the Baron’s advances. When the Baron discovers that 'Mr Brotherson' is in fact Felicity's son, she offers herself to him in return for him sparing her son's life. The Baron rejects her 'proposal' but does see to it that Philip is not killed.

Phillip Dorr (aka Mr. Brotherson)

Philip Dorr is the only son of James and Felicity. He was educated, like his father before him, at Stowe. He went directly into the army, where he's in training at Sandhurst. Philip loves his parents but sometimes finds himself caught between them.

When Philip is sent back to the island as a spy on a reconnaissance mission, he adopts the persona of "Mr. Brotherson" and becomes an odd-job man at his parents’ house, 'Sous Les Chenes.' His belief in the power of the Allies comes into conflict with James' determination to protect the people of St. Gregory.

In the final episode he is caught trying to escape back to Britain with information and photos of the German military installations on the island. His life is spared by the Baron but he is sent to France as a prisoner of war.

Wilf Jonas

Wilf is the local policeman who feels a genuine sense of duty, bringing him into conflict with some of his colleagues. He's a bit of a gambler and risk taker, and enjoys the adventure and uncertainty of his job. He loathes paperwork, loves his wife and despises his brother-in-law. Wilf also likes to fish the local waters around the island of St. Gregory.

He is eventually forced to be driver for Oberst Heinrich Baron Von Rheingarten; something which he detests even more than the paperwork associated with being a policeman. He assists the escape attempt of Philip Dorr and Zelda Kay, but is caught and sent to prison in France for 6–9 months.

Kathleen Jonas

Wilf's wife is high energy. She loves to run the farm, and to clean and cook for her family. She shares Wilf's sense of what's right and wrong up to a point, but is more willing to bend the rules, especially when her brother, Sheldon Leveque is involved. She's adventurous and always ready for fun. She puts her husband and two children before herself and will keep secrets from Wilf if she feels it necessary.

When the island authorities recommend evacuating children from the island, Kathleen make the heart-wrenching decision to send her 2 children, Colin and Mary, to England to be safe. Kathleen assists Philip Dorr and Eugene La Salle when they return to the island as spies, despite the danger it puts herself and her family in.

Sheldon Leveque

Sheldon is Kathleen's brother and a handsome charmer who can talk himself out of any situation. It's never quite clear how he makes his living. He appears to be a crafty wheeler-dealer who manages to work both for and against the Germans. He's also one of the few islanders allowed to keep a vehicle, although no one is quite sure why. He spends a lot of time in the Jonas household and is genuinely fond of his sister, but less so of Wilf. In fact, as soon as Wilf arrives home, Sheldon finds an excuse to leave. He makes it his business to know everyone, believing they may be useful to him one day.

Cassie Mahy

Cassie runs a successful grocery store which she inherited from her parents. This makes her the main breadwinner in the family. She adores her husband Urban who acknowledges that she has the business brain of the partnership. She's a bit older than he is but she'll defer to him in matters of their children's upbringing. After her husband was killed during the German invasion, she detests the Germans and everything they stand for, but that doesn't stop her working with them when it suits her. She begins a business partnership (and later a sexual relationship) with German Oberwachtmeister Wimmel.

Urban Mahy

Urban Mahy is the near-polar opposite of his wife Cassie. Urban is a genial chap with an easy-going attitude who's content to go along with whatever comes his way. He feels lucky to have his wife Cassie, and is delighted by his children. His wife inherited the grocery store from her parents and Every so often he has a twinge of conscience because Cassie is the family breadwinner. This leads him to a crisis of conscience. He is delighted, therefore, when Mr. Isaaks offers to give his camera shop to Urban when the former evacuates St. Gregory. He is several years younger than Cassie, but she acknowledges him as the head of the household. Urban loves Cassie deeply, but they often disagree on issues such as business and child-rearing.

He is good friends with Felicity Dorr, and the two are members of the local thespian club, "AmDrams". Urban was killed when the Germans bombed the harbour during their invasion, and was buried in an unmarked grave.

Angelique Mahy

Angelique is the elder of Urban and Cassie Mahy's two daughters. She works at the Government house as an assistant to James Dorr and the Bailiff La Palotte. Compared to her sister June, Angelique is much more aggressive toward the Germans. She is absolutely against their presence on St. Gregory, and refuses to cooperate with them when she can. When she and June take over Mr. Isaaks' camera shop, Angelique is against removing the former owner's name from the store window, as it would mean having to cater to the German soldiers.

