Millin was the only man to strike up the pipes in front of enemy fire that day, urging his comrades on through one of the bloodiest battles of wwii. The longest day film the longest day is a 1962 epic war film based on cornelius ryans book the longest day 1959, about the dday landings at normandy on june 6, 1944, during world war ii. Tartan army back move to immortalise dday piper bill. The longest day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book the longest day by cornelius ryan, about dday, the invasion of normandy on 6 june 1944, during world war ii.
The longest day is a 1962 epic war film based on cornelius ryans 1959 book the longest day 1959 about the dday landings at normandy on june 6, 1944, during world war ii. Invasion by piper bill millin meet your next favorite book. Piper millin is a wellknown figure having appeared in tv documentaries and films about the normandy campaign. Ever modest and humble, millin never sought fame although his actions were immortalised in the 1962 epic war movie the longest day. Bill millins testimony testimony of his dday experience june 6, 1944 sword beach i went along to the hamble river, aboard the landing craft with twentyone others, and we went in the leading one and i had the pipes in the box. His actions were later immortalised in the film the longest day. After reading forgotten voices of dday i just had to find something about piper millin so i was delighted when i found that he had written his memoirs. Zanuck is really only a brief representation of the book although still well worth viewing. The longest day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book the longest day by cornelius ryan, about dday, the invasion of. Millins action on dday was portrayed in the 1962 film the longest day.
He was what we would nowadays call a celebrity, ken sturdy, a 90yearold royal navy veteran of dday and chairman of the torbay and south devon normandy veterans association, told guardian news and media. It sold tens of millions of copies in eighteen different. Rather than focusing on one particular group of participants in the manner of saving. Heroic scot bill millin, who bravely played the bagpipes as british soldiers were cut down around him during the dday landings, has died aged 87. In 1962 cornelius ryans book the longest day was adapted into a film. The longest day is cornelius ryans unsurpassed account of dday, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. Bill millin dday veteran and bagpipe player biography. The climactic battle of world war ii, he writes, time magazine reported on june 12 1944 that as far as the u. Bill millin was the mad piper who played allied commandos ashore under heavy german fire at sword beach in normandy on dday, on the. Traditionally, bagpipes had been used in battle by scottish soldiers, but the british army had curtailed their use during world war ii. It is an amazing book and i would be thrilled to have a copy in my collection. It was about the 6 june 1944 dday invasion of europe by allied forces.
Dday minute by minute by jonathan mayo this book gives a reallife presentation of dday as each hour passes. Millin was a 21yearold private in britains first special service brigade when his unit landed on the strip of coast the allies codenamed sword beach, near the french city of caen at the eastern end of the invasion front chosen by the allies for the landings on june 6, 1944. Brave scot bill millin who played the pipes as bullets. The screenplay was by ryan, with additional material written by romain gary, james jones, david pursall, and jack seddon. Video there was an international bagpipe tribute on veday 75. As the largest military force in the history of warfare landed on the beaches of normandy, bill millin piped them ashore.
London bill millin, a scottish bagpiper who played highland tunes as his fellow commandos landed on a normandy beach on dday and. The longest day is a 1962 epic war film based on cornelius ryans book the longest day 1959, about the dday landings at normandy on june 6, 1944, during world war ii. Piper bill on the dday beach warfare history network. The author, war journalist cornelius ryan, pioneered a new style of military history writing based on interviews with more than a. Bill millin on bagpipes by helen playford on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who.
The longest day is a 3hourlong fy1962 war film with a very large cast, based on the 1959 history the longest day by cornelius ryan, about dday, the invasion of normandy on 6 june 1944, during world war ii. Lord lovat and dday piper bill millin 1994 duration. Millin was a 21yearold private in britains first special. Bill millin playing the pipes at dawlish warren, near his home in devon millin began his apparently suicidal serenade immediately upon jumping from the ramp of the landing craft into the icy water.
