ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 35

July 2006
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com

An interesting aside concerning ‘Jimmy’

from an Anon member.

Within the Corps, Mercury is affectionately known as 'Jimmy', and there are a number of theories as to why 'Jimmy' was adopted as a term of endearment for the emblem. The most widely accepted is that it came from a very popular Corps boxer, called Jimmy Emblem, who was an Army Champion in 1924 and represented the Corps from 1921 to 1929. It was certainly referred to as 'Jimmy' in official correspondence in the early 1930's.
[Taken from ‘The Wire’]
Someone once referred to ‘Jimmy’as ‘Interflora’ I was once told.
Believe he was in the Long Range Snipers [Royal Artillery].

We leave the final word from the friend of a friend.....

"Well I may be able to help a wee bit with the origins of Jimmy. It first appeared way back in the mid 1800s when Mercury was first accepted as the emblem for the Royal Engineers, Signals section. No one really knows how or why it became Jimmy. It apparently just seemed to appear. That is the official word on how it started so if any of you who are having this discussion came up with that then they have the right answer."

But then again..............................

Then – just before publication we receive this interesting piece: Further to the on going discussion / research into the origins of Jimmy. Last night I watched a DVD made by the MoD, entitled "Certa Cito A History of the Royal Corps of Signals".

The DVD starts, historically from the Spartans and Crimea and runs up to date. To quote the DVD, "The Royal Engineers Signal Section, became the Corps of Signals in July 1920. It became the Royal Corps Of Signals in August 1920. Major Beresford instigated the formation of the Corps, taking the Mercury Statue as its emblem. Beresford was inspired by a Statue of Mercury in his Garden. The Statue was affectionately known as "Jimmy" although no one knows why".

The DVD is very interesting, covering the history of the Corps, its Battle honours and touches on Technology.

[Tnx Anon]