THE REAL TOMMY ATKINS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 96, 22 April 1916, Page 17

THE REAL TOMMY ATKINS.

■' ■ ' —..'■ ')"'.. - A DBLIGHTPTJL CHARACTER BTTJDT. Miss S. Macnanghtan, who will be remembered as the author of "Christina MacNab." •"A Lame Dog's Diary" and other charming novels! has been doing good work at the ■ front iwith the Bed Cross, 'and she also .had considerable experience of the British Tommy during the South African -war. The, result is a delightful article in «he February "Pearson's Magazine" on 'The Psychology of the British Soldier." We quote from it-the following typical anecdotes. "No one. who is pompous > can survive long, In the.ißritlsh Army. The crushing ■weight of his approralstuW-hrni and the laughter which his'- -importance evokes chokes nlm. . Being' a" humorist, Thomas Atkins sees things as they are, and he has 'no use for* pomposity. He does not take himself nor even his troubles • very seriously: We remember firing a man, horribly wounded,.a pair of socks—the last that remained,'/and^'by; chance of a loud •nd xwtol i>attern., The eoldier contemplated his helpless legs' and remarked: 'Miss,. In; them* socks 1 could take Constantinople.-' - "lie would rather be ■ kissed In public than gushed over or suspected of doing his duty, and he blasphemes right up to the month of the enn's.'rather than let you know that he is quite seriously dying for his country. He may *blub' in the trenches over some little dead drummer boy. mho wonM 'eat-out of -his 'and,' but he blackens the eye-of-the? man mVo has seat him in tears. : He is raid of many things In this world, hut there, is .one-thing which causes him anxiety, and that is that underneath a hideous uniform, and- concealed behind a distended chest and: fine ribs, there lurks the thine that may one day make a fool of him. "The story is toW of a OPrenchnran and an lEnglialrman at the front The Frenchman said courteously to his Engliah neighbour: 'Maty 1 pot down your collar behind?' To which he received a grunt in reply. Afterwards lie remarked: T am afraid yon are sitting with your feet in cold water,* and to this also there was a grunt in reply.> There was a third kindly attention upon! the 'Frenchman's, part ■which' roused the ■ Englishman at last to speech; 'Look here' !he said, 'why can't you leave nts alone? Tour coat's been on fire for ten minutes' j and I've never bothered yon about it.' " I