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Colonel Bogey March

About the Song

The "Colonel Bogey March" is one of the most recognisable military marches in the world. It was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (pen name Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster. The march is best known from the 1957 film "The Bridge on the River Kwai", where prisoners of war whistle it defiantly.

Fun Fact

The march is primarily instrumental, but during World War II, British soldiers famously added rude lyrics about Hitler ("Hitler Has Only Got One Ball"), which became one of the most well-known parodies in military history.