The boys in blue: A familiar name for the permanently crippled ex-service men from the Great War, inmates of hospitals in the London area, upwards of 7,000 in number. On their behalf all year round the "Not-Forgotten" Association, of which Princess Mary is patroness, does a splendid work of practical remembrance.
See also "Not Forgotten."
Originally, and for long before the war, the familiar name for all soldier patients undergoing hospital treatment, from the colour of the hospital dress worn. "Boys in Blue" was also a familiar phrase for the navy, brought into vogue by a popular music-hall song. [1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.35.
Compendium of the Great War.
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This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.