Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 300, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1919 — Origin of “Tommy." [ARTICLE]

Origin of “Tommy."

The English Tommy is no stranger. The custom was in England at one time to supply every British soldier with a small pocket manual. In it were entered the name, age, date of enlistment, the length of service, the wounds and the medals of honor of the individual soldier. The war office in sending out forms for information used the hypothetical name “Tommy Atkins,” just as we might have said “John Smith” in America. In this way “Tommy Atkins” eame to designate the English soldier. It happened in the same way that “Jack Tar” came to designate any British sailor. v