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- The first recorded use of “Tommy Atkins” to refer generically to soldiers dates to the mid-1700s, when a plantation owner in the Caribbean reported back on the performance of a group of soldiers assigned to him.
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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.
The British ‘Tommy’ is a term used and recognised all around the world. But who was the original ‘Tommy Atkins’…. Ben Johnson. 9 min read. It is 1794 in Flanders, at the height of the Battle of Boxtel. The Duke of Wellington is with his first command, the 33rd Regiment of Foot, who have been bloodily engaged in hand-to-hand fighting ...
‘Tommy Atkins’ or just ‘Tommy’ is best known to us as the generic name of British soldiers in the First World War, but is that where the name originated? Like ‘John Smith’, ‘John Doe’ or just the ubiquitous ‘ Jack ‘, Tommy Atkins may or may not have been a reference to a specific person.
Mar 23, 2020 · By 1850 Thomas Atkins had been familiarized to Tommy Atkins, and by 1881 it had become simply Tommy. There is a popular story that the name was coined by the Duke of Wellington in honor of a soldier who had died bravely at the Battle of Boxtel in 1794, Wellington’s first major battle.
Feb 15, 2023 · One theory says it originated with the Duke of Wellington who made it the nickname in 1843. Another says the Imperial War Office established it in 1845 — a sort of British “John Doe.” But the Imperial War Museum found evidence of “Tommy” more than a century before Wellington supposedly coined it.
- Blake Stilwell
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.
Feb 3, 2023 · The term “Tommies” is most closely associated with British soldiers who served during the First World War. However, where and how did the nickname originate? It’s a topic of debate among historians, who also question whether a serviceman named Tommy Atkins ever really existed.
