I am looking for a photo of Lord Lovat and his piper Bill Millin together. Does one exist of them both together during the war? Brithm
Brithm, There's the well known photo which shows the back of Bill Millen with his bag pipes about to leave the landing craft. Lord Lovat is supposedly seen in the water to the right of the column of Commandos heading to shore. D-DAY - BRITISH FORCES DURING THE INVASION OF NORMANDY, 6TH JUNE 1944. © IWM (B 5103)IWM Non Commercial Licence Unfortunately the film Ian Grant took of the Commandos in Benouville and at the Bridge was given to a dispatch rider to deliver to the beach and never seen again. Hopefully someone comes up with a frontal shot of the two men together. Regards ... Edit: Link
Later ... No luck so far in finding other photos of the pair together during or after the war for that matter. Perhaps Bill's son by way of the Dawlish Museum would have a lead. Captain Leslie Evans AFPU who took the above still photo does turn up in the IWM archives, but not in great quantity. There are many photos and film clips of both Lord Lovat and Millin taken in Normandy post war but have yet to find one showing them together in the same frame. A video that may be of interest shows a short clip of Piper Bill at one point during a ceremony in Amfreville, 1944. I found it interesting that Bill Millen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on 14 July 1922. His family returned to Scotland when he was just three years old. Regards ...
Thanks for that video - just knowing my dad's in amongst them is wonderful. He used to tell me about some folk telling him off for attracting attention ... he was an integral part of No.4. I've got Bill's book, Invasion, no photos of them together in there either.
How time flies ... The attached photo is a capture from a video on the Normandy Memorial Trust Facebook page. The tall man in a black suit to the rear of Bill Millen looks like Lord Lovat to me as they cross Pegasus Bridge together at a D-Day commemoration. Of course the reality was on June 6th, 1944 they actually piped across the Orne River Bridge rather than the one over the Caen Canal. Regards ...
SDP, I don't do Facebook but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is a photo from John Millen's collection. John Millen did well to learn to play "Amazing Grace" for the unveiling of his Father's statue in 2013. Regards ...