The event was videoed, with footage showing a group of students dressed up as women running onto the quad, having a mock battle on the grass and then running back off the quad to applause and laughter. It all happened in front of the entire contingent of Exeter’s first year student, who were in the process of having their matriculation photo taken.
It is an Exeter tradition for such an event to occur on matriculation day; Ella Richards, a second year student at Exeter, explained, “It’s an Exeter tradition that third years come and disturb the matriculation photo. Two years ago there was a guy dressed up as Ronald Macdonald running around the quad, being chased by a second guy dressed as a policeman and squirting ketchup.”
This year’s prank was inspired by Monty Python’s famous ