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Tommy Atkins
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Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with World War I.
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Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with World War I. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if they wished to speak to a British soldier. French and Commonwealth troops would also call British soldiers "Tommies". In more recent times, the term Tommy Atkins has been used less frequently, although the name "Tom" is occasionally still heard, especially with regard to paratroopers.
Overview
Tommy Atkins - or Thomas Atkins - has been used as a generic name for a common British soldier for many years. The precise origin is a subject of debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743. A letter sent from Jamaica about a mutiny amongst the troops says "except for those from N. America (mostly Irish Papists) ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly". The surname Atkins means "little son of red earth", a reference to the soldiers in their red tunics. Tommy (a diminutive of Thomas), meaning twin, has been a very popular English boy's name since Thomas Becket was martyred in the 12th. century.
Robert Graves, in his autobiography Goodbye to All That (1929), states that: "The original 'Thomas Atkins' was a Royal Welch Fusilier in the American Revolutionary War". Graves was an officer in the Royal Welch in 1915, and mentions this among other regimental history, but does not cite his reference.
According to Lieutenant General Sir William MacArthur, in an article in the Army Medical Services Magazine (circa 1950), "Tommy Atkins" was chosen as a generic name by the War Office in 1815.
Richard Holmes, in the prologue to Tommy (2005), states that in:
- "1815 a War Office publication showing how the Soldier's Pocket Book should be filled out gave as its example one Private Thomas Atkins, No. 6 Troop, 6th Dragoons. Atkins became a sergeant in the 1837 version, and was now able to sign his name rather than merely make his mark."
No source is provided for this statement.
The Oxford English Dictionary states its origin as "arising out of the casual use of this name in the specimen forms given in the official regulations from 1815 onward"; the citation references Collection of Orders, Regulations, etc., p.75-87, published by the War Office, August 31 1815. The name is used for an exemplar cavalry and infantry soldier; other names used included William Jones and John Thomas.
A common belief is that the name was chosen by the Duke of Wellington having been inspired by the bravery of a soldier at the Battle of Boxtel in 1794 during the Flanders Campaign. After a fierce engagement, the Duke, in command of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, spotted the best man-at-arms in the regiment, Private Thomas Atkins, terribly wounded. The Private said "It's all right sir. It's all in a day's work" and died shortly after.
A further suggestion was given in 1900 by an army chaplain named Reverend E. J. Hardy. He wrote of an incident during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857. When most of the Europeans in Lucknow were fleeing to the British Residency for protection, a private of the 32nd Regiment of Foot remained on duty at an outpost. Despite the pleas of his comrades he insisted that he must remain at his post. He was killed at his post and the Reverend Hardy wrote that "His name happened to be Tommy Atkins and so, throughout the Mutiny Campaign, when a daring deed was done, the doer was said to be 'a regular Tommy Atkins'".
Rudyard Kipling published the poem Tommy (part of the Barrack-Room Ballads - themselves dedicated "To T.A.") in 1892, and in 1893 the music hall song Private Tommy Atkins was published with words by Henry Hamilton and music by S. Potter. In 1898 William McGonagall wrote Lines In Praise of Tommy Atkins, which was an attack on what McGonagall saw as the disparaging portrayal of Tommy in Kipling's poem.
The British were still called Tommies by the Germans in World War II. The phrase — "for you Tommy the War is over!" — has become a stock phrase, expressed by a German upon the capture of a British soldier or airman. They also nicknamed the Sherman tanks "Tommy cookers" because early versions tended to "brew-up" (catch fire) easily, due to the way ammunition for the main gun was stowed inside the tank. Interestingly, the Sherman was rare in the fact that it was a petrol driven tank, far more easily combustible than their diesel driven counterparts.
Today's soldier is nicknamed (within the Army) as 'Tom' and the British Army Magazine 'Soldier' features a cartoon strip character called Tom.
The Last Tommy
At the start of 2009 two Tommies from World War I were still alive. Harry Patch is the last surviving soldier to have seen action, whilst Netherwood Hughes was still in training when the Armistice was signed. There was a growing opinion that the passing of the last of them, as well as the servicemen of other branches, should be marked in an appropriate manner. This was the subject of a cross party campaign led by the UK Politician Iain Duncan Smith. It was originally proposed that the last veteran to die should be given a state funeral. However, this met with opposition from the veterans themselves, few of whom wanted to be singled out in this way. As of 28 June 2006, it was decided that a service at Westminster Abbey would be held upon the death of the last veteran.
See also
External links
- British WW2 Reenactment Society in the UK, and winner of the Best Display Award at the Victory Show 2007 sponsored by the Armchair General Magazine.
- , illustrated poem by Joshua Quagmire
- - a campaign to mark the passing of the last WWI Tommy with a state funeral.
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