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Eighty years ago, a lone bagpipe player led his battalion over sands at Normandy as Britain embarked on the biggest, most ambitious seaborne invasion in military history. Legendary piper Bill Millin was given strict orders to blow the bagpipes on Sword Beach, Normandy, during the D-Day landings on June 5 1944, when he was just 21-years-old. The young No.

4 Commando played valiantly as his battalion advanced 10 miles up Pegasus Bridge under enemy fire and amazingly survived the ordeal despite his comrades falling around him. His story was immortalised in WWII history as he was portrayed in the 1962 war epic film The Longest Day. Now another young bagpipe player hopes to continue his legacy by re-enacting his famous 15km walk along Sword Beach on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landingsplaying the same traditional tunes "Highland Laddie", "The Road to the Isles" and "All The Blue Bonnets Are Over The Border".



Alex Smith, from , was chosen to play the role of Bill in the D-Day 80 ceremony at Normandy where the famous operation will be re-enacted. Alex, who plays for the The Royal Artillery Band in Bolton, was chosen because of his passion for music and because his age - 21 - lined up with Bill's age when he stormed the beach 80 years ago. He said: "I feel honoured.

I've been around pipes and drums most of my life> My grandad was in the army and went on to be a drummer in the army band and after that he went on to teach the drums. My way of taking a break was going to band pract.

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