--- title: "This is how British troops got the nickname ‘Tommies’" description: "You don't hear the term quite so much anymore, but for centuries, the nickname \"Tommies\" reigned supreme. Here's how it came about." date: "2022-02-19" modified: "2023-02-15" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-british-troops-got-the-nickname-tommies/" categories: - "History" - "War History" --- # This is how British troops got the nickname ‘Tommies’ ![]() In the trenches of World War I, German and French troops would [call out over the trenches looking for "Tommy"]() when they wanted to talk to a British soldier. You don't hear the term quite so much anymore, but for centuries, Tommies reigned supreme. How exactly British troops came to be called Tommy is not quite as complex as why German troops were known as "Jerry" (in case you were wondering, it's believed to be either because "Jerry" is short for German, or because their helmets [looked like chamber pots]()). ![jerry lighting cigarette for tommies]() *Jerry offers Tommy a light in this undated photo (IWM)* Britain's [Imperial War Museum says]() the origin of the literal nom de guerre is disputed. 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. During the British rule of Jamaica, researchers found a 1743 letter to the war office that reported a mutiny among mercenaries there, saying "Except for those from N. America, ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly." It was also at this time the red coats worn by British regulars earned them the nickname "Thomas Lobster." ![british troops tommies]() *Because camouflage is for wimps.* By 1815, the British War Office was using the name "Tommy Atkins" as a generic term – [a placeholder name]() – for sample infantry paperwork. An enlisting soldier unable to sign his name to his enlistment papers would make his mark – leaving the name Tommy Atkins spelled out where his real name should have been. "Tommy Atkins" and everyone known to history as Tommy Atkins had a distinguished career in the British military. During the Sepoy Rebellion in India in 1857, a soldier of the 32d Regiment of Foot remained at his post when most others already fled. He was, of course, overwhelmed and killed. A witness of his heroism later wrote: "His name happened to be Tommy Atkins and so, throughout the Mutiny Campaign, when a daring deed was done, the doer was said to be 'a regular Tommy Atkins.' " Other Thomas Atkins (or a variation thereof) also appeared as a Royal Welch Fusilier in the [American Revolution](), the [poems of Rudyard ]()[Kipling](), and indeed with the Duke of Wellington in the 33rd Regiment of Foot at [the Battle of Boxtel]() in 1794. The last Tommy – Harry Patch of the World War I-era British Army – died in 2009, at the ripe old age of 111. ![harry patch]() *Harry Patch in 2009* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()