The Feisty BANTAM and War by Mary Katherine May

The Feisty Bantam and War
by Mary Katherine May of  Quality Music and Books.


Though a postal envelope rather than a postcard, I think this it is interesting to trace the use of the word "bantam" through history.

Civil War: the BANTAM as a symbol of power
WWI: the BANTAM as a description of soldier height
WWII: the BANTAM as associated with the JEEP motor vehicle

The description “bantam” associated with American Civil War postal covers has its origins in Indonesia and the city of Bantam, once a major seaport. European sailors found that the Indonesian diminutive bantam along with other similar-sized chickens and roosters throughout Southeast Asia useful when restocking food supplies on ships. Over time, any small-sized poultry came to be known as a bantam. The male bantam is known for its quick agility and spunky aggressiveness, as well as its puffed-up, prideful stance. Thus, it is fairly safe to assume that the description of the foul’s exhibited behavior is the reason for its use as a symbol in war.

The practice of printing pictures, slogans, flags, battle scenes, and other morale-boosting propaganda on envelopes during the Civil War originated in the Union states. Found to be very popular with the public, postal covers with such printing became quite common, and thus today can still often be purchased fairly inexpensively as a topical philatelic collectible and historically-edifying hobby. The example to the right has the following slogan: “Uncle Sam’s Bantam. I’ll Crow While I Live.” The most rare covers are from the Confederate states, as far fewer were printed due to economic conditions and resources available. 

During World War I, the British Army included Bantam Divisions, comprised of men whose height was between five feet and five-feet three inches. This second relaxation of recruitment rules that allowed men of shorter stance to sign up for military duty came in September of 1915 due to the need for more soldiers to fill the battlefields. By the end of 1916, Bantam Divisions lost their name as the supply of men of this stature dwindled and the height limitation was extended. The term bantam was used in the 1934 film, Here Comes the Navy . James Cagney is described as bantam-cock sailor who runs up against chief petty officer Pat O’Brien. To read an interesting article about the British Bantam Units click here. Author Sidney Allinson wrote the book, Bantams: the Untold Story of WWI, published in 1982 and still available both as new and used today.

In 1922 Sir Herbert Austin who was knighted following WWI, introduced the Austin 7. It was a small, light weight, well built and economical vehicle for use by the mass-market public. The success of the Austin 7 brought Sir Herbert’s company out of bankruptcy. The model and concept of the car was the beginnings of development that led to the vehicle called a Jeep at the outset of World War II. On February 20, 1941, at a press conference on the steps of the US Capital building that followed the display of the bantam-size Jeep, a reporter asked the representatives of the Willys-Overland Motor Company what it was called. The response was, “We call it a Jeep,” the term jeep being what Army greasemonkeys were called beginning sometime during WWI. Production of the Jeep and its parts for use during WWII was handled by three companies: Bantam Motor Company, Ford Motor Company, and Willys-Overland Motor Company. Claim of ownership of the name Jeep ended in 1943, when the Federal Trade Commission ordered Willys to cease and desist using it, although the dispute went on publicly through the press for several years following. Today, Jeep is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC. To read the full article click here.

Thus Bantam, once a seaport of significance in Indonesia, became a term that represented something or someone of small stature or size while at the same time having the ability to be powerful under extreme circumstances.