William Horace de Vere Cole (5 May 1881–25 February 1936) was a British eccentric prankster and poet. His most famous trick was the Dreadnought Hoax on 7 February 1910, when he fooled the captain of the Royal Navy warship HMS Dreadnought into taking Cole and a group of his friends, including Virginia Woolf, for an Abyssinian delegation.
As an undergraduate at Cambridge University, Cole had posed as the sultan of Zanzibar — who was visiting London at the time — to make an official visit to his own college accompanied by his friend Adrian Stephen (the brother of Virginia Woolf).
With his mane of hair and bristling moustache, Cole was often confused with British prime minister Ramsay Macdonald causing dismay in public when he launched into a fierce attack of Labour Party policy. His own sister Annie married Neville Chamberlain.
Following the Sultan of Zanzibar prank, Cole executed a series of bold jokes and escapades principally aimed at deflating pompous figures of authority. His targets included members of parliament, city businessmen and naval officers. On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly. On another, Cole dared a Member of Parliament to dash before him to the nearest corner with a 10-yard head start — having already slipped his gold watch into the MP's pocket. When the MP then began to run, Cole yelled for the police who promptly arrested the "pickpocket" and took him to the nearest police station.
Cole once hosted a party in which the attendees discovered that they all had the word "bottom" in their surname.
The prankster at one point gave theatre tickets to each of his bald friends, strategically placing them so that their heads spelled out an expletive when viewed from the balcony.
On his honeymoon in Italy in 1919, Cole dropped horse manure onto Venice's Piazza di San Marco — which could only be reached by a boat.
Once heir to a great fortune, Cole married twice and died in poverty in France.
Cole has also been suspected of the Piltdown Man hoax.
As an undergraduate at Cambridge University, Cole had posed as the sultan of Zanzibar — who was visiting London at the time — to make an official visit to his own college accompanied by his friend Adrian Stephen (the brother of Virginia Woolf).
With his mane of hair and bristling moustache, Cole was often confused with British prime minister Ramsay Macdonald causing dismay in public when he launched into a fierce attack of Labour Party policy. His own sister Annie married Neville Chamberlain.
Following the Sultan of Zanzibar prank, Cole executed a series of bold jokes and escapades principally aimed at deflating pompous figures of authority. His targets included members of parliament, city businessmen and naval officers. On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly. On another, Cole dared a Member of Parliament to dash before him to the nearest corner with a 10-yard head start — having already slipped his gold watch into the MP's pocket. When the MP then began to run, Cole yelled for the police who promptly arrested the "pickpocket" and took him to the nearest police station.
Cole once hosted a party in which the attendees discovered that they all had the word "bottom" in their surname.
The prankster at one point gave theatre tickets to each of his bald friends, strategically placing them so that their heads spelled out an expletive when viewed from the balcony.
On his honeymoon in Italy in 1919, Cole dropped horse manure onto Venice's Piazza di San Marco — which could only be reached by a boat.
Once heir to a great fortune, Cole married twice and died in poverty in France.
Cole has also been suspected of the Piltdown Man hoax.
William Horace de Vere Cole (5 May 1881–25 February 1936) was a British eccentric prankster and poet. His most famous trick was the Dreadnought Hoax on 7 February 1910, when he fooled the captain of the Royal Navy warship HMS Dreadnought into taking Cole and a group of his friends, including Virginia Woolf, for an Abyssinian delegation.
As an undergraduate at Cambridge University, Cole had posed as the sultan of Zanzibar — who was visiting London at the time — to make an official visit to his own college accompanied by his friend Adrian Stephen (the brother of Virginia Woolf).
With his mane of hair and bristling moustache, Cole was often confused with British prime minister Ramsay Macdonald causing dismay in public when he launched into a fierce attack of Labour Party policy. His own sister Annie married Neville Chamberlain.
Following the Sultan of Zanzibar prank, Cole executed a series of bold jokes and escapades principally aimed at deflating pompous figures of authority. His targets included members of parliament, city businessmen and naval officers. On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly. On another, Cole dared a Member of Parliament to dash before him to the nearest corner with a 10-yard head start — having already slipped his gold watch into the MP's pocket. When the MP then began to run, Cole yelled for the police who promptly arrested the "pickpocket" and took him to the nearest police station.
Cole once hosted a party in which the attendees discovered that they all had the word "bottom" in their surname.
The prankster at one point gave theatre tickets to each of his bald friends, strategically placing them so that their heads spelled out an expletive when viewed from the balcony.
On his honeymoon in Italy in 1919, Cole dropped horse manure onto Venice's Piazza di San Marco — which could only be reached by a boat.
Once heir to a great fortune, Cole married twice and died in poverty in France.
Cole has also been suspected of the Piltdown Man hoax.
As an undergraduate at Cambridge University, Cole had posed as the sultan of Zanzibar — who was visiting London at the time — to make an official visit to his own college accompanied by his friend Adrian Stephen (the brother of Virginia Woolf).
With his mane of hair and bristling moustache, Cole was often confused with British prime minister Ramsay Macdonald causing dismay in public when he launched into a fierce attack of Labour Party policy. His own sister Annie married Neville Chamberlain.
Following the Sultan of Zanzibar prank, Cole executed a series of bold jokes and escapades principally aimed at deflating pompous figures of authority. His targets included members of parliament, city businessmen and naval officers. On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly. On another, Cole dared a Member of Parliament to dash before him to the nearest corner with a 10-yard head start — having already slipped his gold watch into the MP's pocket. When the MP then began to run, Cole yelled for the police who promptly arrested the "pickpocket" and took him to the nearest police station.
Cole once hosted a party in which the attendees discovered that they all had the word "bottom" in their surname.
The prankster at one point gave theatre tickets to each of his bald friends, strategically placing them so that their heads spelled out an expletive when viewed from the balcony.
On his honeymoon in Italy in 1919, Cole dropped horse manure onto Venice's Piazza di San Marco — which could only be reached by a boat.
Once heir to a great fortune, Cole married twice and died in poverty in France.
Cole has also been suspected of the Piltdown Man hoax.
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