Tommy: an updated version

I went into a public-house to get a pint of beer,
The publican he up and says, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls behind the bar they laughed and giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again and to myself says I:
O it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but hadn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-halls,
But when it comes to fighting, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.

Yes, making mock of uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, and they’re starvation cheap;
And hustling drunken soldiers when they’re going large a bit
Is five times better business than parading in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “Tommy, how’s your soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of heroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of heroes” when the drums begin to roll.

We aren’t no thin red heroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barracks, most remarkable like you;
And if sometimes our conduct isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barracks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “Tommy, fall behind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.

You talk of better food for us, and schools, and fires, and all:
We’ll wait for extra rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of his country” when the guns begin to shoot;
And it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and anything you please;
And Tommy ain’t a blooming fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

Tommy, Rudyard Kipling, 1890 (updated by Jonathan Richardson 2022)

Who was Tommy Atkins?

Tommy is one of Kipling’s most famous Barrack Room Ballads, up there with Gunga Din. The disdain for the squaddie, the grunt, the boot, the GI, the digger and a thousand other terms for the common soldier or marine is the main topic of this poem. Along with how the sour attitude changes when the soldier is needed.

“Tommy” is no longer a common nickname but Tommy Atkins was once the name of the archetypical British soldier and often used in examples of things such as filling in paperwork. We have the Duke of Wellington to thank for it was he who first used Tommy Atkins as the example name in ‘The Soldiers Pocket Book’.

The Soldier’s Pocket Book via the Wellcome Collection

It is 1794 in Flanders, at the height of the Battle of Boxtel. The Duke of Wellington is with his first command, the 33rd Regiment of Foot, who have been bloodily engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, when he comes across a soldier lying mortally wounded in the mud. It is Private Thomas Atkins. “It’s all right, sir, all in a day’s work,” the brave soldier says just before he dies.

Historic UK

Tommy in the 20th century

Regardless of the name used, the common soldier (as opposed to officers, who have historically tended to be ‘gentlemen’) was not always well regarded by the public, seen as beer swilling menaces when on leave.

Observers of the US and its ‘thank you for your service’ to the point of absurdity may be surprised to think that soldiers weren’t well regarded.

Perhaps Vietnam vets will remember the protests and claims that they were ‘baby killers’:

After a year doing what my country required me to do, I came back to the US in uniform to San Francisco and was harassed by a crowd of mangy morons calling me a “baby killer” but was not spat on… I have friends who returned but were not so “fortunate”. Many returning vets were advised to ditch their uniforms before arrival to avoid harassment.

Comment from jimmbbo in the same video

I should note that while American vets may lament the lack of parades when they came home, Tommy’s Australia cousin the Digger got huge one in Sydney in 1966:

Thank you for your service

However things have changed and now US troops are very much thanked for their service.

However in the West this seems to mostly be a US thing.

Soldiers are not scorned in the UK but nor are they thanked regularly (though they may get discounts in stores, pubs or cafes). So perhaps the current situation in Britain is between the that of the US and that of Tommy. I’m happy to be corrected by a current soldier.

It is in part because British soldiers are not to wear their uniform in public, largely due to security concerns dating from the Troubles. As such it’s harder to either thank a soldier for their service or to block one as a potential troublemaker, like the pub landlord does in Tommy.

And again Tommy is not just a poem for the British soldier. A former conscript from Singapore says the attitude to soldiers is similar — neither scorned nor praised:

By and large, being a soldier in a nation with mandatory conscription isn’t something to be proud of[…]. Conversely, wearing the uniform out of doors tends to elicit looks of scorn, sympathy, or if we were lucky, outright indifference. Studying overseas, the sheer difference in reaction was apparent to me. When my classmates asked me why I was two years older than them, revealing that I had served in the army resulted in looks of awe and expressions of amazement (partly because of how completely un-martial I look). Back in Singapore, the topic would have never come up — every local male was assumed to have served. The looks of awe were only directed to those who got a comfy posting, ended up in the Commandos, or managed to weasel their way out entirely.

The author, /u/syanda, remarks though that while this makes him think of Tommy, there are still almost magical interactions with the public that made him realise that they are still loved.

There are times where, reading viral posts about soldiers in uniform over social media, I’m reminded of Kipling’s poem on the Tommies. But whenever that happens, I think back to that day with the toddler beaming on top of the tank, the young boy smiling excitedly as he stood beside me, and I think that it was worth it.

Tommy in the 21st Century

Tommy has been a popular reference to how politicians and the public can treat the average soldier. Here’s one from the ‘War on Terror’ era and occupation of Iraq under George W Bush and Tony Blair:

We aren’t made for cool Britannia; we leave boot marks on the floor.
We don’t walk like Peter Mandelson or talk quite like Jack Straw
Call us “forces of conservatism” if it suits your turn
But we’re off like some world fire brigade when flash points start to burn.

Yes it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and “spend less on defence”
But who walks the streets of Basra when the air is getting tense?
When the air is getting tense, boys, from Kabul to Kosovo
Who’ll say goodbye to wife and kids, and shoulder pack and go?

The Queen, she’s sat in Windsor now for 50 years or more.
She’ll see this government depart like other ones before.
And Blair and Bush and Chirac make their plans to no avail
But who remains to serve the Crown when politicians fail?

O it’s “Tommy change your values” — now diversity’s the game;
But when Christmas leave is cancelled, then whose tyrants are to blame?
There’s tyrants in the mountains, boys, and tyrants in the sands,
So farewell to wives and risk your lives for them in foreign lands.

Tommy in the 21st Century, Peter Pindar, The Daily Telegraph, December 2003

21st century “Tommies” in Iraq

YouTube reading

There are numerous readings of Tommy on the internet, here is one popular version:

While this one is set to music:

Whichever version you hear, it seems to me that Tommy endures not just for its theme of a fickle public that suddenly turns to warmth when it needs something (and not just from soldiers). It’s how to many current and former troops there are echoes of the poem still.

If you’ve been downheartened by some of the negative reactions I’ve mentioned above then I recommend donating to the Invictus Games Foundation to help support former soldiers inspire others.

Going large: an aside

One phrase that stood out to me in Tommy is the term “going large” in the third verse. This is still a common phrase (along with “having it large” and so on) but Kipling’s use makes it older than I thought.

Civilians going large a good century after Kipling’s poem

There is nothing deeper than this. I suppose it’s like finding out that your parents had a life and enjoyed themselves before you were born.

How you can contribute

Find out why I’ve updated Rudyard Kipling’s Barrack Room Ballads — and the challenges that has involved. Feel free to:

• comment on your thoughts on my update
• comment your thoughts on the poem or my commentary
• contact me if you want to post about a modern take on Kipling

If you wish to support charities I recommend:

• Show Racism the Red Card — a British anti-racism educational charity
• The Invictus Games Foundation — a charity that uses sport and challenge to inspire, improve and influence the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women
• The Media Trust — helps mentor and develop people in the media from all backgrounds
• The Royal British Legion — UK charity that supports serving and ex-serving personnel

Finally if you do use my revised version of the texts please do cite me.