Lone piper Denise to play haunting tribute to D-Day fallen at iconic UK venues | UK | News | EUROtoday

The haunting sound of bagpipes will reverberate round a number of the nation’s iconic landmarks as a part of the countdown to D-Day 80.

Lone piper Denise MacRae-Ramsbottom will lead a solemn tribute to the 22,442 troopers who gave their lives below British command throughout the Normandy landings which began on June 6, 1944.

Her 10-day vigil will begin at 8am on April 28 at Sandringham and soak up Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court, earlier than ending at Somerleyton Hall, close to Lowestoft on May 7.

As a toddler, biomedical scientist Denise, who lives in Taverham, Norwich, was instructed by her academics that because of listening to loss in a single ear, it could be unimaginable for her to play a musical instrument and pursue a musical profession.

She ignored the recommendation and now performs the euphonium, tenor horn, trumpet and cornet, and Highland Pipes in bands together with the RAF Honington Voluntary Symphonic Wind Band and the RAF Waddington Pipes and Drums.

Her every day laments will see her play Highland Laddie, the uplifting ditty performed by Commando Bill Millin on Sword Beach as hundreds of troopers scrambled ashore, and an act that noticed him enter British Army folklore and changing into perpetually referred to as The Mad Piper.

Denise, 46, stated: “It is a huge honour and it will be one of the most memorable experiences of my piping career. I am fully aware of the sacrifice made by so many. We should never forget those who gave so much.”

Her tribute will even soak up Framlingham, the Tower of London, St James’s Palace, Norwich Castle, and Woburn Abbey.

Denise, who works on the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, is following within the footsteps of father-and-son pipers John and Jacob Millin who final month launched into the same tribute, taking part in the bagpipes of their gardens in honour of their father and grandfather “Mad Bill” and the Normandy lionhearts whose heroism helped liberate occupied France and Europe.

As he waded in the direction of the seaside, shivering in 6ft of water, his commanding officer shouted, “Give us Highland Laddie, man”.

When he reached the sand Bill was requested to pipe Commandos ashore with The Road to the Isles.

He later recalled: “That sounded rather ridiculous to me – to play the bagpipes and entertain people just like on Brighton sands in peacetime. Anyway, I started the pipes up, and marched up and down.”

As heavy artillery fireplace rained down, Bill calmly paced alongside the seaside offering morale boosting tunes. One sergeant was stated to have screamed: “Get down, you mad bugger. You’re attracting attention to us.” From there his nickname was born.

The pipes Bill performed on D-Day at the moment are on show at Dawlish Museum in Devon.

Veteran Tom Duncan stated: “I shall never forget hearing the skirl of Bill Millin’s pipes. It is hard to describe the impact it had. It gave us a great lift and increased our determination. As well as the pride we felt, it reminded us of home and why we were there fighting for our lives and those of our loved ones.”

Denise’s tribute comes weeks earlier than the world stops to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of D-Day when 156,000 British and Allied troopers spearheaded the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe by launching an audacious air and sea invasion of Normandy, the largest navy assault in historical past.

D-Day pageantmaster Bruno Peek stated: “We are delighted Denise decided to ignore her teachers all those years ago and will pipe for us in front of some of the country’s most distinguished and famous landmarks. Her 10-day tribute will be a fitting honour to the memory of those brave soldiers who played their part in Normandy and in the Second World War.”