tommy
n. countablen. a common name for a British soldier. It was used a lot during the world wars to talk about the average person fighting in the army.
n. a generic name or nickname for a private in the British Army. Historically significant during the First and Second World Wars; often used to personify the common soldier.
The old letters were written by a young Tommy in France.
During the Great War, the image of the resilient Tommy became a symbol of national endurance in British propaganda.
While the term originated in the 18th century, it was the industrial-scale warfare of the 20th century that cemented the Tommy as a cultural archetype of the stoic, working-class infantryman.
From Tom + -y.
Often used with a definite article ('the Tommy') to refer to the collective identity of the British infantry.