The D-Day Piper Bill Millin Statue on Sword Beach, Normandy
Piper Bill Millin was a Scottish soldier and personal piper to Lord Lovat who became one of the most famous figures of D-Day. On the morning of 6 June 1944, Millin landed on Sword Beach with the 1st Special Service Brigade and played the bagpipes as his comrades advanced through heavy enemy fire. His courage and calmness made him a legend of the Normandy landings and a lasting symbol of morale and bravery.
Who was Piper Bill Millin
Bill Millin was born in Canada in 1922 to Scottish parents who later returned to Glasgow when he was three years old. He went on to serve with Lord Lovat’s commandos during the Second World War. Despite official advice that pipers should not play in battle after heavy losses in the First World War, Millin followed Lovat’s orders to play during the assault on Sword Beach.
As he marched up and down the sand playing “Highland Laddie” and “The Road to the Isles,” German snipers reportedly held their fire, thinking he had lost his mind. His calm and courage under fire made him one of the most memorable figures of D-Day.
The Piper Bill Millin Statue
The statue of Piper Bill Millin is located close to Sword Beach at Colleville-Montgomery, near Ouistreham, in the area where he landed with Lord Lovat’s commandos on D-Day. It was unveiled in 2013 to commemorate Millin and his role during the Normandy landings.
The sculpture was created by Gaétan Ader and commissioned with the support of veterans’ groups and local authorities. The site features three plaques providing additional information about Millin and the events of D-Day.
THANKS TO OUR LIBERATORS
MERCI A NOS LIBERATEURS
ON D DAY, JUNE 6TH 1944, ON THIS SECTOR OF "SWORD BEACH", AS
THE SCOTS HAVE DONE FOR GENERATIONS, THE BRIGADIER LORD
LOVAT, CHIEF OF THE 1ST SPECIAL SERVICE BRIGADE, ALSO A
HIGHLANDS CHIEF, ORDERED HIS PERSONAL PIPER, BILL MILLIN TO
PIPE HIS COMMANDOS ASHORE.
ABOVE THE ROAR OF BATTLE CAME THE SKIRL OF LIBERATION
WITH THE PIPER LEADING THE WAY.
THE BOTH ENTERED LEGEND
IF THEY REMEMBER THE BAGPIPER, THEN THEY WON'T FORGET
THOSE WHO SERVED AND FELL ON THE BEACHES
PIPER WILLIAM "BILL" MILLIN
MEMORIAL ERECTED BY THE GENEROSITY OF THOSE WHO REMEMBER
Visiting the Statue
The Piper Bill Millin statue is easy to visit, with plenty of parking available nearby. It is located in Colleville-Montgomery, close to Sword Beach and within a short drive of Pegasus Bridge, which is home to the Pegasus Bridge Museum and Millin’s original campaign bagpipes which he used after D-Day.
