Pte. Allan Warburton
British Army 7th Btn. Seaforth Highlanders
from:Frizinghall, Bradford
My father Allan Warburton served as a Signaller in the 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders during the Second World War. After initial mobilisation with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment of 1st of September 1939 and transfer to the A.A. Royal Artillery (Searchlights) Regiment he joined the Seaforth Highlanders in early 1944.
He thankfully missed D-Day due to being on compassionate leave (marriage), but immediately upon his return was put on an American infantry landing craft to Gold Beach to join the rest of the Division, who were involved in heavy fighting around the Caen area. After losing their Colonel in early fighting Lieutenant Colonel Peter took over as Commanding Officer, who went on to become Chief of the Defence Staff at Whitehall and be knighted.
My father was particularly affected by the battle for Hill 309 at the end of the Normandy campaign, where the plan was for three division to attack two large hills and hold them to enable the British to control the surrounding countryside and for General Montgomery to unleash his armour. He recalled the German's ceaseless bombardment when they reached the summit and having to go out to lay telephone lines to observation posts when he just wanted to keep his head down to survive. He also remembered the carnage wrought on the German 10th army when it was encircled at Falais.
After Normandy his Division were the only division to do what he called the hat-trick, assault crossings of the three major river obstacles The Seine, The Rhine and finally the Elbe. When the war was over the unit were sent to occupy the town of Kiel on the Baltic. One tale he told me concerned their discovery of Hitler's private train, when various members of the regiment took it upon themselves to fill pillow cases with the silver cutlery etc.
My father was particularly in demand as a self-taught musician and carried his accordion with him throughout the war, which he put to good effect in various shows for the troops. He also played the piano and broadcast a programme called Piano Playtime on the British Forces network in Hamburg in August 1945. He went on to have his own band in later years who would become well known in the Kings Lynn area. I have many war photos of his, though unfortunately most are not marked with the names of those pictured
