Bill Millin, Lord Lovat's D-Day Piper, R.I.P.

[The Bread Guy]

This from the BBC:

A Scottish bagpiper who played men into battle during World War II has died in Devon.

Bill Millin, who was 88, played his comrades ashore on Sword Beach during the D-Day Normandy landings.

The Glaswegian commando's actions were later immortalised in the film, "The Longest Day".

Mr Millin, who lived at a nursing home in Dawlish since suffering a major stroke seven years ago, died in Torbay Hospital.

A statement released by his family said: "This morning following a short illness piper Bill Millin, a great Scottish hero, passed peacefully away in Torbay hospital."

Mr Millin was serving with 1st Commando Brigade when he landed in France on 6 June, 1944.

His commanding officer, Lord Lovat, asked him to ignore instructions banning the playing of bagpipes in battle and requested he play to rally his comrades.

Despite being unarmed, Mr Millin marched up and down the shore at Sword Beach in his kilt piping "Highland Laddie".

He continued to play as his friends fell around him and later moved inland to pipe the troops to Pegasus Bridge ....

More in the Daily Mail.

 

[krustyrl]

RIP Piper      iper:     

 

[gaspasser]

  iper:  Another Piper goes home~~~

 

[Blackadder1916]

Piper Millin's account of his actions on 6 June 1944 can be found here; http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/bill_millin.htm

And before someone repeats the false trivia that Millin played himself in the movie "The Longest Day" (from the same site)

In 1962, the all-star film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan's book, The Longest Day was made. It is commonly believed that Bill Millin had a cameo role in the film, playing himself as the Piper who accompanied Lord Lovat's Commandos. This is untrue, however, as the man was in fact Pipe-Major Leslie de Laspee, official piper to the Queen Mother in 1961. Millin has denied ever being involved in the film, and when Lord Lovat was asked why Millin did not play the part, he said, "My old piper works in a bar in Glasgow now, I believe, and is too fat to play the part."

When I was at Pegasus Bridge on 6 June 1994, I was looking at some items for sale at a booth, including a poster of a piper identified as "Bill Millin" (the pictures on the poster included a scene from the movie and of the same gentleman later in life piping at a D-Day anniversary event).  I mentioned the commonly believed trivia to my companion and was corrected by a veteran (in a green beret) standing nearby who overheard me; he said that the "picture looked nothing like Bill who's probably around nearby, most likely over in the beer tent".

 

[desert_rat]

Obituary from the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/7952729/Piper-Bill-Millin.html

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

http://www.thespec.com/news/world/article/250188--legendary-d-day-piper-bill-millin-dies
Legendary D-Day piper Bill Millin dies

OPERATION OVERLORD (THE NORMANDY LANDINGS): D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944. Commandos British of 1st Special Service Brigade landing at 8:40 am, June 6, 1944. The figure nearest is the brigade's bagpiper, Piper Bill Millin.
Evans, J L (Capt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE INFORMATION SERVICES
LONDON — Bill Millin, the Scottish bagpiper who defied enemy fire as he led comrades into battle at the 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, northern France, has died at the age of 86, his family said Wednesday.

Piper Bill, as he became known, saw his courageous action immortalized in the Hollywood film, “The Longest Day.” Despite being unarmed, and with friends falling around him, Millin led British troops ashore on Sword Beach, continuing to play his “Highland Laddie” tune.

His commanding officer, Lord Lovat, had asked him to ignore rules banning the playing of bagpipes in battle and requested that he should play to rally his comrades. Millin was 21 at the time.

"When you’re young, you do things you wouldn’t dream of doing when you’re older. I enjoyed playing the pipes, but I didn’t notice I was being shot at," he said in a BBC interview in 2006.

Millin, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, died in hospital in Torbay, south-west England, after a short illness, his family said in a statement.

Piper Bill would always be remembered as an "iconic part of all those who gave so much to free Europe from tyranny," they said.






I always thought the piper in the movie was too funny and too  hollywood to be real but i gues it was true.
I hope he is remembered for more then a shot in a movie but for his story  and his life as a soldier and a piper.
Another piper is called up to play in the biggest  tatto

 

[The Bread Guy]

The Isle of Man Post Office produced a stamp to honour Millin (he's playing on the right) - see attached.