Tommy (Kipling poem)

"Tommy" is an 1890 poem by Rudyard Kipling, reprinted in his 1892 Barrack-Room Ballads. The poem addresses the ordinary British soldier of Kipling's time in a sympathetic manner. It is written from the point of view of such a soldier, and contrasts the treatment they receive from the general public during peace and during war.

Background

The Tommy of the poem is Tommy Atkins, a generic slang name for a common British soldier. A term of uncertain origin, the name "Thomas Atkins" was used in nineteenth century War Office manuals as a placeholder name to demonstrate how forms should be filled out. In popular use, "Thomas" became the more familiar "Tommy".

The poem

The poem is written in a colloquial style of English, and is comprised of five verses of eight lines each. The second half of each verse begin with a variation of the refrain "it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that".

The narrator is a British soldier named Tommy Atkins. In the poem, the soldier talks about the respectful way he is treated by others when he is needed to fight a war and presents it as a bitter contrast against the poor treatment he receives when he is not. For example, he laments being refused service by a pub owner for being a "redcoat".

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,

Tommy rejects both sides of this duality, saying that he and his fellow soldiers are neither "thin red 'eroes" nor "blackguards", but just ordinary men. The poem ends with a suggestion of change. The soldier calls for those who talk of improving things for soldiers to take action, and reminds the reader that "Tommy" is well aware of the way he is treated.

External links

• Barrack-Room Ballads at Project Gutenberg, which contains "Tommy"