English

Proper noun

Tommy Atkins

1. Generic term for any British soldier.
   • 1892, Rudyard Kipling, "Tommy":

     O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";

     But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play

   • 1978, Herman Wouk, War and Remembrance, 2002 Back Bay Books edition, page 507:

     A voice I don't want to listen to tells me that this is England's last land triumph; that our military history ends here […] . Tommy Atkins will serve with pluck and valor wherever he fights hereafter, as always; but the conduct of the war is passing out of our hands.

See also

• Billy Yank
• Johnny Reb