Bill Millin

Bill Millin, légende et vétéran de la Seconde guerre mondiale, est mort
Sa cornemuse avait fait vibrer les combattants alors sous les tirs de l'armée allemande. Bill Millin, vétéran écossais de la Seconde guerre mondiale et joueur de cornemuse, est décédé à l'âge de 88 ans au Royaume-Uni. Le 6 juin 1944, il avait franchi le pont de Bénouville dans le Calvados avec son instrument en plein débarquement pour encourager ses camarades. Depuis, chaque année, il venait s'y recueillir. Il était d'ailleurs présent le 6 juin dernier. C'est le film "Le jour le plus long" qui avait rendu célèbre cet homme, qui avait traversé le Pegasus bridge, entre Bénouville et Ranville, sous les balles allemandes, sans cesser de souffler dans sa cornemuse.

Bill parle de son débarquement à Sword Beach :

"One day in May 1944, Lord Lovat told me he was forming his own commando brigade, and would like me to join and play the pipes. At that time the War Office had banned pipers in action. Lovat told me he was not bothered about the War Office and that I would be the only piper playing at Normandy. I took it as an honour.''

"Everyone liked Lord Lovat, he was a typical aristocrat who would walk calmly with his head held high while all the rest of us would be ducking and diving to avoid shells.''

"We were the first out of our troop to reach the shore. The ramps on the boat went down and as we stepped off . Lovat ordered me to play 'Highland Laddie.' I started playing as soon as I touched the water. Whenever I hear that song I remember walking through the surf.''


"Wounded men were shocked to see me. They had been expecting to see a doctor or some kind of medical help. Instead they saw me in my kilt and playing the bagpipes. It was horrifying, as I felt so helpless.

There was a small road leading off the beach and ten or twelve were lying wounded at its entrance. Some of them said: 'Are the medics here, Jock? 'I told them not to worry: the doctors would be coming. I took shelter behind a low wall and watched as a flail tank made its way towards the road and the wounded men. I quickly got up and waved my hands frantically over my head, hoping to get the attention of the commander whose steel hat was just visible out of the top of the tank. He seemed not to notice and went straight ahead over the top of the wounded soldiers. It was very traumatic watching those men die.

I dashed up to Lord Lovat and he asked me to play 'Road to the Isles' up and down the beach. There was no time to feel any real emotion. Normandy was a most upsetting campaign because there were so many casualties. It was a killing ground.''

"...above all that, I shall never forget hearing the skirl of Bill Millin's pipes. It is hard to describe the impact it had. It gave us a great lift and increased our determination."

"As well as the pride we felt, it reminded us of home and why we were there fighting for our lives and those of our loved ones"

Une vidéo ici

Le tombeau des héros est le coeur des vivants -
André Malraux