World War II Military Figure. He was a member of Scotland's 51st Highlanders that stormed the beaches of Normandy, France during the Allied D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. Armed with only a dagger in his stocking, he was ordered to play the regimental bagpipes as a means to boost the morale of his fellow Scottish soldiers, as they came ashore on Sword Beach. Facing heavy artillery, sniper and machine-gun fire, he advanced with his unit and continued playing as they moved inland against enemy defensive positions. He later found out from captured German soldiers that they didn't shoot him because they thought he was insane. In 1962 his role in the D-Day invasion was recreated in the motion picture "The Longest Day." He was awarded the Croix d'Honneur medal for gallantry by the French Government, and was the recipient of two other awards for bravery. He died in a Torbay, England nursing facility from stroke complications.
World War II Military Figure. He was a member of Scotland's 51st Highlanders that stormed the beaches of Normandy, France during the Allied D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. Armed with only a dagger in his stocking, he was ordered to play the regimental bagpipes as a means to boost the morale of his fellow Scottish soldiers, as they came ashore on Sword Beach. Facing heavy artillery, sniper and machine-gun fire, he advanced with his unit and continued playing as they moved inland against enemy defensive positions. He later found out from captured German soldiers that they didn't shoot him because they thought he was insane. In 1962 his role in the D-Day invasion was recreated in the motion picture "The Longest Day." He was awarded the Croix d'Honneur medal for gallantry by the French Government, and was the recipient of two other awards for bravery. He died in a Torbay, England nursing facility from stroke complications.
Bio by: Nils M. Solsvik Jr.
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