In the 1962 movie, The Longest Day, Bill Millin was played by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, official piper to the Queen Mother at the time the film was made. Some time later, captured German soldiers told him they did not shoot him because they thought he was just a crazy man. Not only did he play standing up, but with his great highland bagpipes skirling over the noise of battle, he was hard to ignore. Later, he led them as they left the beach, heading inland, piping Road to the Isles.īill Millin was amazed that he was not shot. As tradition dictated, he marched up and down the beach, standing erect with his pipes, while all those around him were taking cover as best they could. The soldier next to him was shot in the face and killed instantly, his body bumping against the piper’s bare legs. As he stepped off the landing craft ramp into the water, his kilt floated up around him like a ballerina’s tutu. So Private Millin played the ancient march as the troops waded ashore on Sword Beach.
Brigadier Simon FrasierĪs they were ready to disembark from their landing craft, Lord Lovat asked Private Bill Millin to play Hielan’ Laddie, a tune also known as Highland Laddie.
The reason for the policy was that too many pipers had been killed during WW-I after the enemy figured out how much a good piper was worth in morale for the Highland troops nicknamed the “Ladies From Hell.” It was said that a good piper was worth an extra five hundred men due to the morale boost for the Highland troops upon hearing the skirling of the pipes. You and I are both Scottish, and that doesn’t apply.” Although pipers had been used in battle for centuries, the official position of the British War Office was that the pipes were to be restricted to rear areas. Lord Lovat replied, “Ah, but that’s the English War Office. When he was assigned to pipe the troops ashore, Private Millin at first declined, reminding his commanding officer that it was against British War Office regulations. On that fateful day, he was personal piper to Brigadier Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, commander of 1 Special Service Brigade. Twenty-one year-old Private Bill Millin, “The Mad Piper of D-Day.” He was assigned to the Highland Light Infantry, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, No. Of all those thousands of scared kids, there was one that stood out from most of the rest. Some made it off the beach that day, and some never even made it out of the water onto dry land. Thousands of scared kids racing though red-stained sea water onto red-stained sand. June 6 marks the anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, and the beginning of the end for World War II. Submitted by Charlton Stanley (Otteray Scribe) guest blogger Pvt.