Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is slang for a common soldier in the British Army. It was certainly well established during the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if they wished to speak to a British soldier. French and Commonwealth troops would also call British soldiers "Tommies". In more recent times, the term Tommy Atkins has been used less frequently, although the name "Tom" is occasionally still heard, especially with regard to paratroopers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
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The first history of World War I to place centre-stage the British soldier who fought in the trenches, this superb and important book tells the story of an epic and terrible war through the letters, diaries and memories of those who fought it. Of the six million men who served in the British army, nearly one million lost their lives and over two million were wounded (www.goodreads.com/book/show/382449.Tommy). Zie ook:
http://keithpageukcomicsartist.blogspot.nl/2013/05/tommy-atkins-tour-of-trenches.html.
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Tommy Atkins is the English soldier, who joking broke the cavalry of France at Minden, who singing marched with Great Duke to the Danube, who grumbling shattered Napoleon’s dreams at Waterloo, who sweating in his red coat tramped back and fourth across Indis, who kept his six-rounds-to-the-minute at Mons, and who died in the mud at Passchendaele, the sands of the Western Desert, and the jungles of Burma. If his name has been eclipsed by his more illustrious commanders – Cromwell, Marlborough, Moore, Wolfe, Wellington, Allenby, Slim – they at least will accord him his rightful place beside them. They knew his worth. Tommy Atkins is his story – the story of this most versatile, most adaptable, most unmilitary solider (www.theworks.co.uk/p/general/tommy-atkins-the-story-of-the-english-soldier/9780752460666).
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The origins of the name are not entirely clear. It is certain that the name was coined by British military authorities during the preparation of a a new pocket ledger to be carried by each soldier. The ledger contained details of the soldier's name, age, date of enlistment, length of service, wounds, medals, etc.
When issuing the booklet to each soldier the War Office enclosed a guidance sheet which included example entries; 'Thomas Atkins' was the specimen soldier's name. The ledger itself quickly became known as the 'Tommy Booklet' and its holder, inevitably, as 'Tommy' (www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/tommy.htm).
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. A letter sent from Jamaica about a mutiny amongst the troops says "except for those from N. America ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
‘Tommy Atkins’, now used to refer to a common soldier in the British army.
...
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.
It is now 1815 and the ‘Iron Duke’ is 74 years old. He has been approached by the War Office for a suggestion for a name that could be used to personify the brave British soldier, to be used as an example name in a publication to show how a ‘Soldier’s Pocket Book’ should be filled out. Thinking back to the Battle of Boxtel, The Duke suggests ‘Private Thomas Atkins’ (www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/). This is just one explanation* for the origin of the term ‘Tommy Atkins’, now used to refer to a common soldier in the British army
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).*Another version is that the origin of the term ‘Tommy Atkins’ can be traced back to as early as 1745 when a letter was sent from Jamaica concerning a mutiny amongst the troops in which it was mentioned that 'Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly'
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
The first history of World War I to place centre-stage the British soldier who fought in the trenches, this superb and important book tells the story of an epic and terrible war through the letters, diaries and memories of those who fought it. Of the six million men who served in the British army, nearly one million lost their lives and over two million were wounded (www.goodreads.com/book/show/382449.Tommy). Zie ook:
http://keithpageukcomicsartist.blogspot.nl/2013/05/tommy-atkins-tour-of-trenches.html.
Tommy Atkins is the English soldier, who joking broke the cavalry of France at Minden, who singing marched with Great Duke to the Danube, who grumbling shattered Napoleon’s dreams at Waterloo, who sweating in his red coat tramped back and fourth across Indis, who kept his six-rounds-to-the-minute at Mons, and who died in the mud at Passchendaele, the sands of the Western Desert, and the jungles of Burma. If his name has been eclipsed by his more illustrious commanders – Cromwell, Marlborough, Moore, Wolfe, Wellington, Allenby, Slim – they at least will accord him his rightful place beside them. They knew his worth. Tommy Atkins is his story – the story of this most versatile, most adaptable, most unmilitary solider (www.theworks.co.uk/p/general/tommy-atkins-the-story-of-the-english-soldier/9780752460666).
1939 Illustrated magazine front cover showing photograph
of a smiling British soldier entitled 'Tommy Atkins 1939'
The origins of the name are not entirely clear. It is certain that the name was coined by British military authorities during the preparation of a a new pocket ledger to be carried by each soldier. The ledger contained details of the soldier's name, age, date of enlistment, length of service, wounds, medals, etc.
When issuing the booklet to each soldier the War Office enclosed a guidance sheet which included example entries; 'Thomas Atkins' was the specimen soldier's name. The ledger itself quickly became known as the 'Tommy Booklet' and its holder, inevitably, as 'Tommy' (www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/tommy.htm).
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. A letter sent from Jamaica about a mutiny amongst the troops says "except for those from N. America ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
‘Tommy Atkins’, now used to refer to a common soldier in the British army.
...
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.
