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British soldiers have been called Tommies since at least the Anglo-Boer War at the end of the 19th century. The army provided forms to fill in when one joined, and also a "filled-in" example, and where the new soldier had to fill in his name they gave Atkins, Thomas as their example. So a British soldier was known generically as Tommy Atkins or just Tommy.

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Of course, the authorities wouldn't have chosen either name if they hadn't been very familiar through being well used.

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For WWI, you could try casualty lists ... or popularity lists for boys born in about 1900 would give you a good idea of usage.