Private Peaceful Tommo is haunted by the belief that he was responsible for the death of his father. Through the novel, he feels whatever goes wrong is his fault. Charlie, his brother, becomes a father figure to Tommo.

“For I have inside me a secret so horrible, a secret I can never tell anyone, not even Charlie. Father needn’t have died that morning in Ford’s Cleave Wood. He was trying to save me.”

“If only I had tried to save myself, if I had run, he would not now be lying dead in his coffin. As Mother smoothes my hair and Big Joe offers her yet another foxglove, all I can think is that I have caused this. I have killed my own father.”

Letter to Father You are Tom. You are going to create a letter to your father to try to explain:

Letter to Father What happened at his funeral: (Compare the swallow escaping- Like his Father?) (Pp. 15-16) What happened after the funeral: The burial of Father’s clothes (P.9)

Then: Choose any 2 pieces of Good News And: any 2 pieces of Bad News. To tell your Father.

Letter to Father Good News They still live in the cottage They have a friend in Molly Charlie looks after Tom Bad news Mother has to work for the Colonel Grandma Wolf is still horrible to them Life is hard

Begin with: “Dear Father, I just want to tell you this. We are well.”

End with: “Things aren’t easy but we are managing End with: “Things aren’t easy but we are managing. I just wanted to say how sorry I am.” Love, Tommo