It is now 1815 and the ‘Iron Duke’ is 74 years old. He has been approached by the War Office for a suggestion for a name that could be used to personify the brave British soldier, to be used as an example name in a publication to show how a ‘Soldier’s Pocket Book’ should be filled out. Thinking back to the Battle of Boxtel, The Duke suggests ‘Private Thomas Atkins’ (www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/). This is just one explanation* for the origin of the term ‘Tommy Atkins’, now used to refer to a common soldier in the British army
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).*Another version is that the origin of the term ‘Tommy Atkins’ can be traced back to as early as 1745 when a letter was sent from Jamaica concerning a mutiny amongst the troops in which it was mentioned that 'Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly'
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
According to J. H. Leslie, writing in Notes and Queries in 1912, "Tommy Atkins" was chosen as a generic name by the War Office in 1815, in every sample infantry form in the Soldiers Account Book, signing with a mark. The Cavalry form had Trumpeter William Jones and Sergeant John Thomas, though they did not use a mark. Leslie observes the same name in the 1837 Kings Regulations, pages 204 and 210, and later editions. Leslie comments that this disproves the anecdote about the Duke of Wellington selecting the name in 1843 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
A further suggestion was given in 1900 by an army chaplain named Reverend E. J. Hardy. He wrote of an incident during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857. When most of the Europeans in Lucknow were fleeing to the British Residency for protection, a private of the 32nd Regiment of Foot remained on duty at an outpost. Despite the pleas of his comrades, he insisted that he must remain at his post. He was killed at his post, and the Reverend Hardy wrote that "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'" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
Rudyard Kipling published the poem Tommy (part of the Barrack-Room Ballads, which were dedicated "To T.A.") in 1892, and in 1893 the music hall song Private Tommy Atkins was published with words by Henry Hamilton and music by S. Potter. In 1898 William McGonagall wrote Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins, which was an attack on what McGonagall saw as the disparaging portrayal of Tommy in Kipling's poem.
It is also said that the name "Tommy Atkins" was the example name on conscription sheets during the First World War, and that teenagers who were underage often signed up as "Tommy Atkins" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
The term was used quite widely, and indeed rather contemptuously, in the mid 19th century. Rudyard Kipling sums this up in his poem ‘Tommy’, one of his Barrack-Room Ballards (1892) in which Kipling contrasts the mean way in which the soldier was treated in peace time, with the way he was praised as soon as he was needed to defend or fight for his country. His poem "Tommy", written from the soldier’s point of view, raised the public’s awareness of the need for a change of attitude towards the common soldier (www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/):
Kipling helped to change the public’s attitude towards the common soldier in the late Victorian era. Nowadays the term ‘Tommy’ is more often associated with the soldiers of World War I and is used with affection and respect for their bravery and heroism, much as Wellington had in mind when he suggested the name back in 1815. Harry Patch, who died aged 111 in 2009, was known as the "Last Tommy" because he was the last surviving British soldier who fought in World War I
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
Following the British defeat by the Boers at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899, Private Smith of the Black Watch wrote the following poem:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins)
... some immortal lines from perhaps the world's best bad poet, the Bard of Dundee William McGonagall, who responded to what he saw as the disparaging tone of Kipling towards the British Tommy with his own poem from 1898, ‘Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins’.
Unfortunately it appears that McGonagall may have misunderstood Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballards completely: he seems to be defending the ‘Tommy’ against what he imagines is Kipling’s opinion of him – ‘a beggar’ - and has entirely missed the whole point of Kipling’s poems
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins (1898)
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
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Tommy (ready to go "over the top"). "I suppose we shall be making history in a few minutes, Sergeant?" Sergeant. "History be blowed! What you've got to make is geography."
COPYRIGHT:© Punch Limited (http://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/WW1-Cartoons-The-Great-War/G0000dASULVAdiAI/I0000l_pzi3zrLNE)
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Vague Tommy (writing letter). "Wot day is it?" Chorus. "The fourteenth." Tommy. "Wot month?" Chorus. "October." Tommy. "Wot year?" COPYRIGHT:© Punch Limited (http://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/WW1-Cartoons-The-Great-War/G0000dASULVAdiAI/I00007I2TyXiRNEU)
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The Tommy in charge was stirring a copperful of ‘Shackles’ (soup made from the very dregs of army cooking and stirred with a stick). I must have looked in need of extra nourishment for he said ‘D’yer want a drop, son?’ ‘Yes please’ I replied if you can spare it.’ The warmth and zest from that beefy liquid, unexpected as it was, compelled me to accept a second bowlful which I drank with the same enthusiasm as the first. George Coppard, from With A Machine Gun to Cambrai From bully beef to Tickler’s jam, explore what kept Tommy Atkins fed in the trenches by reading recipes and learning how meals were made just yards from the enemy. ANDREW ROBERTSHAW is Director of the Royal Logistic Corps Museum and oversees the collection of the antecedents of the Army Catering Corps, whose motto was ‘We Sustain’. In this book he combines history, recipes and historical experiments to reveal how Army Cooks in the First World War fed millions of men everyday against the odds. He is also the author of ‘Frontline Cookbook’ and ‘24hr Trench’ (both, The History Press) (www.thehistorypress.co.uk/index.php/feeding-tommy-24481.html).
According to Napoleon, an army marches on its stomach and it fights on its stomach too. Yet, have you ever wondered how hundreds of men on the frontline are fed under fire or in the trench lines? During the Great War troops were trained to make meals out of the bare minimum of ingredients, to feed a company of men from only a mess tin and cook curries to feed hundreds only yards from the frontline. Feeding Tommy brings together recipes from the WWI with hints and tips from the Tommy Cook. Many recipes are illustrated with cartoons and drawings on how to assemble the perfect oven and kitchen tools at a moment’s notice from nothing. This book is the perfect inspiration for those who like to create an amazing meal anywhere, anytime, from anything. Includes dual measurements.
(www.amazon.com/Feeding-Tommy-Battlefield-Recipes-First/dp/0752488759)
Tommy Atkins WWI British Lancer Helmet
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At the outbreak of World War I, none of the combatants provided steel helmets to their troops. Soldiers of most nations went into battle wearing cloth, felt, or leather headgear that offered no protection from modern weapons.
The huge number of lethal head wounds that modern artillery weapons inflicted upon the French Army led them to introduce the first modern steel helmets in the summer of 1915. The first French helmets were bowl-shaped steel "skullcaps" worn under the cloth caps. These rudimentary helmets were soon replaced by the Model 1915 Adrian helmet, designed by August-Louis Adrian. The idea was later adopted by most other combatant nations. A design patented in 1915 by John L. Brodie of London offered advantages over the French design. It was constructed in one piece that could be pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, giving it added strength.
