Oh, no, Danny - by no means unworthy ..... and but barely in jest (where so many a true word be spoken!).
The late Professor Parkinson wrote lightheartedly in his most popular work about the alarming rise of the admirals/ships ratio, etc., but his analysis of the inexorable rise of bureaucracy remains ghoulishly apposite.
During the war bureaucracy was, no doubt, very much in place (as in the 'seditious' song, "We are the Whitehall Warriors!") but I suspect that it was somewhat contained because of the importance of the job in hand, and the willingness of those actually doing the job to challenge the desk drivers from time to time (would you agree?). Now, of course, it seems practically unbridled ....
I am mindful of the comment of a distinguished Indian aviator .... 'The British introduced us to bureaucracy ... and we perfected it!'.