“Ah, but that’s the English War Office, Millin,” Lovat told him.
“You and I are both Scottish so that doesn’t apply.”
Do not allow your men to kill themselves.
Do not kill yourself.
Stay alive and wait for me to return.
It might take me one week, one month, one year, or one decade.
Do not leave."
So, he didn’t.
He stayed because he was told to.
That seems to be a common theme in the stories that we are going through.
Longtime Stoolie Lord Lovat was an absolute wild car as well but that’s a story for another time.
Bill Millin was sworn to protect and listen to the orders of Lord Lovat.
It wasn’t just a regular movie or something.
Bill didn’t have Kermit’s voice.
Think of all the different scenes you’ve seen from the Battle of Normandy.
In scenes just like those, Bill was tasked with heading to the front lines and playing his bagpipes.
So, Bill would keep playing.
Think about what was happening all around him.
All around the beach, there were strong German defenses, especially along the coastline.
We’ve all heard that.
If you were interested enough to read this far, you for sure know that.
But what you might not know is that Bill Millin’s story is legit crazy.
With all that shit happening on the beach, Bill was playing.
He told of his playing at some of the worst times in American history…
He wasn’t American but nevertheless.
While the deadly and bloody scene kept unfolding, Bill still played.
He played while bodies stacked up next to him in the surf.
He played while men were getting cut in half by the projectiles fired from machine guns.
He played while artillery rained down overhead.
The dude just fucking played in a scene that dozens of movies have portrayed.
His quotes from the Independent are wild as hell.
“I didn’t really notice I was being shot at myself,“he said.
“The water was freezing.
The next thing I remember is my kilt floating in the water, like a ballerina.”
He launched into one of Lovat’s favourites, “Hielan' Laddie”, as he waded ashore.
Lovat, firing his old non-service issue Winchester rifle and brandishing a walking stick, gave him a thumbs-up.
How about ‘The Road to the Isles’?”
“Aye, Millin, that would be nice.
Aye, walk up and down.”
And then he did it.
You might be thinking, “How was he not a huge target for the Germans.”
The answer is that they thought he lost his mind and was no longer a threat.
That’s how you know Bill was an unhinged wildcard who put Nazi asses in the jackpot.
If you want to hear more in a longer form, check it out here.
