Events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day will be held across the county.
From May 28 – pipers will play their bagpipes every day for 10 days in locations including Kendal, Carlisle and Windermere.
in Kendal, Richard Cowie will play the bagpipes.
it is to honour the memory of Bill Millin, who was instrumental during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. As the personal piper to Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, and commander of the 1st Special Service Brigade, Millin boldly contravened the British military’s prohibition on pipers at the front.
Adorned in his Cameron tartan kilt and equipped solely with his bagpipes, he strode along Sword Beach, playing Highland Laddie and The Road to the Isles, bolstering the morale of the Allied invaders and confounding the opposition.
In a stroke of fortune, Millin emerged from the day without harm; German sharpshooters later confessed their reluctance to target him, suspecting insanity. Millin’s valour and the eerie melodies of his pipes amid the tumult of combat have enshrined him as a timeless emblem of bravery and resistance.
The events to commemorate the anniversary are being organised by Cumbria Freemasons and on June 6, from 5.30pm, an event will be held at Kendal Rugby Club.
The event will feature a commemorative parade with over 200 army personnel, veterans, and cadets, alongside military vehicles, the Burneside Brass band, and a period singer. At 9.15 pm, a beacon will join others nationwide in illumination, complemented by a hog roast and a raffle.
All proceeds will benefit armed forces charities.
Tickets are available at £15 for adults and £8 for children under 13, which includes the delightful hog roast. For those deciding to turn up on the day itself, entry is £5 (not including the hog roast).