The term Brodie is often mis-used. It is correctly only applied to the original 1915 Brodie's Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern, designed by John Brodie for the War Office. The Brodie helmet was modified to become the Helmet, Steel, Mk.I, in 1916.
The Brodie helmet is a steel combat helmet designed and patented in 1915 by Englishman John Leopold Brodie. In modified form it became the Helmet, steel, Mark I in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U.S. Colloquially, it was called the shrapnel helmet, Tommy helmet, Tin Hat, and in the United States the doughboy helmet. Worn by Australians during WW2 and sometimes known as 'Panic Hat'. It was also known as the dishpan hat, tin pan hat, washbasin, battle bowler (when worn by officers), and Kelly helmet. The US version, the M1917, was copied from the British Mk 1 steel helmet of 1916. The German Army called it the Salatschüssel (salad bowl) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodie_helmet).
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Brixton Beers. Part One – A Head in a Hat’s “Tommy”
Tommy is an Indian Pale Ale (IPA). And the story goes that most IPAs used to be well strong. And well hoppy. That’s because transporting beer from the UK to India back in the day posed issues around keep. Despite being based on a recipe over 100 years old though, Tommy, comes in at just 4.2%, and challenges this perception of history.
According to Peter, the owner/brewer at local ‘A Head in a Hat’ Brewery, IPAs were hoppy because hops have an anti-bacterial and preserving quality. As for the strength – well that was a bit of a myth. He says there is a popular misconception about all IPAs of the time all being strong. I believe him – after all, Peter has published a book called ‘An Inebriated History of Britain’. So he knows his stuff.
...
Tommy (named after the Tommy Atkins helmet) uses a First World War recipe. It’s a big beer with heaps of flavour and character and relies on Kentish hops. As for the name of his brewery: “Well, in the fifties people stopped wearing hats and there was this slogan: Get ahead. Get a hat. I wear a hat. And I liked the slogan.” (www.brixtonblog.com/brixton-beers-tommy/25749).
Ik denk eerder dat de helm is vernoemd naar Tommy Atkins, dan andersom. Het bier zal dus ook vernoemd zijn naar de mythische Britse soldaat.
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West Berkshire Brewery (WBB) ...nominated for a Pride of Reading Award. The whole team are thrilled that our Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale has been such a sensation with our customers.
When planning our 2014 beer range we decided that we wanted mark the historic occasion of 100 years since the start of World War One. We worked hard to research the impact that the war had on local Berkshire residents and this gave us the idea to feature local ‘heroes’ on our bottle labels. After a plea asking the local community to submit pictures and stories about their relatives in World War One we received many incredible, heartfelt and poignant responses. We decided to feature four soldiers from the Royal Berkshire Regiment and share their very different war stories on our commemorative bottle labels (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/)
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To add greater authenticity, Will Twomey (head brewer) researched the history books and brewed Tommy Atkins to a traditional recipe emulating a style of beer brewed during WW1.
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale is our way of commemorating WW1 in memory of those who were lost and in gratitude to those who served.
...
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale has been brewed to mark 100 years since the start of the First World War in memory of those who were lost and in gratitude to those who served. The beer will be bottled and launched at the Heroes at Highclere event in August.
After a plea asking the local community to submit pictures and stories about their relatives in World War One, we have been delighted with the response we have received. We have been overwhelmed by the stories and information that everyone has sent in and want to say a huge thank you! (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/, www.wbbrew.com/news/tommy-atkins-world-war-1-commemorative-beer/).
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West Berkshire Brewery are renowned for using faces to take pride of place on their bottles and we are pleased to be producing four different labels to adorn this commemorative ale. The labels feature each person’s war story along with a picture; all from the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale is brewed to a traditional recipe to emulate a style of beer brewed during WW1; nut brown in colour with a gentle malt flavour. Four different hop varieties have been added at three stages to give plenty of bitterness. Called ‘Tommy Atkins’ after the popular term for a soldier in the British Army.
Stanley ‘Blanco’ White volunteered, aged 19, in 1914 and joined the war after a month of training. After receiving a ‘blighty one’ to the leg he returned home in 1917. Stanley’s family now live in Goring-on-Thames.
George Bosley volunteered aged just 17 and was injured and taken prisoner by a German officer for the duration of the war. George’s family now live in Pangbourne.
George Rolls volunteered in 1914 and saw action in many battles. He was one of only sixteen survivors from his original battalion. George’s Grandson is now the Landlord at the Allied Arms in Reading.
George Cox and his brother, William, were both from Frilsham; both brothers were killed in the First World War. George’s family now live in Newbury (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/).
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Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale
West Berkshire Brewery
Brown - 3.9%
This nut brown ale has plenty of bitterness coming from 4 different hops. The gentle malt flavours emulate a style of beer popular during WW1. Tommy Atkins was the generic name given to the British soldiers during WW1 (www.yourround.co.uk/Brewer/Thatcham/West_Berkshire_Brewery/Beer/Tommy_Atkins_Traditional_Ale/RG18.aspx, https://untappd.com/b/west-berkshire-brewery-tommy-atkins/767479).
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North Shields brewery launches beer in honour of Tyneside Tommies
Tyneside First World War soldiers commemorated on bottled ales produced by the Three Kings Brewery
A bottled beer has been launched as a tribute to the thousands of Tynesiders who served in the First World War.
Tyneside Tommy has been produced by the Three Kings Brewery in North Shields for the Tynemouth World War One Commemoration Project....Ewan McCann, who set up his Three Kings brewery after a career in marketing, said: “I started the brewery to do something that I love. It was a lifetime dream.
