Piper discusses D-Day Invasion

[wvpiper]

Appropriate for Memorial Day Weekend, but also an interesting story. You can click the audio icons above the stamp to listen to Bill Millin discuss landing at Normandy. The NPR story is a few years old, but I just found it and thought I would share it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=1923053

[cavscout]

Thanks for posting that. A great story!

[Dan R Porter]

THis story is great. THough it makes me feel a bit guilty. Those men were true warriors.

[piperdbh]

I just read and listened to the story. I'm glad NPR has recorded 'Piper Millin's story in his own words and voice. His family will appreciate it in the future, and other generations will have the benefit of hearing him tell his story.

[ghostlight]

Those men were true warriors.

Indeed.

[wvpiper]

Here's a link to a more detailed version in his words.
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/bill_millin.htm

[JolyStNicholas]

My dad was at Normandy and indeed they were true hero's, brave men all, regardless of the uniform they wore. They all bled and died for the same cause FREEDOM!

[macwilkin]

Just a wee bit of trivia, but in the movie The Longest Day, when Lovat's commandos relieve John Howard's men at Pegasus Bridge, Richard Todd, who played Major Howard in the movie, was a real veteran of the action portrayed in the movie.

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/john_howard.htm

http://www.britisharmedforces.org/pa...chard_todd.htm

Besides playing Major Howard, Todd also played Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC in The Dam Busters and the Rev. Peter Marshall, "father" of the Kirkin of the Tartan service and Coatbridge, Scotland native in A Man Called Peter. He also played Corporal "Lachy" Lachlan in The Hasty Heart.

Up the Ox & Bucks!

Todd

[Jack Daw]

He says he wore the kilt at the invasion. How'd he get away with that? That wasn't a part of the uniform at the time.

[macwilkin]

He says he wore the kilt at the invasion. How'd he get away with that? That wasn't a part of the uniform at the time.

I have seen a depiction of a Commando on the St Nazaire raid (Operation Chariot) wearing a kilt, complete with kilt apron:

http://books.google.com/books?id=UyJ...esult&resnum=4

Remember, Commandos were very unconventional in terms of the British Army regimental system -- in fact, many former Commandos who returned to their old regiments were socially shunned for being "disloyal".

T.