Horace de Vera Cole and the Dreadnaught
A very good hoax is something the British enjoy. And, in 1910, Horace de Vera Cole and a small group of friends carried out an incredible hoax. They made fun of the great Royal Navy.
As it so happened, an Abyssinian prince was paying a visit to England. This was an excellent chance for the prank loving Horace. And, very soon, he and his fun group of friends, which included Virginia Woolf and 2 other members of the Bloomsbury group, were perfecting a plan.
With the help of a university drama club, the group produced some unimaginably very good costumes; and, the makeup was brilliant too. The group then went on their way.
After having cleverly tricked British Railways into providing a VIP luxury coach for the journey, the group travelled down to Weymouth which lay on the coast. And, there, moored in great splendor was HMS Dreadnaught. A fine British battle ship.
The captain and crew had been informed in advance of the Abyssinian visit. A very realistic Foreign Office telegram had been sent. The Dreadnaught was ready and waiting. The Abyssinian prince and his delegation were whistled on board and saluted. A tour of the ship and a very fine lunch then went without saying. And, before disembarking, the Abyssinian prince bestowed an Abyssinian medal of honor on the captain. A traditional Abyssinian thank you.
The party that night was a party that London never forgot. The Dreadnaught Hoax, as it had become known, was the talk of the town. Everyone thought it was funny. And, the fun carried on until morning. But, then, came a knock on the door!
It was the navy. The group was arrested and taken back down to Weymouth. This time third class not VIP. There was the Dreadnaught. It was waiting for them. The group was marched back on board. This time to a different kind of whistling. The captain was not very happy.
Each member of the group, except Virginia Woolf, was made to bend over and given three symbolic whips on the buttocks. And all to the very hearty cheers of the crew. But, of course, this wasn't the end of the story.
The captain and officers of the Dreadnaught invited Horace de Vera Cole and his friends for a wonderful lunch. The Dreadnaught had been cleverly tricked. The Royal Navy, too, enjoy very good pranks, and, of course, are very good losers. All very good fun and all very British.
Horace de Vera Cole and the Dreadnaught
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