General Apathy Posted August 18, 2010 Share #1 Posted August 18, 2010 It's just been announced on the radio today that Bill Millin, Lord Lovat's bagpipe player on D-Day died today aged 88. Immortalised in the sixties film ' The Longest Day ' Rest in peace Bill it was a pleasure to know you :salute: Lewis http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/bill_millin.htm .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted August 18, 2010 Share #2 Posted August 18, 2010 Amen. A true British military legend. Sabrejet :salute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BILL THE PATCH Posted August 18, 2010 Share #3 Posted August 18, 2010 R.I.P. TO ONE OF ENGLAND'S GREATEST GENERATION. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted August 18, 2010 Share #4 Posted August 18, 2010 R.I.P. TO ONE OF ENGLAND'S GREATEST GENERATION. Firstly, Piper Millin was a Scot and therefore "British"...NOT English. Thank you. Sabrejet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhund Posted August 18, 2010 Share #5 Posted August 18, 2010 The last " Blue Bonnet" and " Black Island" have benn played T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capa Posted August 18, 2010 Share #6 Posted August 18, 2010 Rest in Peace Sir. I will always think of him when I hear the 'pipes. Fielding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted August 18, 2010 Share #7 Posted August 18, 2010 The "greatest generation" slips a bit further from us. R.I.P. sir, well deserved rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share #8 Posted August 18, 2010 Thanks Ian, Bill, Fielding, Tuefelhund, Jack's son for adding to this post on Bill. Bill playing a lament on the pipes for the death of the starter motor on my Jeep, Paris 1976. Great Guy, so modest and quiet in nature, cheers Bill I will raise a Gin & tonic to you as 6 pm this evening Lewis apologies for image quality, old film stock pre digital days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted August 18, 2010 Share #9 Posted August 18, 2010 Thanks Ian, Bill, Fielding, Tuefelhund, Jack's son for adding to this post on Bill. Bill playing a lament on the pipes for the death of the starter motor on my Jeep, Paris 1976. Great Guy, so modest and quiet in nature, cheers Bill I will raise a Gin & tonic to you as 6 pm this evening Lewis apologies for image quality, old film stock pre digital days. I hope he lifted your jeeps spirits as he did the troops o D-Day. God speed Bill. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted August 18, 2010 Share #10 Posted August 18, 2010 That's very sad news. Rest In Peace, Sir. :salute: Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share #11 Posted August 18, 2010 Thanks Robert & Erwin. These guys that appear on the pages of the history of WWII are sadly passing Cheers Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted August 18, 2010 Share #12 Posted August 18, 2010 RIP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted August 19, 2010 RIP! Hi Ricardo, thank you for adding the nice images of Bill to the post, fitting memories of him. Cheers Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share #14 Posted August 19, 2010 A BBC News tribute to Bill Millin. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11019795 Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted August 19, 2010 Share #15 Posted August 19, 2010 Talked to him in Normandy on the 40th and 45th..... Great personality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted August 20, 2010 Share #16 Posted August 20, 2010 I wonder if this American was following Mr. Millin's example... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted August 20, 2010 Share #17 Posted August 20, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share #18 Posted August 20, 2010 I wonder if this American was following Mr. Millin's example... Hi Gunbarrel, that's quite a picture of loneliness a single soldier stood out there in a panorama of snow. I have never seen that photo used anywhere before. Thanks Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted August 20, 2010 Share #19 Posted August 20, 2010 I just watched the movie two days ago. Wish I could have met him. God bless him and his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 21, 2010 Author Share #20 Posted August 21, 2010 I just watched the movie two days ago. Wish I could have met him. God bless him and his family. Thanks Maw, appreciate your comment if you ha dmet him you would have been astounded at his humility. Cheers lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Standfast Posted August 21, 2010 Share #21 Posted August 21, 2010 Always loved The Longest Day. I didn't realize the bagpiper was a real person, thought he was just a Hollywood invention! No soldier like a Scot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted August 22, 2010 Share #22 Posted August 22, 2010 Weren't his bagpipes on display at the Pegasus Bridge Museum in Normandy? Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share #23 Posted August 22, 2010 Always loved The Longest Day. I didn't realize the bagpiper was a real person, thought he was just a Hollywood invention! No soldier like a Scot. Hi Mr Standfast, Bill was real in every sense of the word and was well recorded as having played the pipes ashore and at Pegasus bridge. By the time the film was made in 1962 Bill was around mid forties and like most people several pounds heavier than he was at 21 when he landed on the beaches. In the film his part was taken by a young piper who was the Queen mothers personal piper. Cheers Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share #24 Posted August 22, 2010 Weren't his bagpipes on display at the Pegasus Bridge Museum in Normandy? Erwin Hi Erwin, I think the pipes at Pegasus museum must have been a representative pair, it was stated by the BBC back in January 2001 that his pipes were given to the National Museum of Scotland. Now having said that the museum at Pegasus could be a representative pair I'm sure that Bill probably had more than one set of pipes during his sixty years of playing, just depends on which was the 1944 set. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/1119994.stm Cheers Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted August 22, 2010 Share #25 Posted August 22, 2010 Ow ok, thanks for clearing that up. I thought I had seen them when I visited Normandy back in 1994. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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