Name
Doughboys and Diggers
By Jane Runyon
Nicknames have been around since
the time people started calling each
other by name. Many famous sports
stars have been known by their
nicknames. Ask your father or
grandfather who "Stan the Man" or
"The Say Hey Kid" were, and they can
probably tell you easily that you are
talking about Stan Musial and Willie
Mays. Both of these men were famous
baseball players. People tend to
remember nicknames much easier than
they remember real names. Soldiers
during World War I were given nicknames, too. American
infantrymen were called doughboys. Australian soldiers were
called diggers. Both are interesting nicknames which are
recognizable to their countrymen. What is less well-known is just
how these nicknames came about.
The term doughboy was used more than one hundred years before
World War I. Young boys were apprenticed to bakers in the 1700's.
One of the jobs of these young boys was to pick up large batches of
dough from mixing bowls and take them to a cutting table. It
seemed natural to call these young apprentices doughboys. But this
has nothing to do with foot soldiers or what they do. In the early
1800's, some people were said to be dough heads. That was a term
meant to show that a person was stupid. That surely has nothing to
do with American soldiers. When British and American soldiers
fought in Spain in the early 1800's, they became fond of a doughy,
fried confection which evolved into our modern day doughnut. Is
that where the name came from?
Historians have created a few theories as to how doughboy
became a name connected to the infantrymen of World War I. One
idea has to do with the way food was prepared during battle. Some
say the soldiers had to mix water, flour, and rice to form dough used
for a type of bread. This dough was formed around their bayonets
and then placed over the flames of an open fire. Thus, they became
the boys who ate dough. It works, but what about the other branches
of the army. Why didn't the nickname apply to them? Other
historians say that it all has to do with the buttons on the infantry
uniforms. They say the buttons were shaped liked little dumplings
that the soldiers made and ate.
Another theory has to do with how the soldiers kept their
uniforms looking good. During the 1800's, enlisted men used
something called pipe clay to polish parts of their uniforms. Some
say this clay remained on their uniforms, held moisture when it
rained, and collected dust as they marched. The result was that at the
end of a long march they looked "doughy." Even though
cavalrymen used the same clay on their uniforms, they were said to
be higher off the ground on their horses and didn't get so much dust.
That is supposed to be why the infantrymen got the nickname and
the cavalrymen didn't.
A final theory has to do with the way the men talked and where
they marched. In taming the early west, infantrymen had to march in
the dry, dusty terrain of Northern Mexico. By the end of the day,
they resembled the homes of the area made of adobe, dried clay. A
little laziness of the tongue could have possibly turned the word
adobe into doughboy.
No matter where the name came from, by the end of World War I,
the American doughboys were respected for their courage and
fighting power. Europe welcomed the doughboy in battle, and the
American people welcomed them home as heroes.
There is a much simpler explanation for the name given
Australian soldiers. The first Australian diggers were the men who
dug for gold in the 1800's. When Australian soldiers landed in
Gallipoli in 1915, they found they had to dig shelter for themselves
in the cliffs to survive. They named themselves diggers as a matter
of pride for what they were able to accomplish. Diggers and
doughboys are nicknames given to men who fought for freedom
during World War I. The names of the men themselves may not be
remembered, but we should always remember their accomplishments.
6. Early infantrymen made bread from adobe.
A. True
B. False
Name
Doughboys and Diggers
7. Why did Australian soldiers name themselves diggers?
Questions
1. Early doughboys were apprentice bakers.
A. True
B. False
2. From which country did diggers come?
A. Britain
B. Australia
C. United States
D. Germany
8. Which branch of the army was given the nickname doughboy?
A. navy
B. infantry
C. artillery
D. cavalry
3. How did World War I soldiers make their own bread?
What are some of the nicknames used to refer to soldiers? Do you
know how these names came about?
4. What did early infantrymen use to polish their uniforms?
A. dust
B. brasso
C. wax
D. pipe clay
5. What were infantry buttons compared to?
A. bells
B. domes
C. dumplings
D. biscuits
Name
Do you have a nickname? What is it? How did you get it? What
would you like your nickname to be?