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  • The Origin of Tommy Atkins

    calendar Dec 3, 2025 · 12 min read · Newspapers Tommy Atkins Wikipedia John Laffin 1743 1949 1900s 1800s 1700s Soldier Magazine Daily Telegraph File and Folder Lucknow Duke of Wellington Soldier's small book Army Admin Royal Artillery Kipling 1850 1837 Kings Regulations 1829 John William Fortescue Charles Matthew Clode Lord Henry Hardinge War Office Secretary for War Harold Dillon Robert Holden MacKenzie Military Historical Society  ·
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    The Origin of Tommy Atkins

    Part of my PhD research involves scanning through some 70,000 newspaper articles that contain the phrase 'Tommy Atkins' between 1896 and 1926 to identify articles relevant to my thesis. I have written software to aid in this, as well as utilising a stream deck (a Godsend!) — and I even have a pedal underneath my desk …


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Robert St John Smith

Leeds, UK.
PhD researcher at Exeter studying the avatar of Tommy Atkins, 1896-1926. MA in Britain and The First World War.
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Featured Posts

  • The Origin of Tommy Atkins
  • Trench Journals: The Red Feather, Journal of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. An Introduction
  • TTKAS: The Heroine of Loos
  • Things They Knew and Saw: An Introduction
  • Soldier-cartoonist: Corporal Harry Cotton, Meteorological Office, 4th Army HQ
  • Bairnsfather’s ‘Old Bill, the influence on Tommy Atkins, and the Better ‘Ole Video Game
  • The Wipers Times Exposé: A Picture of Dorothy Violet Hall emerges
  • Ephemera: Winnie Mary Knight’s Autograph Book: A Glimpse of Bromley in the First World War

Recent Posts

  • The Origin of Tommy Atkins
  • Trench Journals: The Red Feather, Journal of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. An Introduction
  • TTKAS: The Heroine of Loos
  • TTKAS: Soldiers’ Alphabets – is this the earliest example?
  • Things They Knew and Saw: An Introduction
  • The Blighty Bust!: ‘The Bridge Across the Stream’ by Ivor Novello & J.E. MacManus
  • Soldier-cartoonist: Corporal Harry Cotton, Meteorological Office, 4th Army HQ
  • Reference: The Meteorological Office and The First World War

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LESLIE ALLEN1 TABLE TENNIS1 TATLER4 TENANTED FARMS1 TERRAMESNIL1 TERRITORIAL ARMY1 THE 7TH LONDON REGIMENT1 THE AVESNES ADVERTISER1 THE BANKERS DRAFT1 THE BETTER TIMES1 THE BRYCE REPORT1 THE BUFFS1 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSCIANS1 THE LADY'S MONTHLY1 THE MUDHOOK1 THE OUT-OF-WORK-DONATION1 THE OUTPOST1 THE POW-WOW1 THE PRINCE OF WALES OWN1 THE RED FEATHER1 THE REGIMENT1 THE SOCIETY OF APOTHECARIES1 THE SPRIG1 THE TIMES1 THE WIPERS TIMES6 THE WIPERS TIMES FILM1 THE WIPERS TIMES PLAY1 THINGS THEY KNEW AND SAW1 THINGS WE WANT TO KNOW1 THOMAS EMMANUEL WARD2 THOMAS MOORE EMMANUEL WARD1 THOMAS OSWELL BURY1 TITBITS1 TOMMY ATKINS2 TOXAEMIA1 TRENCH JOURNALS1 TRENCH CULTURE3 TRENCH JOURNAL1 TRENCH JOURNAL EDITORS2 TRENCH JOURNALS9 TUBERCULOSIS1 TURNER & CAEPENEEL MAP1 UNCONFIRMED CARTOONS1 UPPER HATTON1 VAD1 VALENTINE & SONS1 VENERABLE ORDER OF SAINT JOHN1 VERENA HOLMES1 VICTORIAN ERA2 VIDEO GAME1 VIGIL1 VILLERS CARBONNEL1 VIOLET BLYTH PRATT1 VIOLET'S CHRONICLE OF FASHION3 VIOLET'S CHRONICLES OF FASHION1 VOLUNTARY MATERNITY HOSPITALS UK1 WAAC1 WALES2 WAR ILLUSTRATED1 WAR OFFICE1 WAR PROPAGANDA BUREAU1 WAR WEARINESS2 WATCOMBE CIRCUS1 WELLINGTON HOUSE1 WELSH GUARDS1 WELSH REGIMENT1 WEST KENT YEOMANRY1 WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT1 WESTERN FRONT7 WIKIPEDIA1 WILDING JONES1 WILLIAM BUDD1 WILLIAM FARR1 WILLIAM HALL TIMBER1 WILLIAM MORRIS1 WINSTON CHURCHILL1 WIPERS PRINTERS2 WIPERS STAFF3 WIPERS TIMES CONTRIBUTORS2 WOMEN IN WAR1 WOMEN'S HEALTH1 WORKHOUSE1 WORM'S EYE VIEW1 WREXHAM1 YPRES6 YPRES RAMPARTS2 YPRES TIMES1 ZEPPELINS1
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