George Shackleton

George David Douglas Shackleton (born 28th April 1917 in London, England) is one of the main characters in Running From Wolves. He is the eldest son of Alexander and Maria Shackleton.

Early Life (1917-1938)
George was born on the 28th April 1917 to parents Alexander and Maria Shackleton. He was brought up on the family farm and has lived there ever since he was born. When George was five he learned how to work farm machinary and how to care for the animals. When George was 11, he learned how to shoot rifles after several hunting trips with his father, Alexander. On the farm, George ...

Pre-War (June-September 1939)
In July 1939, Tommie Hunter, a 18-year-old land girl, is sent to work and live at the farm with the Shackleton family.

In mid-August, George gets up at 5am with his family to go shooting in the woods, but when they both go deeper into the woods, they find a young boy hiding an abandoned shed. The boy is German orphan, Stefan Gundelach, who ran away from the Grimley Institute For Boys.

Conscription (October 1939)
George is conscripted and he then trains in the Royal Air Force to become a pilot....

War Service (November 1939-)
...

Withdrawal from the British Army
George is involved in an accident during the Blitz where the plane he is on crashes into the Thames, instantly killing Flying Officer, Max Galloway. The Flight Lieutenant, Aaron Riggs, finds George struggling to stay afloat in the river and helps to drag him ashore, but Aaron is sucked into a current, leading to his inevitable death. George is then taken to hospital where he is told that he will never walk again....

Re-Adapting to British Life
...

Aftermath of the War (1945)
George continues to struggle without the use of his legs, but Tommie helps him come to terms with it.

Physical Appearance
George is described as being average height with broad shoulders and quite a medium frame. He has thick brown hair and blue-grey eyes. He is also said to have a beautiful smile.

George is known to wear a white long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up over a pair of braces attached to his brown trousers.

Personality and Traits
George is described as being caring, loving, well-mannered and extremely charming. Being the eldest of six, George is the most responsible, but he always enjoys joking about with his brothers and sister.

George is an honest and intellectual man, but he is also an extremely hard-working man. On his family farm, he mucks out the stables, harvests the crops, feeds and cares for the animals as well as delivers milk to locals. He has a very good relationship with his family.

After fighting during the war and suffering a life changing injury, his personality completely changes. He becomes very much a recluse and locks himself away in his bedroom for hours on end, refusing to speak to anyone. It is clear he suffers from shell shock. He becomes very short-tempered, and on one occasion is almost violent, but this is when he realises that he needs to change back into the man he once was.