Who is Tommy Atkins?
The name “Tommy Atkins” is used to refer to any British soldier, sort of like “John Doe” is an average, anonymous sort of person in many English-speaking countries. In the modern British military, Tommy Atkins is usually shortened to just “Tom,” and it is in more common use in some service branches than others. The origins of Tommy Atkins are a bit obscure, and numerous theories have been posited to explain why this name has become so closely associated with the common military man in British culture. 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. By 1815, “Tommy Atkins” had also become a common figure in military handbooks, being used as an example for various situations, much like Jane Doe stands in as an example in hypothetical situations in many American courtrooms. Some people have suggested that Tommy Atkins is named
