ABSTRACT
Polytechnic in 1912, six years aer the event.5 e eet visit to the ames in 1909 provides another example of the seemingly magnetic powers of this vessel. ere were chaotic scenes at Southend, where the agship was moored. e main pier leading to the Dreadnought had to be closed again and again because of overcrowding. On the morning of 18 July, an estimated 20,000 people tried to get onto the pier. ere were ‘nasty rushes and collisions’ between the police and the crowds eager to see the battleship.6 In London, where reportedly a million spectators watched the arrival of the eet in the ames, the Dreadnought was an omnipresent icon. ‘Dreadnought and Wear British Clothing’ declared a sign outside a tailoring business. ere were ‘Dreadnought trams’ fashioned as battleships, complete with imitation guns levelled at boarding passengers. ‘Drink OXO and dread nought’ exclaimed advertisements in the newspapers.7
