The Great Little Army | |
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March by Kenneth J. Alford | |
Composed | 1916 |
"The Great Little Army" is a British military march that was composed by Kenneth J. Alford in 1916. Alford (real name Frederick Joseph Ricketts) was a bandmaster of the British Army/Royal Marines, who in the last position he was appointed to directed the Band of HM Royal Marines, Plymouth. It was written to honour British and Allied victories won on the Western Front. [1] The title relates to the Kaiser supposedly referring to the British army as 'a contemptible little army'. The phrase was actually devised at the British War Office by Sir Frederick Maurice to be attributed to the Kaiser as propaganda. [2]
The march is currently employed by various units in the British Army as a march past. The Canadian Army made the march the authorised march-past in quick time in 2013, replacing "Celer Paratus Callidus" ("Quick, Clever and Ready"). Colleen McGrann, spokeswoman for the Canadian Army explained that "Celer Paratus Callidus" was "neither particularly tuneful or easily recognizable" and that "The Great Little Army" "seemed appropriate in both name and tune". [3]
The march is also the regimental quick march for the 2nd Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and the Special Mobile Force of Mauritius.
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The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march that was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881–1945), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. The march is often whistled. At the start of World War II, British soldiers sang the lyrics "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" to accompany the tune.
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Frederick Joseph Ricketts was an English composer of marches for band. Under the pen name Kenneth J. Alford, he composed marches which are considered to be great examples of the art. He was a Bandmaster in the British Army, and Royal Marines Director of Music. Conductor Sir Vivian Dunn called Ricketts "The British March King". Ricketts' frequent use of the saxophone contributed to its permanent inclusion in military bands. His best known work is the "Colonel Bogey March".
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The following events occurred in August 1917:
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