First published in 1959, the longest day is one of the bestselling military history books of all time, and the inspiration for the legendary 1962 film released by 20th century fox. This man was a very courageous young man during the normandy invasion and i was very much looking forward to reading his side of things, his descriptions of lord lovat whose personal piper he. Practical information concerning the ceremonies and festivities of the 76th anniversary of the normandy landings. June 6th dday, longest day scots book of days utah. Bill millin, portrayed in the epic war book and movie the longest day, and who boosted morale during the dday landings in normandy, has died at. The classic account of the allied invasion of normandy. Invasion paperback january 1, 1991 by bill millin author 5. The airborne division had captured the bridge in the early hours that day in an assault later immortalised in the classic film the longest day, in which the part of millin was played by pipe major. Bill millin was ordered to keep playing his bagpipes to boost morale as fellow soldiers were killed around him. The longest day is a book by cornelius ryan published in 1959, telling the story of dday, the first day of the world war ii invasion of normandy.
I was a kid in 1962 when the movie the longest day came out. In 1944 bill millin, known by the nickname piper bill played highland laddie and the. The longest day was the title of a book by cornelius ryan describing the events of dday through the eyes of as many of the participants allied, german and local inhabitants as he could find and interview in 1962, the book was made into a film with an allstar cast and loads and loads of characters. Bill millin, piper at the dday landings, died on august 17th, aged 88. With it i watched the castofthousands film by darryl f. The longest day is a 1962 american epic war film based on cornelius ryans 1959 nonfiction of the same name about the dday landings at normandy on june 6, 1944. I am presently about half way through it and it is nothing short of amazing. In 1962, the allstar film adaptation of cornelius ryans book, the longest day was made. The part of the piper who accompanied lovats commandos was played by pipe major leslie. The pipes were his weapon, the music his ammunition.
Bill millin, lord lovats personal piper on dday see more. Bill millin, portrayed in the epic war book and movie the longest day, and who boosted morale during the dday landings in normandy, has died at a hospital in torbay, england, aged 88. Uk royal commandos assaulting pegasus bridge at ouistreham. The longest day 1962 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Bill millin dday veteran and bagpipe player biography dday. June 6 1944 the longest day dday autumn leaves are falling. William piper bill millin, the scottish private in the british army who played his bagpipes during the dday invasion of normandy died on august 17th at the age of 82. Bill millin archives whidbey island baking company. Bill millin, the mad bagpiper who played during the normandy landings. Those who have seen the 1962 film, the longest day, or read the book of the same title by cornelius ryan, will forever remember millin. Most people will remember him from cornelius ryans book the longest day, and the film of that name.
He was only 21 at the time of the normandy landings, at which time he served as a soldier in the 1st special service brigade commanded by simon fraser, also known as lord lovat, fifteenth and twenty name. On dday 1944, piper bill millin, personal piper to lord lovat, was there. A classic military history, now in a fully illustrated and redesigned edition. Bill millin playing the pipes at dawlish warren, near his home in. Uk royal commandos assaulting pegasus bridge at ouistreham alekseyevich. It is commonly believed that bill millin had a cameo role in the film, playing himself as the piper who accompanied lord lovats commandos. Movie for a long time, when anyone thought of a war movie, they immediately thought of darryl f. Cornelius ryan, who was the author of the book by the same name, and happened to be a dday veteran himself, wrote the movie. I found a couple of references including one based on a personal interview with bill millin which state that he did not portray himself in the longest day. Bill millin, a scottish bagpiper who played highland tunes as his fellow commandos landed on a normandy beach on dday and lived to see his bravado immortalized in the 1962 film the longest day, died on wednesday in a hospital in the western england county of devon. Bill millin was born on july 14, 1922 in glasgow, scotland. Rip bill millin, the dday bagpiper postcards of the hanging. A french pipe band are raising funds to erect a statue of bill millin, who was immortalised in the 1962 film the longest day.
895 889 767 727 1190 270 1279 1222 683 1152 1450 1442 132 940 55 855 600 1032 1109 1316 1125 74 419 265 266 770 927 852 1201 1326 1246 385 368 917 416 5