They actually reference it in the episode: it was from an order given by Field-Marshal Haig in April 1918. The full text is here (http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/Year9/firstworldwar/1918/april.htm); the relevant line is
"There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the Freedom of mankind alike depend upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment."
The specific application is that Torchwood are (ab)using Tommy in the same way that Haig used the British troops; the leadership of the British Army in that war is generally agreed to have been abysmal, resulting in the unnecessary loss of many lives. Tommy is understandably sceptical of Torchwood's desire for him to play the hero, since they're feeding him the same kind of line Haig was feeding his troops -- the difference being that in this case, the stakes really were as huge as they were claimed to be.
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timeasmymeasure
"To the last man"
Date: 2008-02-01 04:34 am (UTC)"There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the Freedom of mankind alike depend upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment."
The specific application is that Torchwood are (ab)using Tommy in the same way that Haig used the British troops; the leadership of the British Army in that war is generally agreed to have been abysmal, resulting in the unnecessary loss of many lives. Tommy is understandably sceptical of Torchwood's desire for him to play the hero, since they're feeding him the same kind of line Haig was feeding his troops -- the difference being that in this case, the stakes really were as huge as they were claimed to be.