Kneeling Cocking His Musket--single British Tommy Atkins infantry figure
$49.00
Item Number: NA422
"Kneeling Cocking His Musket "
Weapon fully loaded, this kneeling ‘Red Coat’ pulls back the hammer of his musket.
TOMMY ATKINS, ESQ. IN ACTION
‘Tommy Atkins’ (often just Tommy) has been slang for a common soldier in the British Army for over two centuries. The origins of the name go as far back as the Napoleonic Wars. One common belief is that the name was chosen by the Duke of Wellington himself after having been inspired by the bravery of one of his private soldiers during the Peninsula War. After one particular battle the Duke came upon a certain severely wounded soldier and asked after his condition. The terribly injured soldier simply replied, “I’m all right sir… All in a day’s work,” and died shortly afterwards.
Sometime later the Duke was asked what generic British name should be used on all army forms. He remembered the brave, but gravely wounded soldier from his Peninsula days and also his name… ‘Tommy Atkins’.
Released in FEBRUARY 2019.
