Oh what a lovely war...

So there I was in the kitchen preparing the chicken chasseur, having a crafty sip of what I must say was an excellent 35 year old Spanish red and expecting to hear Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. No luck because it was trumped by the Remembrance ceremony from the Cenotaph. Fair enough, I'm as much in favour as anyone of  acknowledging the debt we owe to those we've put in the firing line. It would also be good if we did a better job of looking after them when they leave the armed forces, but that's another story.

But what left me momentarily speechless was the march being played by the military band. Which buffoon thought it was a good idea to play Oh what a lovely war? I'm sure the satirical intent was obvious in 1917 when it was a music hall hit, but at a solemn ceremony in 2015? I'm not sure that was a good place for postmodern irony.

Here's an even older song about one aspect of the military life.