William "Bill" Millin was born in Canada in 1922 but was raised near Glasgow, Scotland where his father was from. He joined the Territorial Army (similar to our National Guard) after school, and became a bagpiper for Scottish highland regiments. At one time the Pipers had had an important role: in addition to boosting morale and setting marching paces with their pipes, they acted as stretcher-bearers evacuating the wounded in Scottish regiments. By the time Milliin joined though, they served a ceremonial role and weren't expected to play in combat. Upon the commencement of hostilities, Millin volunteered for training with the British commandos, where he met Brigadier General Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. Fraser was the chief of the Scottish Lovat Clan and commanded Number 4 Commando. Millin soon became Lord Lovat's personal piper.
In the run-up to D-Day Lovat, a bit of a traditionalist, insisted that Millin bring his pipes into combat. The 21-year-old Millin cited army regulations expressly forbidding this, but Lovat claimed that these regulations only applied to English units and as Scotsmen, they were exempt. As the ships left England, he struck up a tune which was relayed over the speakers of nearby troop ships, which raised a cheer as they heard the song.
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| Millin disembarking at Sword Beach; you can see his pipes near his face. |
After hitting the water, Millin began playing the tune Highland Laddie. Millin was carrying only his pipes and a traditional Scottish knife, and is believed to have been the only man on the beach that morning wearing a kilt; he claimed in later life to have not been wearing any underwear. He continued throughout the morning, calmly walking along the beach and playing as men were hit all around him. After the battle captured Germans from Sword Beach claimed that they had avoided hitting Millin as they believed that he was insane.
After leaving the beach, the unit moved off towards their next objective at Pegasus Bridge, a strategic crossing which had been captured by British glider infantry earlier in the day. During the march Millin continued to play, stopping only once while Lord Lovat himself killed a German sniper who had been shooting at the unit. On arriving at the town of Benouville they again came under fire and Lovat ordered Millin to run down the street with the other commandos. Millin instead calmly marched, again without being hit, boosting his fellows' morale.
On arrival at Pegasus Bridge, the commandos crossed despite being warned that it was covered by enemy snipers. Millin calmly marched across while playing, despite 12 more of his comrades being killed. He later stated that the bridge seemed "very long." During the whole day, Millin was hit only once by shrapnel which damaged the bellows of his pipes (they remained functional). He was otherwise unharmed.
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| Millin was portrayed in the film "The Longest Day" by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee |
After D-Day Millin served in Holland, before being demobilized after the war. He worked briefly for Lord Lovat on his estate, before becoming a nurse specializing in the care of those with psychological problems. He continued to play the pipes at events around the UK, and talked widely about his experiences. In 1962 Millin was featured in the film 'The Longest Day", where he was played by official piper to the Queen, Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee. He played the pipes at Lord Lovat's funeral in 1995. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 88,
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| Statue of Millin at Sword Beach |
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