13 Facts About Bill Millin

Bill Millin's father moved the family to the Prairies, but returned to Glasgow as a policeman when William was three.

Bill Millin grew up and went to school in the Shettleston area of the city.

Bill Millin joined the Territorial Army in Fort William, where his family had moved, and played in the pipe bands of the Highland Light Infantry and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders before volunteering as a commando and training with Lovat at Achnacarry along with French, Dutch, Belgian, Polish, Norwegian, and Czechoslovak troops.

Bill Millin is best remembered for playing the pipes whilst under fire during the D-Day landing in Normandy.

Bill Millin stated that he later talked to captured German snipers who claimed they did not shoot at him because they thought he had gone mad.

Bill Millin saw further action with 1 SSB in the Netherlands and Germany before being demobilised in 1946 and going to work on Lord Lovat's highland estate.

Bill Millin made regular trips back to Normandy for commemoration ceremonies.

Bill Millin played the pipes at Lord Lovat's funeral in 1995.

Bill Millin, who suffered a stroke in 2003, died in hospital in Torbay on 17 August 2010, aged 88.

Bill Millin was played by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, the official piper to the Queen Mother in 1961.

One set of Bill Millin's bagpipes are exhibited at the Memorial Museum of Pegasus Bridge in Ranville, France.

Bill Millin presented his pipes to Dawlish Museum prior to the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in 2004, along with his kilt, bonnet and dirk.

The confusion arose many years ago when Bill Millin's pipes were damaged a few days after D-Day and he had a spare set sent in which he called his campaign pipes.