Sunday, August 3, 2014

Tommy Atkins and India

 
"Tommies" from the Royal Irish Rifles in the Battle of the Somme's trenches during the First World War.
 
 
 
Tommy was a slang term for a British soldier, particularly during World War I.  The Germans used to call out to Tommy during the world war.  The origin of the term is debated.  The term was used by Alice Bailey to refer to the British soldiers that occupied India during the early 20th century.  Per Wikipedia:
 
Tommy Atkins or Thomas Atkins has been used as a generic name for a common British soldier for many years. The origin of the term 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 ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly".[1][2]
 
 
Following the British defeat by the Boers at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899, Private Smith of the Black Watch wrote the following poem:[6]
Such was the day for our regiment
Dread the revenge we will take.
Dearly we paid for the blunder
A drawing-room General’s mistake.
Why weren’t we told of the trenches?
Why weren’t we told of the wire?
Why were we marched up in column,
May Tommy Atkins enquire…





by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com and www.hiddenhumanstory.com)


Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins

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