Tommy Atkins or Thomas Atkins has been used as a generic name for a common British soldier for many years. The origin of the term is a subject of debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743. A letter sent from Jamaica about a mutiny amongst the troops says "except for those from N. America ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly". Tommy, a diminutive of Thomas, has been a very popular English male name since Saint Thomas Becket was martyred in the 12th century.[citation needed] Richard Holmes, in the prologue to Tommy (2005), states that in: