He subsequently auditioned to join the Canadian Army as a musician, was accepted in the rank of sergeant, and immigrated to Canada in 1953.

Milne was born in Surrey, England, and came from a family of musicians, his father at one point playing with the Paris Opera left school in 1935 at the age of 14 and, along with his older brother Douglas, joined a juvenile band and toured Britain for several years.

[1][2] The group appeared on such BBC Radio programmes as Workers' Playtime, and its fans included Queen Elizabeth II.

Captain Milne also played trumpet in big bands, formed and sang in a vocal group and worked extensively in radio and television in Britain."

After retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces with the rank of Captain, he took up another career as a teacher of string instruments at Nepean High School in Ottawa.