Telford tot Tommy born on VE Day in amazing coincidence
The 75th anniversary of VE Day will always be especially poignant for the parents of tiny Tommy Atkins – he was born on VE Day and coincidentally shares a name with soldiers of the past.
'Tommy Atkins' or 'Tommy' has long been used as slang to refer to British soldiers so it was especially appropriate for the Telford tot to make his appearance on the anniversary of peace in Europe, but what made the coincidence even more remarkable is that Tommy's parents chose the name months in advance and were not even aware of its significance.
Proud parents Rachael and Johnpaul Atkins were able to take Tommy home from the Princess Royal Hospital on Saturday after he was born via caesarean section on Friday. He weighed just 5lb 9oz when he was born and appropriately, he was a fighter.
"He's absolutely perfect," Rachael said. "As soon as he was born he was crying and he's happy.
"You just couldn't plan it – on VE Day, in the middle of a lockdown."
He was born by caesarean section after 38 weeks of pregnancy because of an issue with his development, but after steroid injections to help mature his lung he was fit and healthy enough to come home.
The couple chose Tommy's name months ago when they learned he would be a boy, and weren't aware of its military connotations until older family members pointed it out.
"I thought 'is that right?' and I Googled it and learned about it," Rachael said.
"It's the kind of thing you just couldn't plan, the irony and the coincidence of it.
"I wanted to praise the staff at the hospital for all their work. I can't thank the Princess Royal Hospital enough, especially with everything that is going on.
"I can't put it into words how good they were. The delivery was perfect.
"Now we can celebrate a new addition to the family."
