Colonel Bogey March

A Military March

Most people know the "Colonel Bogey March" as the theme music from the 1957 Academy Award winning motion picture "Bridge over the River Kwai". It was not written for the movie however, but created on the eve of World War I in 1914 by a British Army musician writing under the pseudonym of Kenneth Alford.

Kenneth Alford (pseudonym of Major Fredrick Joseph Ricketts, Royal Marines) was born in London on Februrary 21, 1881, By the time he was fourteen he had lost both of his parents and, lying about his age, he decided to seek a career in Army music joining the Royal Irish Regiment in 1895. He remained in the Army until 1927, when he was comissioned into the Royal Marines as a Director of Music. After a total of almost fifty years' service to the Crown he retired in 1944 in rather poor health and died in the following year on May the 15th.

F.J.Ricketts' pseudonym "Kenneth J. Alford", is derived from Ricketts' eldest son, Kenneth; Ricketts' middle name, Joseph; and Ricketts' Mother's maiden name, Alford.

COLONEL BOGEY MARCH (1914) One of the most probable explanations for the creation of this march was that Alford was a keen walker and regularly took his walks on the golf course at Fort George in North-East Scotland nine miles from Inverness. During this time, Alford was serving with the 93rd Highlanders preparing for the call to arms in mainland Europe. In May of 1958, Alford's Widow wrote a note of explanation to the Publishers of the march in question: "While playing golf on the Fort George course, one of the members whistled the first two notes (B flat and G) instead of calling 'Fore !', and with impish spontaneity was answered by Alford with the next few notes. There was little sauntering - Moray Firth's stiff breezes encouraged a good crisp stride. These little scraps of whistling appeared to 'catch on' with the players, and from that beginning the Quick March was built up."

The Music
Colonel Bogey March
[ 2:48 ] [ 42k ]

The Song
The song in this book which is sung to the tune of
"Colonel Bogey March"

1. Hitler Only Had One Ball

Colonel Bogey March

Sorry, no original lyrics as this was written as a marching band piece.