The Reluctant Tommy is a book compiled by Duncan Barrett from the memoirs of Ronald Skirth, a member of the Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War.

Barrett wrote in an introduction that he felt that Skirth's story "deserved as wide an audience as possible—and to be read in its protagonist's own words".

"[6] The Reluctant Tommy received largely favourable reviews – for example by Richard Holmes in the Evening Standard[7] and Jonathan Gibbs in the Financial Times[8] – as well as coverage in Socialist Worker[9] and, in an article written by the book's editor, the Sunday Express.

I would certainly buy this book even if I had not been sent a review copy, and whenever I get too misty-eyed about officer-man relationships I shall reread it to remind me of how badly things could go wrong.

The book began as the story of his marriage to the girl who waited for him back home, and that sense of a happy ending shines through even the bleakest moments.Not all criticism has been favourable.

[11]In response to general criticism received after initial publication that Skirth was a liar or a fantasist, Barrett revised his introduction to the paperback edition, published in 2011.