“Tyneside Tommy is a traditional English ale and it is a way of reaching an audience who may not otherwise come into contact with the project.”
(www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/north-shields-brewery-launches-beer-8213297).
At 4.1%, Tyneside Tommy is stronger than the ale that was being consumed during the war. “The strength of beer had been cut because of the essential war work going on and the need for workers to keep a clear head,” Ewan explains.
“Before then beer would have been much stronger, and light brown ale was the traditional drink of the masses, which is what I wanted for Tyneside Tommy. These men were working class people who liked to have a beer.” ....“People are drinking this because it’s a good traditional light English ale. I knew it was a good beer so I was confident it would sell, but it has really taken off.” He likes to think drinkers will pause for a moment as they take their first sup and offer up a silent prayer for someone they never knew, thus ensuring their memory lives on.
(www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460).
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Bottles of Tyneside Tommy with the tags commemorating fallen soldiers (www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/north-shields-brewery-launches-beer-8213297) (www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460). Among those honoured is Able Seaman Richard Simpson from Edith Street, Tynemouth, who survived his vessel striking a mine off the Orkneys only to die a year later in a U-boat attack (www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460).
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The men commemorated by Tyneside Tommy are:
• James Forsyth Fell, 18, from North Shields, who served in the Mercantile Marine on the SS Vedamore, which was torpedoed in 1917 off Ireland.
A newspaper report says: “When the vessel was torpedoed, young Fell had the forethought to bring an extra lifebelt in his hands, and when the fourth engineer came up on deck at almost the last moment, Fell put this one on him. By this the engineer’s life was undoubtedly saved.
“ Fell helped the master to lower the lifeboat, and was urged by the latter to jump into it but the lad would not think of his own safety, and seemed to think he could still help to save more lives.
“He went to join the third officer, and it is believed the two went to lower another boat, but the ship sank in another minute or two. During that time Fell was seen to give up his own lifebelt to another man. This man after swimming about, was eventually picked up by the lifeboat young Fell had helped to lower.”
* Garnet Wolsley Fyfe, 36, from West Allotment, who served with the Tyneside Scottish, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action at La Boisselle, piping the battalion into action on the first day of the battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916.
* Robert Henry Dunn Hogg, 40, a father of six from North Shield who served in the Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed by a shell burst in his trench.
His captain wrote to Mrs Hogg: “He was loved here by every one of us and was surely the coolest and most cheery man in the trenches. He was badly wounded. I took hold of his hands and asked if he knew me but he only murmured, ‘My poor wife, my poor bairns,’ and died. “
• James Wilson Gray, 40, from Cullercoats, served in the Royal army Medical Corps, Northumbrian Field Ambulance. He died from his wounds two days before it was announced that he had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
• Sergeant William Henry Grant, 35, Tyneside Scottish, killed at the Somme on July 1, 1916, near La Boisselle.
• Company commander William Godfrey Charlton, 21, from Seaton Delaval, who served in the Durham Light Infantry. He was killed in 1918 shortly after returning to active service after two years of recovery from wounds sustained in 1916 (www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/north-shields-brewery-launches-beer-8213297)
Able Seaman Richard Simpson, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, SS Thames, from Edith Street, Tynemouth Lost at sea, east of Grimsby, on August 14, 1917, when his vessel was sunk by a U-boat, having in June the previous year been one of just 11 survivors who struggled ashore after HMS Hampshire struck a mine off the Orkneys, killing 600 men, including Lord Kitchener.
Private Charles Edward Johnson, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, from Nile Street, North Shields Died of shrapnel wounds on September 18, 1914, and buried at Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery. He was the first casualty to be recorded on the Tynemouth Roll of Honour.
Sergeant William (Billy) Grant, 20th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Tennyson Terrace, North Shields Killed in action close to La Boisselle, the Somme, on July 1, 1916. Whilst trying to fight their way through ‘no man’s land’ into La Boisselle, the battalion came under enemy fire. But Grant apparently brought humour to a desperate situation. When one of his bombers complained that he’d ‘been shot in the arse!’ Grant reportedly shouted back, ‘haven’t we all!’ A few minutes later Grant was killed by machine gun fire.
Private Joseph Forster, 9th Battalion, Alexandra Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment, from Albert Terrace, North Shields Killed in action at the Somme on October 7, 1916. Despite being beyond military age, he was determined to enlist and got his 13-year-old daughter, Martha, to alter his birth certificate. He was killed aged 44, leaving a wife and six children.
Private Robert Henry Dunn Hogg, 9th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers, from Chirton West View, North Shields Described as “the coolest and most cheery man in the trenches”, he was killed when a shell landed in his trench in Flanders. The captain of his company, writing to his widow, said that his last words were, “my wife, my poor bairns!” He left six children.
4th Officer James Forsyth Fell, Mercantile Marine, SS Vedamore, from Queen Alexandra Road, North Shields Torpedoed and drowned at sea, 20 miles west of Fastnet on February 7, 1917. Fell selflessly helped others into the lifeboats, giving his own lifebelt to a man who was unable to swim. Thirty six men survived as a result of his heroic actions.
Pipe Lance Corporal Garnett Wolsley Fyfe, 20th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Maud Terrace, West Allotment Killed in action at La Boisselle, the Somme, on July 1, 1916. Lost his life piping the men into action.
Lieutenant Kenneth Gordon Garnett MC, 111th Battery 24th Brigade 6th Division Royal Field Artillery, originally from Percy Gardens, Tynemouth Died on August 22, 1917, from wounds received a year earlier. He was in the winning Cambridge boat race crew in 1914. He was shot in the neck at Delville Wood in 1916 and paralysed. He spent a year in hospital where King George V presented him with his MC.
