Piper Bill Millin

In his father's borrowed Cameron kilt, Piper Bill Millin accompanied No. 6 Commando, 1st Special Service Brigade onto Queen Beach Red on the morning of 6 June 1944.

Their task: To neutralise the German defences around the casino and a coastal battery in Ouistreham, before going on Pegasus Bridge.

'My job as a Piper, I was personal Piper to Lord Lovat. My job was to play the bagpipes for the invasion...to play the pipers going ashore.'

He was aged just 21 at the time, and led his compatriots into battle with only his pipes and a knife tucked into his sock. (M.C. McDougall, Swiftly They Struck, Odhams, 1954)

The story of Piper Bill Millin and the Commandos is told on a visit to Colleville-Montgomery, part of the D Day Landing Beaches guided tour. Please email Contact@UntoldWW1 for more information