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ArchivesRe: ww1 male names?
in reply to a message by MagicKilo
I had 2 great grandfathers in the ww1 and they were both 'Harry'. One was short for 'Henry'. Those were both quite popular.
In ww2 british soldiers were called 'Tommy'.
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In ww2 british soldiers were called 'Tommy'.
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British soldiers have been called Tommies since at least the Anglo-Boer War at the end of the 19th century. The army provided forms to fill in when one joined, and also a "filled-in" example, and where the new soldier had to fill in his name they gave Atkins, Thomas as their example. So a British soldier was known generically as Tommy Atkins or just Tommy.
Of course, the authorities wouldn't have chosen either name if they hadn't been very familiar through being well used.
For WWI, you could try casualty lists ... or popularity lists for boys born in about 1900 would give you a good idea of usage.
Of course, the authorities wouldn't have chosen either name if they hadn't been very familiar through being well used.
For WWI, you could try casualty lists ... or popularity lists for boys born in about 1900 would give you a good idea of usage.
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