French condemn 'mean' British over memorial
French fundraisers have condemned the British as "mean" after less than ten donated money for a statue in honour of one of the few living heroes of D-Day.
4 Jun 2010
The Telegraph
Piper Bill Millin, now 86, braved enemy fire on Sword Beach in Normandy to play 'Highland Laddie' on his bagpipes repeatedly to boost morale among the landing troops,
But one year after a French pipe band launched a campaign to raise £80,000 for a bronze statue of Piper Millin they revealed that just eight Britons have contributed.
The majority of the money raised so far has come from the French who made 66 out of 87 donations. A handful of donations have also come from Americans, Swiss and Belgians.
Organisers are still £70,000 short of their target.
[I would be interested in knowing how much was sent by those handful of donations from America and the 8 Britons - of the 10,000. By the way France, they liberated YOUR country. Perhaps you should be erecting these statues everywhere using YOUR money. Why is it we/them/someone saves your ass and each time must then take responsibility for ensuring YOU remember. Perhaps it is time for your collective memory to kick in.]
Leading fund raiser Serge Athenour de Gourdon, president of the Mary Queen of Scots Pipe Band of France, revealed he was "disappointed" by the reaction so far from across the channel.
Mr Athenour de Gourdon, a policeman, said: "I hesitate to say it, but it is a bit mean. The image of Bill coming ashore playing his pipes s iconic.
"All the men who helped liberate Sword Beach that day were heroes and Bill had an important role in giving them the courage to face the onslaught.
"I hope we can raise more this weekend."
Piper Millin, who lives in a nursing home in Dawlish, Devon, has travelled to Normandy to help with the fundraising despite being confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke.
He said yesterday : "I never expected anything like this. I am pleased to be able to help raise some more money. It is very good of the French to do this for me."
He will be at Pegasus Bridge today at 11am for a ceremony and to sign books in return for donations, then at 3pm he will be at the cemetery at Omaha Beach.
Tomorrow he will attend a fund raising concert at 2.30pm at Colleville Montgomery.
Piper Millin, who was immortalised in the Oscar winning 1962 film The Longest Day, has never been honoured in Britain.
On D-Day he was a member of the 1st Commando Brigade under Lord Lovat, who ignored orders that no pipes should be played, because of worries about a high death toll.
He waded ashore wearing the kilt his father had worn in the First World War and was ordered to play.
He said: "I just said okay and got on with it."
He found out later that the Germans didn't try to shoot him as they thought he was mad.
French
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