Tommy Atkins

The Story of the English Soldier

By John Laffin

2004

First Published

3.88

Average Rating

258

Number of Pages

7H52M

Audio Length

Tommy Atkins is the English soldier. The 'Tommy this, an' Tommy that', who singing marched with the Great Duke to the Danube, who joking broke the cavalry of France at Minden, who grumbling shattered Napoleon's dreams at Waterloo, who sweating in his red coat tramped back and forth across India, who kept up 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, Wellington, Allenby, Slim - they at least will accord him his rightful place beside them. Tommy Atkins is the story of this most versatile, most unmilitary soldier. It is an epic of incredible loyalty and devotion to duty; and of almost unbroken eventual success. Here lie some of the paradoxes of the English soldier. Successive Governments misused his talents and his loyalties, and he died without complaint to save them from their follies. His superiors often treated him with sickening brutality, and he repaid then with devotion, even affection. The public abused him spitefully, and selflessly he protected them. Often poorly fed and housed, woefully equipped, mercilessly worked, over-loaded and underpaid, this unique individualist continued to do his duty. And because he fought without bitterness, because in defeat he refused to be defeated and in conquering he had compassion, Tommy won the respect and friendship of his allies and foes the whole world over.

Avg Rating

3.88

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

24%

4 STARS

47%

3 STARS

24%

2 STARS

1 STARS

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Author

John Laffin

Author · 11 books

John Laffin was a prolific author with nearly 130 books to his name. Many of his books concerned military history. Laffin's parents both served in WWI, his father in the 20th Battalion and his mother as a nurse. In 1940, aged 24, having worked with Smith's Weekly and The Wagga Advertiser, he enlisted in the 2nd AIF. He trained as an infantryman and later completed an officer course before serving in New Guinea. While convalescing in Sydney in 1943 he met his wife Hazelle. After the war Laffin worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, wrote short novels and began his own feature service and editing unit. With his family he left for England in 1956 where he resided for nearly 40 years. He wrote articles for Australian newspapers and taught English, history and geography in secondary colleges. Laffin traveled extensively in Europe, especially the Western Front areas of WWI and in the Middle East. He returned to Australia in 1995 but Hazelle developed heart problems and died in early 1997. He is survived by his two daughters, Bronwen and Pirenne, and a son, Craig.