BFI

A nursemaid pushing a pram has a romantic dalliance with a uniformed soldier (it is probably safe to assume the child isn't theirs), which is rudely interrupted by a stout matron who sits down next to them, occupying what the soldier clearly believes to be more than her fair share of the park bench. As a result, he decides to take drastic action in the form of physically tipping her onto the ground, no doubt to the delighted glee of R.W.Paul's audiences.

The term 'Tommy Atkins' seems to have been used as a generic nickname for an English soldier since at least the mid-eighteenth century, but it gained wide popularity with the publication of Rudyard Kipling's poem 'Tommy' in 1892 and the music-hall song 'Private Tommy Atkins' (by Henry Hamilton and S.Potter) the following year. By the time of the Boer War, which started the year after Paul's film was first shown, English soldiers were universally known as 'Tommies', a nickname that even the Germans used during the First and Second World Wars.

Michael Brooke

*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'R.W. Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908', with music by Stephen Horne and optional commentary by Ian Christie. It is also featured in full as part of 'How They Laughed', Paul Merton's interactive guide to early British silent comedy. Note that this material is not limited to users in registered UK libraries and educational establishments: it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere.

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