She completed a doctorate at the Philipps University of Marburg in 1938 with a thesis on humour in the work of J. M. Barrie and returned thereafter to Moray House in Edinburgh as a student teacher.
[3] During the Second World War, Milne, who was fluent in German and French, worked as a translator for British intelligence, most probably for the SIS in St.
This encounter brought the films of Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet, Wim Wenders and Rainer Fassbinder to Edinburgh.
When a reconstructed German version of the long banned Mädchen in Uniform (1931) was first shown at the Edinburgh Festival, Milne gave a moving, impromptu, simultaneous translation in front of the screen.
The Milnes, particularly through Ray's involvement with film and Harry's role as a key figure in the Scottish branch of the GB-USSR Association, were often hosts, particularly during the Edinburgh Festival, to visiting European film-makers and journalists.