Digby Tatham-Warter
Major Allison Digby Tatham-Warter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Allison Digby Tatham-Warter |
| Nickname(s) | Digby |
| Born | 21 May 1917 Atcham, England |
| Died | 21 March 1993 (aged 75) Nayuki, Kenya |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Indian Army  British Army |
| Years of service | 1935–1938 1938–1946 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands | 2nd Parachute Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Arnhem |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order |
| Other work | Safari operator |
Major Allison Digby Tatham-Warter DSO (21 May 1917 – 21 March 1993), also known as Digby Tatham-Warter or just Digby, was a British Army officer who fought in the Second World War. He was most known for carrying an umbrella into battle.[1]
Early life
Digby was born in Atcham, Shropshire, England. He was the second son of Henry de Grey Tatham-Warter, a landowner with several estates in the south west of England. Digby's father fought in the First World War with the Artists Rifles where he was gassed in the trenches and died early when Digby was 11.[2] Digby was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire. In 1935 he was accepted into Sandhurst Military Academy.[3] While at Sandhurst, he was awarded The Saddle.
Early military career
Digby graduated from Sandhurst as an officer in 1935 and was commissioned into the British Indian Army due to his family connections. He was later attached to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and later transferred there in 1938 so that he would be able to continue his hobbies of tiger hunting and pig sticking.[2]
Second World War
When the Second World War broke out, Digby was not initially sent to fight in Europe. His sister Kit served in the Western Desert Campaign and won the Croix de guerre while serving with the Hadfield-Spears Unit. Upon hearing of his brother John's death at the Battle of El Alamein with the 2nd Dragoon Guards, The Queen's Bays, Digby transferred to the Parachute Regiment and was appointed as the commander of A Company of the 2nd Parachute Brigade. He was stationed in Grantham, Lincolnshire during training. Because of his tiger hunting being well known, he was able to obtain the use of an American Dakota aeroplane and flew all the company officers in the camp to London for a party at The Ritz London Hotel.[2]
A Company was then chosen by Lieutenant-Colonel Frost to lead the 2nd Parachute Brigade in the Battle of Arnhem because of Digby's reputation of being an aggressive commander. In preparation Digby, concerned about the unreliability of radios, educated his men on how to use bugle calls that had been used during the Napoleonic Wars for communication in case the radios failed. He also took an umbrella with his kit as a means of identification because he felt that "only a bloody fool of an Englishman" would carry an umbrella into battle and because he had trouble remembering passwords.[4]
A Company were dropped away from the target of Arnhem Bridge and had to go through Arnhem where the streets were blocked by German forces. Having no anti-tank weapons, Digby called for one and then led his men through the back gardens of nearby houses instead of attempting to advance through the streets and thus avoided the Germans.[1] Digby and A Company managed to travel 8 miles in 7 hours while also taking prisoner 150 Nazi soldiers including members of the SS. During the battle, Digby wore his red beret instead of a Brodie helmet and waved his umbrella while walking about the defences despite heavy mortar fire. When the Germans started using tanks to cross the bridge, Digby led a bayonet charge against them wearing a bowler hat. He later disabled a German armoured car with his umbrella by incapacitating the driver by shoving the umbrella through the car's observational slit.[1]
Digby then noticed the Padre trying to cross the street to get to injured soldiers but was pinned down by enemy fire. Digby got to him and said "Don't worry about the bullets, I've got an umbrella". He then escorted the padre across the street under his umbrella. When he returned to the front line, one of his fellow officers said about his umbrella that "that thing won't do you any good", to which Digby replied "Oh my goodness Pat, but what if it rains?"[5] Digby was later injured from shrapnel, which also cut open the rear of his trousers but continued to fight until A Company had run out of ammunition. Despite the radios being unreliable as Digby had predicted and the bugle calls were used most in the battle, the message "out of ammo, God save The King" was radioed out before Digby was captured.[6]
Because of his injury, Digby was sent to St. Elizabeth's Hospital but escaped out of a window with his second in command Captain Tony Frank, when the German nurses had left them alone. After creating an escape compass from buttons on his uniform, Digby and Frank headed towards Mariendaal. Upon arriving, they were hidden by a Dutch woman who spoke no English before being put in contact with her neighbour. He disguised them as painters and moved to Bill Wildeboor's house. Wildeboor was the leader of the Dutch Resistance. They then met Menno de Nooy of the Dutch Resistance who gave them a bicycle. Wildeboor had a fake Dutch identity card made for Digby to allow him to pose as Peter Jensen, a Deaf-mute son of a lawyer.[1] Digby used the bicycle to visit fellow soldiers in hiding and the Germans did not recognise him despite him helping to push a Nazi staff car out of a ditch and German soldiers being billeted in the same house that he was staying in.[1] Digby then gathered 150 escaped soldiers to head towards the front line. This was known as Operation Pegasus. Digby and the soldiers cycled to the Rhine and Digby flashed a V for Victory sign with his torch. Members of XXX Corps then ferried them across the river. Upon return to the UK, Digby was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[5]
Post-Second World War
After the war ended, Digby later served in the British Mandate of Palestine before appointed to the 5th King's African Rifles in Kenya in 1946, where he also bought two estates in Eburru and Nayuki.[1] During the Mau Mau Uprising, Digby raised a volunteer mounted police force at his own expense and led them into battle against the Mau Mau.[2] After that, he retired to run his estates. He also created the concept of the modern safari where animals would be photographed rather than hunted.[2] During Kenyan independence, it is reported that the British Defence staff told the British High Commissioner "Look after Tatham-Warter".[2] Digby died in Nayuki on 21 March 1993.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Major Digby Tatham-Warter". Pegasus Archive. 17 September 1944. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Histories: Digby Tatham-Warter (1917–1993): The Tatham Family of County Durham". Saxon Lodge. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "Allison Digby Tatham-Warter b. 26 May 1917 Atcham d. 21 Mar 1993 Nanyuki, Kenya: The Tatham Family of County Durham". Saxon Lodge. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "'The Major' Hugh Caruthers Massy (1914–1987)". Turtle Bunbury. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Jon E. (2012). "Obituary: Digby Tatham-Warter". The Mammoth Book of Heroes. Constable & Robinson. ISBN 1780337256.
- ^ Mallinson, Allan (2009). The Making of the British Army. Random House. p. 488. ISBN 1409085813.