Company Commander William Godfrey Charlton, Durham Light Infantry, from Seaton Delaval Killed in 1918 in Flanders shortly after returning to active service having spent two years recovering from wounds sustained in 1916 at Pozieres. An officer wrote of him: “He showed himself brave as a lion – he was constantly volunteering.”
Lance Sergeant John Wilson Gray, of the Royal Army Medical Corp, Northumbrian Field Ambulance, from Percy Avenue, Cullercoats Died on January 12, 1916, from wounds suffered at Etaples, France. Two days later it was announced that he had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry. He had advanced over open country under heavy shell fire carrying a medical pannier and administered first aid to many wounded.
Major Charles Edwin Hardy, of 22nd Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Highbury, Monkseaton Died on April 13, 1918, in Flanders. At 3.30pm the enemy attacked in force and the battalion headquarters were heavily shelled. Only the signalling office survived with all the other headquarter staff either killed or seriously injured.
Lieutenant Thomas William Irvin, of the Gordon Highlanders, from North Shields Died on May 20, 1916, from wounds suffered five days earlier whilst attending to wounded men in Flanders. A member of the Irvin family, which at that time ran one of the largest fishing vessel firms in England, he had volunteered to stay behind when his company was relieved due to a shortage of officers. Some of his men were wounded by a trench mortar and while attending to them he was himself hurt. While being carried from the trench he is said to have begged his bearers to look after those who were worse off than himself (www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460).
Ja, laten we deze mannen eren. De Britse soldaten, maar eigenlijk alle soldaten van alle landen, die sneuvelden of leden in de eerste wereldoorlog. Of eigenlijk alle oorlogen, of eigenlijk alle conflicten. En laten we de burgerslachtoffers niet vergeten. de burgers die stierven, gewond raakten, ontheemd raakten of op enige wijze gehinderd werden of nog steeds worden door oorlog en geweld....
According to J. H. Leslie, writing in Notes and Queries in 1912, "Tommy Atkins" was chosen as a generic name by the War Office in 1815, in every sample infantry form in the Soldiers Account Book, signing with a mark. The Cavalry form had Trumpeter William Jones and Sergeant John Thomas, though they did not use a mark. Leslie observes the same name in the 1837 Kings Regulations, pages 204 and 210, and later editions. Leslie comments that this disproves the anecdote about the Duke of Wellington selecting the name in 1843 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
A further suggestion was given in 1900 by an army chaplain named Reverend E. J. Hardy. He wrote of an incident during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857. When most of the Europeans in Lucknow were fleeing to the British Residency for protection, a private of the 32nd Regiment of Foot remained on duty at an outpost. Despite the pleas of his comrades, he insisted that he must remain at his post. He was killed at his post, and the Reverend Hardy wrote that "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'" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
Rudyard Kipling published the poem Tommy (part of the Barrack-Room Ballads, which were dedicated "To T.A.") in 1892, and in 1893 the music hall song Private Tommy Atkins was published with words by Henry Hamilton and music by S. Potter. In 1898 William McGonagall wrote Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins, which was an attack on what McGonagall saw as the disparaging portrayal of Tommy in Kipling's poem.
It is also said that the name "Tommy Atkins" was the example name on conscription sheets during the First World War, and that teenagers who were underage often signed up as "Tommy Atkins" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins).
The term was used quite widely, and indeed rather contemptuously, in the mid 19th century. Rudyard Kipling sums this up in his poem ‘Tommy’, one of his Barrack-Room Ballards (1892) in which Kipling contrasts the mean way in which the soldier was treated in peace time, with the way he was praised as soon as he was needed to defend or fight for his country. His poem "Tommy", written from the soldier’s point of view, raised the public’s awareness of the need for a change of attitude towards the common soldier (www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/):
'I went into a public-‘ouse to get a pint of beer, /The publican ‘e ups and sez, "We serve no red-coats here." /The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fir to die, /I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I: /O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, ‘a’ "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 ‘adn’t none for me; /They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls, /But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! They’ll shove me in the stalls! /For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ "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...'You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all, /We’ll wait for extry 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, an’ Tommy that, an’ "Chuck him out, the brute!" /But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot; /An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please; /An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool - you bet that Tommy sees!'Rudyard Kipling (www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
Kipling helped to change the public’s attitude towards the common soldier in the late Victorian era. Nowadays the term ‘Tommy’ is more often associated with the soldiers of World War I and is used with affection and respect for their bravery and heroism, much as Wellington had in mind when he suggested the name back in 1815. Harry Patch, who died aged 111 in 2009, was known as the "Last Tommy" because he was the last surviving British soldier who fought in World War I
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
Following the British defeat by the Boers at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899, Private Smith of the Black Watch wrote the following poem:
Such was the day for our regimentDread the revenge we will take.Dearly we paid for the blunderA drawing-room General’s mistake.Why weren’t we told of the trenches?Why weren’t we told of the wire?Why were we marched up in column,May Tommy Atkins enquire…Private Smith, December 1899.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Atkins)
... some immortal lines from perhaps the world's best bad poet, the Bard of Dundee William McGonagall, who responded to what he saw as the disparaging tone of Kipling towards the British Tommy with his own poem from 1898, ‘Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins’.
