Character Relationship Map: The War Below

Characters

• William Hawkin (played by Sam Hazeldine) — protagonist

  William Hawkin is a rejected British volunteer whose lung problem and irregular heartbeat prevent him from enlisting normally. He nevertheless joins a specialist mining team under Hellfire Jack, works...

• Hellfire Jack (played by Tom Goodman-Hill) — supporting

  Hellfire Jack commands the specialist mining team assigned to dig beneath the German lines and plant explosives. His leadership places him above William Hawkin, George MacDonald, and Charlie MacDonald...

• Charlie MacDonald (played by Sam Clemmett) — supporting

  Charlie MacDonald works alongside William Hawkin and his brother George MacDonald in the dangerous tunnel operation. After receiving a letter saying that Margaret has ended their relationship because...

• George MacDonald (played by Elliot James Langridge) — supporting

  George MacDonald is one of William Hawkin’s closest colleagues in the underground mining team and Charlie MacDonald’s brother. He shares the exhausting work and danger beneath the German lines, suffer...

• Jane Hawkin (played by Anna Maguire) — supporting

  Jane Hawkin is connected to William Hawkin through his family life at home. William writes to her about how the war has taken him farther from his family despite his promises to return, making Jane pa...

• Henry (played by Sonny Ashbourne Serkis) — supporting

  Henry is an able-bodied British man who proudly arrives to enlist as the Great War continues. His successful attempt to join contrasts with William Hawkin’s rejection during the medical examination, h...

• Field Marshal Haig (played by Douglas Reith) — supporting

  Field Marshal Haig imposes a fixed date for the attack while the tunnel is advancing more slowly than planned. His decision intensifies the pressure on William Hawkin, Hellfire Jack, George MacDonald,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Hellfire Jack → Field Marshal Haig (Professional Subordinate Command Structure) — Their roles belong to the military command structure driving the mining operation.

  Hellfire Jack commands the miners, while Field Marshal Haig imposes the fixed date for the wider attack that governs their work.

• William Hawkin → Field Marshal Haig (Power Military Authority) — Haig's timetable places pressure on William's underground mission.

  Field Marshal Haig sets a fixed date for the attack while William's mining team is still advancing more slowly than planned.

• William Hawkin → Jane Hawkin (Family Correspondent) — Jane is part of William's family life and receives his wartime letters.

  William writes to Jane Hawkin that the war has taken him farther from his family despite his promises to return.

• Charlie MacDonald → Hellfire Jack (Professional Commander And Subordinate) — Charlie performs dangerous mining work under Hellfire Jack's authority.

  Charlie is part of the mining team commanded by Hellfire Jack and participates in the tunnel mission.

• George MacDonald → Hellfire Jack (Professional Commander And Subordinate) — George serves under Hellfire Jack during the underground operation.

  George works on the specialist mining team that is placed under Hellfire Jack's command.

• William Hawkin → Hellfire Jack (Power Commander And Subordinate) — Hellfire Jack directs William's dangerous underground military work.

  Hellfire Jack commands the specialist mining team, while William works as one of the miners assigned to dig beneath the German lines.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• William Hawkin → Henry (Social Fellow Recruit) — They are connected by the wartime enlistment drive, although the plot does not establish a close personal bond.

  Henry proudly arrives to enlist while William also attempts to enlist at the beginning of the story.

• George MacDonald → Charlie MacDonald (Alliance Teammate) — They are connected through their shared underground military assignment.

  George and Charlie MacDonald both work in the same mining team beneath the German lines.

• William Hawkin → Charlie MacDonald (Alliance Teammate) — William and Charlie share the physical and emotional pressures of the mission.

  William works alongside Charlie MacDonald in the underground team, where the men struggle to maintain morale together.

• William Hawkin → George MacDonald (Alliance Teammate) — Their cooperation helps sustain the mining team's effort.

  William works alongside George MacDonald as the miners endure collapsing tunnels, bombardments, exhaustion, and German counter-mining.

Story Analysis

A rejected volunteer finds purpose among miners beneath the German lines while war, grief, and duty test the team's endurance.

Plot Progression

1. A Chance to Serve — Britain's prolonged war creates intense pressure to enlist. William arrives proudly but is rejected after a medical examination, then insists that he deserves the same chance as everyone else.
2. Beneath the Enemy Lines — William enters a specialist mining team commanded by Hellfire Jack. The miners begin digging beneath German positions while military officers debate whether their work can succeed.
3. Clay, Bombardment, and Brotherhood — The miners endure collapsing tunnels, bombardments, exhaustion, and the threat of German counter-mining. Their jokes, shared rations, and letters home provide fragile emotional support.
4. The Cost of the Deadline — Field Marshal Haig fixes the attack date even as the tunnel falls behind schedule. The pressure intensifies, and Charlie is devastated by a letter ending his relationship before taking his own life.
5. The Last Preparations — William struggles between his underground purpose and the life waiting at home. The surviving miners prepare the explosives and improvise an oxygen test before the dangerous June 6 mission.