Legion mourns the passing of legendary D-Day Piper Bill Millin
19 August 2010
The Royal British Legion is saddened
to report on the passing today of Piper Bill Millin, a Legion
supporter and beneficiary from Dawlish, Devon and a legendary
figure from the D-Day landings who has died at the age of 88.
Piper Millin was serving as the personal piper to the Lord Lovat, Commanding Officer of 1 Special Service Brigade when it landed at Sword Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Overlord.
He was ordered by Lord Lovat to ignore the ban on pipes in battle and to play in order to boost morale of the troops as they came ashore. Unarmed apart from the ceremonial dagger in his stocking, he played unflinchingly as men fell all around him.
According to the Daily Telegraph:
"Millin began his apparently suicidal serenade immediately upon jumping from the ramp of the landing craft into the icy water. As the Cameron tartan of his kilt floated to the surface he struck up with Hieland Laddie. He continued even as the man behind him was hit, dropped into the sea and sank.
"Once ashore Millin did not run, but walked up and down the beach, blasting out a series of tunes. After Hieland Laddie, Lovat, the commander of 1st Special Service Brigade (1 SSB), raised his voice above the crackle of gunfire and the crump of mortar, and asked for another. Millin strode up and down the water's edge playing The Road to the Isles.
"Bodies of the fallen were drifting to and fro in the surf. Soldiers were trying to dig in and, when they heard the pipes, many of them waved and cheered - although one came up to Millin and called him a "mad bastard".
Mr Millin continued to rally the invasion forces once ashore and captured German soldiers later admitted they had not shot him because they thought he had gone off his head.
His exploits were immortalised in the 1962 film 'The Longest Day', which tells the story of the D-Day landings based on the historical account by Cornelius Ryan. It is a common misconception that he played himself in the film; in fact, he was portrayed by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, the official piper to the Queen Mother in 1961.
Originally from Scotland, Mr Millin had lived in Devon for 45 years and was considered a hero in his hometown of Dawlish. He was well known to The Royal British Legion in Devon and regularly attended Legion events. The Legion had recently purchased a new electric wheelchair for Mr Millin, however he was unable to use it before he died.
Mr Millin returned to Normandy anniversary events in subsequent years. In June this year, the Dawlish Branch of The Royal British Legion arranged for Mr Millin to return for the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Mr Millin is held in high regard in the veterans' and piper communities in the Commonwealth, the United States and France, and The Mary Queen of Scots Pipe Band of Ouistreham, near Caen, also played a pivotal role in enabling him to travel to Normandy this year.
The band is the driving force behind a £80,000 fundraising initiative to build a statue of Mr Millin playing the bagpipes on Sword Beach, one of the enduring images of World War Two. The statue will serve as a memorial to all who fought on that day.
Piper Bill Millin will be sadly missed by all those who knew him.
