possibly arising from Rudyard Kipling or other WW1 poem

Tommy is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that is particularly associated with World War I. German soldiers would call out to Tommy across no man's land if they wish to speak to a British soldier. The French and Commonwealth troops would also call British soldiers "Tommies" in recent times,the term Tommy Atkins has been used less frequently, but the name Tom is occasionally still heard,especially with regard to the Paratroopers.

Go to <http://faxmentis.org/htm/kipling.html> to read the poem - it'll break your heart!

try this link

Never heard of him.

The British were still called Tommies by the Germans in World War II. The phrase — "for you Tommy the War is over!" — has become a stock phrase, expressed by a German upon the capture of a British soldier or airman. They also nicknamed the Sherman tanks "Tommy cookers" because early versions tended to "brew-up" (catch fire) easily, due to the way ammunition for the main gun was stowed inside the tank. Interestingly, the Sherman was rare in the fact that it was a petrol driven tank, far more easily combustable than their diesel driven counterparts.

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