The British and the Umbrella (1 Viewer)

[kogu]

To the British fellow collectors here.
What is it with the umbrella?
Attached are three pictures from various Toy Soldiers (a new Beau Geste WWI set, a First Legion British Officer, mounted, from Waterloo and a K&C British Soldier from WWII, Market Garden).
Very different times but there is an umbrella in each set.
I'm just curious. Is that just made up by the manufacturers, because you guys usually have more then enough rain, or are there really officers known from the mentioned periods that did carry an umbrella?
Konrad

 

[Njja]

Well it has rained everytime I have been to London!

 

[PolarBear]

Here is an entire article about umbrellas and the British Army

http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbro...4&week=d&msg=acOaby19v3BANuyBSLv8LQ&user=&pw=

 

[kogu]

Wow, that's quite interesting.
You sure know how to pull up infos, Randy.
Thanks for that.
Konrad

 

[glossman]

*
Hi Konrad,

Here is another link entitled "Armed with an Umbrella".

http://www.britsattheirbest.com/heroes_adventurers/h_armed_with_umbrella.htm

It is about Major Digby Tatham-Warter, OC A Company, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in the Battle for the Bridge at Arnhem.

This is an extract from the article in Randy's link.

Quote:

One Major Digby Tatham-Warter, commanded A Company, the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, in the battle for the bridge at Arnhem. His carrying of a umbrella throughout the days of the battle immortalised him in regimental folklaw, and depicted in full and glorious colour in the film 'A Bridge Too Far' enhanced his legend. He also received the Distinguished Service Order.

You always see the officers and men of the British Army with umbrellas, on the rifle range in a typical wet English summer, in the sleet and slush of a Yugoslavian winter, or as on the TV news tonight sitting on the turret of a Warrior IFV in the desert sun outside of Basra in Iraq.

As that character of English fiction, Bertie Woodhouse said 'you can always tell an English gentleman, he has a umbrella.'!

G.A. MACKINLAY

End Quote.

I hope Andy will have this figure in the K&C Arnhem 2010 range.

Kind Regards, Raymond.

 

[kogu]

Thank you, Raymond,
much appreciated.
So the K&C figure from the Market Garden Series pictured below in my opening post does not depict the Major you are talking about?
Just wondering, since you are hoping for a release in 2010?
Konrad

 

[glossman]

Thank you, Raymond, much appreciated.

So the K&C figure from the Market Garden Series pictured below in my opening post does not depict the Major you are talking about?

Just wondering, since you are hoping for a release in 2010?

Konrad

Hi Konrad,

The figure in your image is from the K&C Operation Market Garden series.

It is listed as MG014 "Kneeling with Umbrella" (with no further description).

He could do well as Major Digby Tatham-Warter.

Note:

Major Digby Tatham-Warter was awarded the DSO, the second highest British military award for courage in battle.

I think he deserves more recognition as a personality figure.

To this end, I have posted a suggestion for Major Digby Tatham-Warter to be included in the K&C Arnhem 2010 series.

Thanks and Kind Regards, Raymond.

 

[Rob]

Its probably a bit of both,the amount of rain we get and eccentricity.I was reading an obituary a while back of an ex WW2 officer who after the War worked in London.He would travel there and back on the train every day.Each night on the return journey to the stunned amazement of his fellow passengers he would stand up,walk to the window and hurl his briefcase,umbrella and hat out of the window and then return to his seat.Of course none of the observers of this eccentric behaviour realised the train passed the end of his garden every night!.

Rob

 

[glossman]

Thank you, Raymond, much appreciated.

So the K&C figure from the Market Garden Series pictured below in my opening post does not depict the Major you are talking about?

Just wondering, since you are hoping for a release in 2010?

Konrad

There is an error in my previous post.

The K&C Market Garden MG014 "Kneeling with Umbrella" figure represents Major Harry Pope kneeling with his "Signature Brolly".

This was from:

http://www.sierratoysoldier.com/sierra_toy_soldier_news_november_2007.asp

My Apologies, Raymond.

 

[glossman]

*
From bbc.co.uk. (Wednesday, 26 March, 2003)

A British soldier uses his umbrella as thunderstorms sweep through the desert.

