D-DAY

BILL Millin played on D-Day as he and his fellow Allied soldiers stormed the beaches at Normandy in France.

He was a private in the Army’s 1st Special Service Brigade and personal piper to Lord Lovat, the brigade’s commander.

When D-Day dawned, Bill was told to defy orders that forbade the playing of bagpipes on the battlefield.

The 21-year-old, who was unarmed and wearing a kilt, played his bagpipes as he and his brigade mates rushed onto Sword Beach under German fire.

Even as friends fell to the ground around him, he kept piping to keep his fellow soldiers’ spirits up.

Bill walked up and down the beach playing his pipes and his actions baffled the Germans so much they didn’t shoot.

One of the commandos, Tom Duncan, said: “It reminded us of home and why we were fighting there – for our lives and those of our loved ones.”