What is a Digger?

The article before this about Jack Ross dying mentioned that he was the last Australian Digger from World War I. Well, what is a Digger, then. I know they had a lot of trenches during the war, so perhaps he actually was a digger of trenches.

Looked the term up. A "Digger" is slang for an Australian or New Zealand soldier. I'd never heard the term before. They got the name because of the Gallipoli Campaign, in a message to General William Birdwood, commander of the ANZAC forces (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) from General Sir Ian Hamilton, who, in his postscript added, "P.S.--You have got through the difficult business, now you have to dig, dig, dig, until you are safe."

The name "Digger" became popular with New Zealand troops and later Australian. New Zealand troops called each other Diggers, while everyone else referred to them as Kiwis.


SAME AS TOMMY

A Digger is the equivalent of the British Tommy, from the name Tommy Atkins or Thomas Atkins. It is the generic term for British soldiers, used perhaps as early as 1747. British soldiers do not particularly care for it.

So, Now You Know Your Diggers and Tommies. --RoadDog