She has a strong sense of morality and will be the first to challenge her sister or mother if she thinks they are out of line. This makes life very complicated for her when she finds herself in a dubious moral situation: she falls for German airman Bernhardt Tellemann. Because Angelique cares so much about what others - especially her mother and sister - think of her, she initially refuses to admit her feelings to herself, but eventually gives into them and embarks on a relationship with him.

June Mahy

June, the younger of Urban and Cassie Mahy's two daughters, is seventeen. She is impressionable, a bit of a daddy's girl, and younger than her years. She's in the amateur dramatic society, and sings at the 50/50 Club, which is taken over by Germans. When the Germans arrive, June truly does not know how to act. Her mother and sister believe that the Germans are evil and to be avoided, June cannot help but treat them like ordinary people. Being friendly with the Germans eventually gets June into trouble, and she becomes branded a "Jerrybag" by some of her fellow islanders.

Zelda Kay

Zelda Kay (real name: "Hannah Kosminska") is a German Jew who escaped the country with her mother in 1933. They settled in England, where Zelda found work as a nanny. The family she worked for often spent their summers in St. Gregory, and that's where Zelda found herself when war broke out in September 1939. Since she was a German national, she was not allowed back into Britain. Stranded on St. Gregory, Mr. Isaaks befriended her, gave her a job in his shop and found a flat for her to rent.

As a German invasion becomes more of a certainty, Zelda makes arrangements to evacuate St. Gregory, but ultimately misses the last boat. Stranded again, she continues to work in the camera shop, though now for Angelique and June Mahy. As a Jewish woman living among Nazi soldiers, Zelda tries very hard to keep her secret. Unfortunately, she catches the eye of Oberleutnant Walker, and must continually reject his advances. As the occupation continues, Zelda must go into hiding to avoid her secret being made known.

Once her identity is discovered by Walker, he forces her into a sexual relationship in exchange for keeping her secret. She decides she must escape the island and tries to do so by boat, alongside Philip Dorr. Their boat is discovered by the Germans, but Zelda jumps overboard, returns to the island and goes back into hiding.

Baron Heinrich Von Rheingarten

Oberst (Colonel) Baron Heinrich Von Rheingharten is a married man with two sons in the Luftwaffe. He first appears in the last scenes of the first episode, and quickly establishes that he is a man of aristocracy. He is the commandant of the island of St. Gregory, in charge of everything that happens there, along with Captain Muller and Leutnant Walker.

Von Rheingarten is not a Nazi in the true sense of the word; he is just loyal to his army and his country. He's also no pushover. He will not be made to look a fool and isn't afraid of making tough decisions, but he understands the frailties of human nature.

He takes an interest in Mrs. Dorr, making conversation with her a few times, after shunning the attempts of her husband, and also shows almost paternal affections for Mr. Brotherson (Phillip Dorr) and spends a bit of episode 2 rebuilding a stone wall with him. When Eugene La Salle is found to be a spy, he is the one to order his execution, as retaliation for the killing of one of his soldiers. He also claims that the island needs a death to remind them who is in charge, and that it will prevent further spying.

In the final episode he finds that his youngest son, Manfred, was shot down over the Channel, and says to Mrs. Dorr "Maybe she (his wife) does not know and is picking out a star for him now." When she brings up La Salle's mother, he remarks, "One only does what one thinks is right," and that whoever shot down his son was right and would be congratulated.

When Phillip Dorr (a.k.a. Mr. Brotherson) is caught with photos of the German facilities, Mrs. Dorr reveals to him that Mr. Brotherson is actually her son, Phillip, and offers herself to him in order to save her son. He spares her son from execution, instead sending him to France as a prisoner of war, along with his driver Wilf Jonas and James Dorr, who will attend a prison for at least 9 months for assisting him. When Mrs. Dorr thanks him he replies, "I have grown sickened by young men dying".

Oberleutnant Walker

Lieutenant Walker is a complex character. He agrees with Hitler's most extreme views. He detests the Jews and enjoys the power he has as a superior officer in an occupying army. However, he is also terribly lonely and desperate to find friendship and love. He takes a liking to Zelda Kay, not realising she is in fact a German Jew. When he discovers her true identity he tells her he will keep her secret and coerces her into sleeping with him as a thank you.

Airman Bernhardt Tellemann

Bernhardt was studying for a law degree when war broke out and he was called into the army. He is a navigator in the Luftwaffe; he is responsible for pressing the button that drops the bombs. He is on the deadly harbor raid that announces the Germans' arrival. Despite his youth, Bernhardt has a clear understanding of the horrific situation. He despises Hitler's views, but he is trapped in his army. He is immediately attracted to Angelique Mahy and the two of them begin a relationship.