Unfortunately it appears that McGonagall may have misunderstood Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballards completely: he seems to be defending the ‘Tommy’ against what he imagines is Kipling’s opinion of him – ‘a beggar’ - and has entirely missed the whole point of Kipling’s poems
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins (1898)
Success to Tommy Atkins, he’s a very brave man,And to deny it there’s few people can;And to face his foreign foes he’s never afraid,Therefore he’s not a beggar, as Rudyard Kipling has said.No, he’s paid by our Government, and is worthy of his hire;And from our shores in time of war he makes our foes retire,He doesn’t need to beg; no, nothing so low;No, he considers it more honourable to face a foreign foe.No, he’s not a beggar, he’s a more useful man,And, as Shakespeare has said, his life’s but a span;And at the cannon’s mouth he seeks for reputation,He doesn’t go from door to door seeking a donation.Oh, think of Tommy Atkins when from home far away,Lying on the battlefield, earth’s cold clay;And a stone or his knapsack pillowing his head,And his comrades lying near by him wounded and dead.And while lying there, poor fellow, he thinks of his wife at home,And his heart bleeds at the thought, and he does moan;And down his cheek flows many a silent tear,When he thinks of his friends and children dear....A soldier is a man that ought to be respected,And by his country shouldn’t be neglected;For he fights our foreign foes, and in danger of his life,Leaving behind him his relatives and his dear wife.Then hurrah for Tommy Atkins, he’s the people’s friend,Because when foreign foes assail us he does us defend;He is not a beggar, as Rudyard Kipling has said,No, he doesn’t need to beg, he lives by his trade.And in conclusion I will say,Don’t forget his wife and children when he’s far away;But try and help them all you can,For remember Tommy Atkins is a very useful man.William McGonagall
(www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/).
COPYRIGHT:© Punch Limited (http://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/WW1-Cartoons-The-Great-War/G0000dASULVAdiAI/I0000l_pzi3zrLNE)
The Tommy in charge was stirring a copperful of ‘Shackles’ (soup made from the very dregs of army cooking and stirred with a stick). I must have looked in need of extra nourishment for he said ‘D’yer want a drop, son?’ ‘Yes please’ I replied if you can spare it.’ The warmth and zest from that beefy liquid, unexpected as it was, compelled me to accept a second bowlful which I drank with the same enthusiasm as the first. George Coppard, from With A Machine Gun to Cambrai From bully beef to Tickler’s jam, explore what kept Tommy Atkins fed in the trenches by reading recipes and learning how meals were made just yards from the enemy. ANDREW ROBERTSHAW is Director of the Royal Logistic Corps Museum and oversees the collection of the antecedents of the Army Catering Corps, whose motto was ‘We Sustain’. In this book he combines history, recipes and historical experiments to reveal how Army Cooks in the First World War fed millions of men everyday against the odds. He is also the author of ‘Frontline Cookbook’ and ‘24hr Trench’ (both, The History Press) (www.thehistorypress.co.uk/index.php/feeding-tommy-24481.html).
According to Napoleon, an army marches on its stomach and it fights on its stomach too. Yet, have you ever wondered how hundreds of men on the frontline are fed under fire or in the trench lines? During the Great War troops were trained to make meals out of the bare minimum of ingredients, to feed a company of men from only a mess tin and cook curries to feed hundreds only yards from the frontline. Feeding Tommy brings together recipes from the WWI with hints and tips from the Tommy Cook. Many recipes are illustrated with cartoons and drawings on how to assemble the perfect oven and kitchen tools at a moment’s notice from nothing. This book is the perfect inspiration for those who like to create an amazing meal anywhere, anytime, from anything. Includes dual measurements.
(www.amazon.com/Feeding-Tommy-Battlefield-Recipes-First/dp/0752488759)
Tommy Atkins WWI British Lancer Helmet
At the outbreak of World War I, none of the combatants provided steel helmets to their troops. Soldiers of most nations went into battle wearing cloth, felt, or leather headgear that offered no protection from modern weapons.
The huge number of lethal head wounds that modern artillery weapons inflicted upon the French Army led them to introduce the first modern steel helmets in the summer of 1915. The first French helmets were bowl-shaped steel "skullcaps" worn under the cloth caps. These rudimentary helmets were soon replaced by the Model 1915 Adrian helmet, designed by August-Louis Adrian. The idea was later adopted by most other combatant nations. A design patented in 1915 by John L. Brodie of London offered advantages over the French design. It was constructed in one piece that could be pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, giving it added strength.
The term Brodie is often mis-used. It is correctly only applied to the original 1915 Brodie's Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern, designed by John Brodie for the War Office. The Brodie helmet was modified to become the Helmet, Steel, Mk.I, in 1916.
The Brodie helmet is a steel combat helmet designed and patented in 1915 by Englishman John Leopold Brodie. In modified form it became the Helmet, steel, Mark I in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U.S. Colloquially, it was called the shrapnel helmet, Tommy helmet, Tin Hat, and in the United States the doughboy helmet. Worn by Australians during WW2 and sometimes known as 'Panic Hat'. It was also known as the dishpan hat, tin pan hat, washbasin, battle bowler (when worn by officers), and Kelly helmet. The US version, the M1917, was copied from the British Mk 1 steel helmet of 1916. The German Army called it the Salatschüssel (salad bowl) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodie_helmet).
Brixton Beers. Part One – A Head in a Hat’s “Tommy”
Tommy is an Indian Pale Ale (IPA). And the story goes that most IPAs used to be well strong. And well hoppy. That’s because transporting beer from the UK to India back in the day posed issues around keep. Despite being based on a recipe over 100 years old though, Tommy, comes in at just 4.2%, and challenges this perception of history.
According to Peter, the owner/brewer at local ‘A Head in a Hat’ Brewery, IPAs were hoppy because hops have an anti-bacterial and preserving quality. As for the strength – well that was a bit of a myth. He says there is a popular misconception about all IPAs of the time all being strong. I believe him – after all, Peter has published a book called ‘An Inebriated History of Britain’. So he knows his stuff.
...
