AustLit

Comedian, director, producer, writer, lightning sketch artist, troupe manager.

A key member of Famous Diggers during its early years, Ed Warrington ('the Lancashire Lad') enlisted in WWI, initially joining the 26th Battalion as a private. Fluent in German he served as a scout and observer, and eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Towards the end of the war Warrington was put in charge of entertainment, producing, writing and directing concerts and theatrical productions, and after being demobilised he he found work in the UK before returning home where he joined the Famous Diggers as a light comedian, writer, caricaturist and director. The 1920s also saw him briefly operate his own troupes, notably the Issues, Royalties, and Ed Warrington Revue Company. Largely associated with Western Australian entertainment from 1924 onwards, Warrington appeared regularly on radio and also starred in Pat Hanna's two Diggers films. He was still working as a lighting sketch artist in 1940.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]