Bill Millin, piper at the D-Day landings, died on August 17th, aged 88

economist.com ^ | Aug 26th 2010 | Obituary

[Berlin_Freeper]

ANY reasonable observer might have thought Bill Millin was unarmed as he jumped off the landing ramp at Sword Beach, in Normandy, on June 6th 1944. Unlike his colleagues, the pale 21-year-old held no rifle in his hands. Of course, in full Highland rig as he was, he had his trusty skean dhu, his little dirk, tucked in his right sock. But that was soon under three feet of water as he waded ashore, a weary soldier still smelling his own vomit from a night in a close boat on a choppy sea, and whose kilt in the freezing water was floating prettily round him like a ballerina’s skirt.

But Mr Millin was not unarmed; far from it. He held his pipes, high over his head at first to keep them from the wet (for while whisky was said to be good for the bag, salt water wasn’t), then cradled in his arms to play. And bagpipes, by long tradition, counted as instruments of war. An English judge had said so after the Scots’ great defeat at Culloden in 1746; a piper was a fighter like the rest, and his music was his weapon. The whining skirl of the pipes had struck dread into the Germans on the Somme, who had called the kilted pipers “Ladies from Hell”. And it raised the hearts and minds of the home side, so much so that when Mr Millin played on June 5th, as the troops left for France past the Isle of Wight and he was standing on the bowsprit just about keeping his balance above the waves getting rougher, the wild cheers of the crowd drowned out the sound of his pipes even to himself.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Amazing Grace - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

[SandRat]

Fallen Hero of D-Day.

[jessduntno]

There will be a proper Amazing Grace played up yonder from now on ... RIP.

[sionnsar]

Pipes and Drums of FreeRepublic ping!

This is an ultra-low-volume ping list (typically weeks to months between pings, for matters related to Highland bagpipes and Scotland).
FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this list.

Going to the Games? Organize a Clan FReeper get-together!

[CrazyIvan]

Gotta’ love the Scots. There's a reason that no devastating
anti personnel mines are named after French swords.

[Last Dakotan]

whose kilt in the freezing water was floating prettily round him like a ballerina’s skirt.

Ok, maybe the Scots didn't have the best ideas for battle dress uniforms...

[DuncanWaring]

"Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him."

[mware]

If I recall correctly Richard Todd was at that bridge (Pegasus) on D-Day and later portrayed the office in commend of the unit in The Longest Day.

[P8riot]

RIP brother.

BTW a Sgian Dubh (skean dhu - sic) is not a dirk. The dirk is substantially larger, I doubt one was tucked in his sock. The Sgian Dubh, definitely, the dirk is worn at the waist.

[P8riot]

I beg your pardon laddie. Ha ye not heard of The Ladies From Hell?

[SunkenCiv]

"the dour Scots are the men that God made mad, for all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad." Thanks sionnsar.

• Bill Millin, Scottish D-Day Piper, Dies at 88
• Piper Bill Millin
• A Scottish bagpiper who played men into battle during World War II has died in Devon
• The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Cantigny - May, 28, 1918 - Feb. 6th, 2003

[wizr]

Thank you for this post.

He was definitely blessed as he played those pipes to urge on his brothers.

I emailed this article to those on my my list.

Mr. Millin, ya will be remembered.

[shotdog]

Claymore...or less. Clan Ross and Cochrane here. sd

[rdl6989]

bttt

[CrazyIvan]

whose kilt in the freezing water was floating prettily round him like a ballerina’s skirt.

Ok, maybe the Scots didn't have the best ideas for battle dress uniforms...

Must be a wee drafty for the paratroopers also.

[CrazyIvan]

Claymore...or less. Clan Ross and Cochrane here. sd

Don't have a bit of Scotch in me, except for an occasional
single malt, but I admire the hell out of them.