Tommy (named after the Tommy Atkins helmet) uses a First World War recipe. It’s a big beer with heaps of flavour and character and relies on Kentish hops. As for the name of his brewery: “Well, in the fifties people stopped wearing hats and there was this slogan: Get ahead. Get a hat. I wear a hat. And I liked the slogan.” (www.brixtonblog.com/brixton-beers-tommy/25749).
Ik denk eerder dat de helm is vernoemd naar Tommy Atkins, dan andersom. Het bier zal dus ook vernoemd zijn naar de mythische Britse soldaat.
West Berkshire Brewery (WBB) ...nominated for a Pride of Reading Award. The whole team are thrilled that our Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale has been such a sensation with our customers.
When planning our 2014 beer range we decided that we wanted mark the historic occasion of 100 years since the start of World War One. We worked hard to research the impact that the war had on local Berkshire residents and this gave us the idea to feature local ‘heroes’ on our bottle labels. After a plea asking the local community to submit pictures and stories about their relatives in World War One we received many incredible, heartfelt and poignant responses. We decided to feature four soldiers from the Royal Berkshire Regiment and share their very different war stories on our commemorative bottle labels (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/)
To add greater authenticity, Will Twomey (head brewer) researched the history books and brewed Tommy Atkins to a traditional recipe emulating a style of beer brewed during WW1.
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale is our way of commemorating WW1 in memory of those who were lost and in gratitude to those who served.
...
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale has been brewed to mark 100 years since the start of the First World War in memory of those who were lost and in gratitude to those who served. The beer will be bottled and launched at the Heroes at Highclere event in August.
After a plea asking the local community to submit pictures and stories about their relatives in World War One, we have been delighted with the response we have received. We have been overwhelmed by the stories and information that everyone has sent in and want to say a huge thank you! (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/, www.wbbrew.com/news/tommy-atkins-world-war-1-commemorative-beer/).
West Berkshire Brewery are renowned for using faces to take pride of place on their bottles and we are pleased to be producing four different labels to adorn this commemorative ale. The labels feature each person’s war story along with a picture; all from the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale is brewed to a traditional recipe to emulate a style of beer brewed during WW1; nut brown in colour with a gentle malt flavour. Four different hop varieties have been added at three stages to give plenty of bitterness. Called ‘Tommy Atkins’ after the popular term for a soldier in the British Army.
Stanley ‘Blanco’ White volunteered, aged 19, in 1914 and joined the war after a month of training. After receiving a ‘blighty one’ to the leg he returned home in 1917. Stanley’s family now live in Goring-on-Thames.
George Bosley volunteered aged just 17 and was injured and taken prisoner by a German officer for the duration of the war. George’s family now live in Pangbourne.
George Rolls volunteered in 1914 and saw action in many battles. He was one of only sixteen survivors from his original battalion. George’s Grandson is now the Landlord at the Allied Arms in Reading.
George Cox and his brother, William, were both from Frilsham; both brothers were killed in the First World War. George’s family now live in Newbury (www.wbbrew.com/tag/tommy-atkins/).
(www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/tommy-atkins-ale-honours-soldiers-7592690, http://siba.co.uk/2014/08/tommy-atkins-ale-handed-to-soldier%E2%80%99s-families/)
Tommy Atkins Traditional Ale
West Berkshire Brewery
Brown - 3.9%
This nut brown ale has plenty of bitterness coming from 4 different hops. The gentle malt flavours emulate a style of beer popular during WW1. Tommy Atkins was the generic name given to the British soldiers during WW1 (www.yourround.co.uk/Brewer/Thatcham/West_Berkshire_Brewery/Beer/Tommy_Atkins_Traditional_Ale/RG18.aspx, https://untappd.com/b/west-berkshire-brewery-tommy-atkins/767479).
North Shields brewery launches beer in honour of Tyneside Tommies
Tyneside First World War soldiers commemorated on bottled ales produced by the Three Kings Brewery
A bottled beer has been launched as a tribute to the thousands of Tynesiders who served in the First World War.
Tyneside Tommy has been produced by the Three Kings Brewery in North Shields for the Tynemouth World War One Commemoration Project....Ewan McCann, who set up his Three Kings brewery after a career in marketing, said: “I started the brewery to do something that I love. It was a lifetime dream.
“Tyneside Tommy is a traditional English ale and it is a way of reaching an audience who may not otherwise come into contact with the project.”
(www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/north-shields-brewery-launches-beer-8213297).
At 4.1%, Tyneside Tommy is stronger than the ale that was being consumed during the war. “The strength of beer had been cut because of the essential war work going on and the need for workers to keep a clear head,” Ewan explains.
“Before then beer would have been much stronger, and light brown ale was the traditional drink of the masses, which is what I wanted for Tyneside Tommy. These men were working class people who liked to have a beer.” ....“People are drinking this because it’s a good traditional light English ale. I knew it was a good beer so I was confident it would sell, but it has really taken off.” He likes to think drinkers will pause for a moment as they take their first sup and offer up a silent prayer for someone they never knew, thus ensuring their memory lives on.
(www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460).
The men commemorated by Tyneside Tommy are:
• James Forsyth Fell, 18, from North Shields, who served in the Mercantile Marine on the SS Vedamore, which was torpedoed in 1917 off Ireland.
A newspaper report says: “When the vessel was torpedoed, young Fell had the forethought to bring an extra lifebelt in his hands, and when the fourth engineer came up on deck at almost the last moment, Fell put this one on him. By this the engineer’s life was undoubtedly saved.
“ Fell helped the master to lower the lifeboat, and was urged by the latter to jump into it but the lad would not think of his own safety, and seemed to think he could still help to save more lives.
“He went to join the third officer, and it is believed the two went to lower another boat, but the ship sank in another minute or two. During that time Fell was seen to give up his own lifebelt to another man. This man after swimming about, was eventually picked up by the lifeboat young Fell had helped to lower.”
