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It has been claimed that he is the father of modern safaris, as he introduced the idea of his guests shooting the animals they encountered with cameras instead of guns. It was a roaring success and in the early hours of the 23rd, all 138 men that set out to cross the Rhine did so in one piece.įor the role he played in both the Battle of Arnhem and Operation Pegasus, Digby was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.Īfter brief service in both Palestine and Kenya, Digby retired to run two large estates that he'd recently purchased in Kenya. On the night of 22 October 1944, the operation was given the go-ahead.
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The evacuation became known as Operation Pegasus and Digby played a pivotal role in its organisation and execution. When it became clear that no such attempt was coming anytime soon, Digby and his men looked to escape across enemy lines and back into home territory.
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Weapons and ammunition were buried at designated spots.Īt first, the plan was to create a hidden force behind enemy lines, to pop up and attack German targets to aid any future attempts by the Allies to cross the Rhine. Over the coming weeks, he arranged with the RAF to drop supplies and equipment for his men. The Ede Resistance set Digby up with radio communication so that he could speak with British Intelligence back in England. Even when enemy soldiers were billeted at the Wildeboer residence, Digby dared to show his face and walk amongst them. One time he stopped to help push a German staff car out of a ditch. His casual demeanour allowed him to hide in plain sight and his confidence knew no bounds. The area was swarming with Germans and not once was he stopped or questioned. Demonstrating the same coolness he'd shown on the bridge, Digby ventured out every day on his bicycle to boldly ride around the countryside meeting up with dozens of fellow paratroopers in hiding. His new name was Peter Jansen, who just so happened to be the deaf and mute son of a lawyer in The Hague. Digby moved into the Wildeboer resistance and his new home was a hidden dugout on the property.ĭigby was provided with a bicycle, a clean set of civilian clothes, given a haircut and a forged identity card. The local resistance was having a hard time keeping them all under wraps and so Bill Wildeboer, the man in charge of the Ede Resistance, asked if Digby would help him coordinate and organise things. They soon discovered that there were a great number of airborne men who had evaded capture or escaped captivity. When the radios started working again the men learnt that they were truly on their own. As Gerald Lathbury, Digby's brigade commander, once remarked, ‘Every battalion needs a Digby!' He helped keep spirits elevated enough that the small posse of Brits grittily held onto their position for four days until they finally ran out of bullets.
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He would calmly stroll around, nonchalantly directly men left and right as sniper fire whistled past his ears. Lieutenant Pat Barnett would later question the usefulness of the umbrella in the given situation, to which Digby replied, ‘Oh my goodness Pat, what if it rains?'ĭigby's cool unflappable demeanour combined with his sense of humour encouraged those around him for the next few days. He then guided him back to safety uttering the words, ‘Don't worry, I've got an umbrella.' After noticing the battalion padre Father Egan pinned down by enemy fire, Digby sprinted to his aid and sheltered him under the umbrella. The umbrella's work was far from done though. Not many people in military history can claim to have stopped an armoured vehicle with a collapsible shade. Legend also has it that Digby wielded his umbrella with devastating force, on one occasion poking it through the observational slit of a German armoured car and incapacitating the driver. The Brits successfully repelled the German attack. Undeterred by the threat, Digby inspired those around him by leading a bayonet charge at incoming enemy infantry - pistol in one hand and umbrella in the other with recently required bowler hat completing the look. Soon a division of Panzers came rolling down the bridge towards Digby and his men. Although the Germans were taken by surprise at first, it didn't take them long to counter.