Tommy Atkins or Thomas Atkins has been used as a generic name for a common British soldier for many years. The origin of the term is a subject of debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743.
Nepalese troops known as Gurkhas have fought for Britain since 1815. Here, we explore their history and find out why they have long been regarded as some of the finest and fiercest soldiers.
Enlistment papers would be filled out with the name Tommy Atkins with sample service details. During the World Wars French, Commonwealth and German troops would all refer to British Soldiers as Tommies and phrases like “For you Tommy the war is over” have become synonymous with British Forces.
The origins of the term Tommy is widely disputed, the most common interpretation is that the term comes from Tommy Atkins, which is slang for a common soldier in the British Army. The term Tommy was established during the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with World War 1.
The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person. Newspapers in Australia were using the term by 1912, with it appearing first in Western Australia, and was said to be short for pomegranate, with the terms "jimmy" and "jimmigrant" also in use.
Terminology. Military personnel who serve in an army or otherwise large land force are referred to as soldiers. Those who serve in a navy, coast guard, or other seagoing force are seamen or sailors.
'Charwallah' was a word from the soldier's lexicon and was often used to describe a sutler. Charwallah is derived from the words 'chai' and 'wallah' interpreted together as 'tea-person' or 'tea-boy'. The word 'wallah' interprets as 'employment' or 'trade' and follows the descriptive employment.
Infantry are sometimes called "grunts" in the United States Army (as the well as in the U.S. Marine Corps) or "squaddies" (in the British Army). U.S. Army artillery crews, or "gunners," are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the service branch colour for artillery.
FUBAR is an acronym that originated in the military, which stands for a situation that is so damaged or out of control that it is "fucked up beyond all recognition," or alternatively, "fucked up beyond all repair." According to Techopedia, FUBAR was popularized by American soldiers during the Second World War.
While the origins of the term Tommy is widely disputed, the most common interpretation is that the term comes from Tommy Atkins, which is slang for a common soldier in the British Army. It is known to have been used as early as 1743, however the term Tommy was chosen as a generic name by the war office in 1815.
POG: person other than grunt. A soldier that is not infantry/combat arms. Leg: a soldier that is not airborne qualified. Crunchie: infantry, because of the sound they make when run over by an APC or tank. Fobbit: a person that never leaves a Forward Operating Base (FOB), thus has no combat experience.
Notably, the minister confirmed that the British Army has communicated its wish to begin recruiting women into the Brigade of Gurkhas—an historic change, as all current Gurkha soldiers in the British Army are men.
🇬🇧 The SAS wanted Gurkhas because most speak Urdu (the most common language in Pakistan and widely used in Afghanistan), and Gurkhas, being from South Asia, can more easily pass as locals. That plus their military experience and skills, all of which are enhanced by the SAS training and experience.
