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It looks like Rain

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Previews for the Empress airborne KS just keep coming - so the kickstarter can't be far off now! The latest is is Major Digby Tatham-Warter, the famous umbrella wielding officer of 2nd Battalion the Parachute regiment. Made famous to the wider world by Cornelius Ryans book ‘A Bridge Too Far’, and portrayed in the film of the same name, he carried the umbrella for identification purposes. He also put it to god use with one story that he incapacitated the driver of an enemy armoured vehicle by pushing the pointed through the drivers vision slit. Major Tatham – Warter was not just an eccentric Englishman but an excellent leader and as Brigadier Gerald Lathbury said ‘Every battalion needs a Digby!' \


In portraying this officer Empress has not gone with the usual cliched pose of him waving the umbrella in the air but instead wanted to portray him in a more human and eccentric way with the a regimental Chaplain. Battalion Padre, Father Egan was hugging the earth behind a tree next to a road with the intention of running across it. However a German mortar team were targeting the road to prevent the paratroops from moving freely. Digby suddenly appeared looking down upon Father Egan and asked if he needed help. Father Egan looked up and explained his problem. Digby explained ‘Don't worry, I've got an umbrella.' and pulling the Padre up by his arm led him across the road to the other side. After the war the German officer commanding the mortar explained he stopped firing when he saw the British officer with the umbrella because he was either mad or brave and so did not want to kill him.


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