It's Raining Men.....

*

 

[aujj65]

We British thrive on umbrellas due to the shite weather we get! This is the latest standard issue for the ETO.

 

[OzDigger]

*
From bbc.co.uk. (Wednesday, 26 March, 2003)

A British soldier uses his umbrella as thunderstorms sweep through the desert.

It's Raining Men.....

*

Of course the difficult part for Brit soldiers is firing their weapons whilst holding their brollies aloft.

 

[theBaron]

I'd add that it's not so much an eccentricity, as an outward sign of the unflappability of the English gentleman, which by tradition, if not in pratice, every officer should be, the celebrated "stiff upper lip" in the face of adversity.

It reminds me of the cartoon from the "Times", I think it was, I saw it printed in "Operation Sea Lion", but characterizing the spirit of resistance at the height of the Blitz and the invasion scare, of an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair in his club, pointing to two German paratroopers standing in the doorway, and asking the waiter, "Go and ask those fellows if they're members!"

Prost!
Brad

 

[glossman]

I'd add that it's not so much an eccentricity, as an outward sign of the unflappability of the English gentleman, which by tradition, if not in pratice, every officer should be, the celebrated "stiff upper lip" in the face of adversity.

It reminds me of the cartoon from the "Times", I think it was, I saw it printed in "Operation Sea Lion", but characterizing the spirit of resistance at the height of the Blitz and the invasion scare, of an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair in his club, pointing to two German paratroopers standing in the doorway, and asking the waiter, "Go and ask those fellows if they're members!"

Prost!
Brad

Brad,

You have hit the nail on the head. I just could not put it as well as you have.

I was trying to make the point about the "unflappability of the English gentleman" in my reference to Major Tatham-Warter at Arnhem.

Nice Example re: Operation Sea Lion

Cheers, Raymond.

 

[Russell]

Good question Konrad. Brad and Rob, I enjoyed your respective stories.

 

[Rob]

I'd add that it's not so much an eccentricity, as an outward sign of the unflappability of the English gentleman, which by tradition, if not in pratice, every officer should be, the celebrated "stiff upper lip" in the face of adversity.

It reminds me of the cartoon from the "Times", I think it was, I saw it printed in "Operation Sea Lion", but characterizing the spirit of resistance at the height of the Blitz and the invasion scare, of an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair in his club, pointing to two German paratroopers standing in the doorway, and asking the waiter, "Go and ask those fellows if they're members!"

Prost!
Brad

Its the attitude that won us the war!

Rob

 

[BeaconsAl]

Its the attitude that won us the war!

Rob

This reminds me of my stepfather [son of a Ghurka officer] who designed bits of the Chieftain tank amoungst other things. He would go caving [spelunking to you folks across the pond], walking several miles across a hillside carrying his opened umbrella only to close it to enter the cave, where, he would proceed to get soaking wet and muddy for many hours before surfacing, picking up and opening the brolly before walking back! Brilliant!

Alan

 

[aujj65]

I'd add that it's not so much an eccentricity, as an outward sign of the unflappability of the English gentleman, which by tradition, if not in pratice, every officer should be, the celebrated "stiff upper lip" in the face of adversity.

It reminds me of the cartoon from the "Times", I think it was, I saw it printed in "Operation Sea Lion", but characterizing the spirit of resistance at the height of the Blitz and the invasion scare, of an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair in his club, pointing to two German paratroopers standing in the doorway, and asking the waiter, "Go and ask those fellows if they're members!"

Prost!
Brad

Brad, I think we should make you an honorary Englishman for this!

Jeff

 

[1879fanatic]

This reminds me of my stepfather [son of a Ghurka officer] who designed bits of the Chieftain tank amoungst other things. He would go caving [spelunking to you folks across the pond], walking several miles across a hillside carrying his opened umbrella only to close it to enter the cave, where, he would proceed to get soaking wet and muddy for many hours before surfacing, picking up and opening the brolly before walking back! Brilliant!

Alan

Brilliant? More than that!!! That's the best I've heard in a long time!

 

[theBaron]

Brad, I think we should make you an honorary Englishman for this!

Jeff

I'd be honored!

Y'know, that cartoon actually sounds like a good subject for a little vignette...