Colonel Bogey March

"Colonel Bogey" redirects here. For the 1948 film, see Colonel Bogey (film).

Colonel Bogey March
March by F. J. Ricketts
Composed1914 (1914)
Audio sample
The "Colonel Bogey March", by Kenneth J. Alford, performed by the United States Navy Band

The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march that was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881–1945) (pen name Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. The march is often whistled. During the Second World War, British soldiers sang the lyrics "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" to accompany the tune.[1]

The march first appeared in film when it was hummed by Michael Redgrave in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes in 1938. English composer Malcolm Arnold added a counter-march, which he titled "The River Kwai March", for David Lean's 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, set during World War II. Empire magazine included the tune in its list of 25 of Cinema's Catchiest Earworms.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Minor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "25 Of Cinema's Catchiest Earworms". Empire. Retrieved 16 April 2022.