* Garnet Wolsley Fyfe, 36, from West Allotment, who served with the Tyneside Scottish, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action at La Boisselle, piping the battalion into action on the first day of the battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916.
* Robert Henry Dunn Hogg, 40, a father of six from North Shield who served in the Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed by a shell burst in his trench.
His captain wrote to Mrs Hogg: “He was loved here by every one of us and was surely the coolest and most cheery man in the trenches. He was badly wounded. I took hold of his hands and asked if he knew me but he only murmured, ‘My poor wife, my poor bairns,’ and died. “
• James Wilson Gray, 40, from Cullercoats, served in the Royal army Medical Corps, Northumbrian Field Ambulance. He died from his wounds two days before it was announced that he had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
• Sergeant William Henry Grant, 35, Tyneside Scottish, killed at the Somme on July 1, 1916, near La Boisselle.
• Company commander William Godfrey Charlton, 21, from Seaton Delaval, who served in the Durham Light Infantry. He was killed in 1918 shortly after returning to active service after two years of recovery from wounds sustained in 1916 (www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/north-shields-brewery-launches-beer-8213297)
Able Seaman Richard Simpson, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, SS Thames, from Edith Street, Tynemouth Lost at sea, east of Grimsby, on August 14, 1917, when his vessel was sunk by a U-boat, having in June the previous year been one of just 11 survivors who struggled ashore after HMS Hampshire struck a mine off the Orkneys, killing 600 men, including Lord Kitchener.
Private Charles Edward Johnson, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, from Nile Street, North Shields Died of shrapnel wounds on September 18, 1914, and buried at Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery. He was the first casualty to be recorded on the Tynemouth Roll of Honour.
Sergeant William (Billy) Grant, 20th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Tennyson Terrace, North Shields Killed in action close to La Boisselle, the Somme, on July 1, 1916. Whilst trying to fight their way through ‘no man’s land’ into La Boisselle, the battalion came under enemy fire. But Grant apparently brought humour to a desperate situation. When one of his bombers complained that he’d ‘been shot in the arse!’ Grant reportedly shouted back, ‘haven’t we all!’ A few minutes later Grant was killed by machine gun fire.
Private Joseph Forster, 9th Battalion, Alexandra Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment, from Albert Terrace, North Shields Killed in action at the Somme on October 7, 1916. Despite being beyond military age, he was determined to enlist and got his 13-year-old daughter, Martha, to alter his birth certificate. He was killed aged 44, leaving a wife and six children.
Private Robert Henry Dunn Hogg, 9th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers, from Chirton West View, North Shields Described as “the coolest and most cheery man in the trenches”, he was killed when a shell landed in his trench in Flanders. The captain of his company, writing to his widow, said that his last words were, “my wife, my poor bairns!” He left six children.
4th Officer James Forsyth Fell, Mercantile Marine, SS Vedamore, from Queen Alexandra Road, North Shields Torpedoed and drowned at sea, 20 miles west of Fastnet on February 7, 1917. Fell selflessly helped others into the lifeboats, giving his own lifebelt to a man who was unable to swim. Thirty six men survived as a result of his heroic actions.
Pipe Lance Corporal Garnett Wolsley Fyfe, 20th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Maud Terrace, West Allotment Killed in action at La Boisselle, the Somme, on July 1, 1916. Lost his life piping the men into action.
Lieutenant Kenneth Gordon Garnett MC, 111th Battery 24th Brigade 6th Division Royal Field Artillery, originally from Percy Gardens, Tynemouth Died on August 22, 1917, from wounds received a year earlier. He was in the winning Cambridge boat race crew in 1914. He was shot in the neck at Delville Wood in 1916 and paralysed. He spent a year in hospital where King George V presented him with his MC.
Company Commander William Godfrey Charlton, Durham Light Infantry, from Seaton Delaval Killed in 1918 in Flanders shortly after returning to active service having spent two years recovering from wounds sustained in 1916 at Pozieres. An officer wrote of him: “He showed himself brave as a lion – he was constantly volunteering.”
Lance Sergeant John Wilson Gray, of the Royal Army Medical Corp, Northumbrian Field Ambulance, from Percy Avenue, Cullercoats Died on January 12, 1916, from wounds suffered at Etaples, France. Two days later it was announced that he had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry. He had advanced over open country under heavy shell fire carrying a medical pannier and administered first aid to many wounded.
Major Charles Edwin Hardy, of 22nd Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), from Highbury, Monkseaton Died on April 13, 1918, in Flanders. At 3.30pm the enemy attacked in force and the battalion headquarters were heavily shelled. Only the signalling office survived with all the other headquarter staff either killed or seriously injured.
Lieutenant Thomas William Irvin, of the Gordon Highlanders, from North Shields Died on May 20, 1916, from wounds suffered five days earlier whilst attending to wounded men in Flanders. A member of the Irvin family, which at that time ran one of the largest fishing vessel firms in England, he had volunteered to stay behind when his company was relieved due to a shortage of officers. Some of his men were wounded by a trench mortar and while attending to them he was himself hurt. While being carried from the trench he is said to have begged his bearers to look after those who were worse off than himself (www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/raise-glass-heroes-north-tyneside-10395460).
Ja, laten we deze mannen eren. De Britse soldaten, maar eigenlijk alle soldaten van alle landen, die sneuvelden of leden in de eerste wereldoorlog. Of eigenlijk alle oorlogen, of eigenlijk alle conflicten. En laten we de burgerslachtoffers niet vergeten. de burgers die stierven, gewond raakten, ontheemd raakten of op enige wijze gehinderd werden of nog steeds worden door oorlog en geweld....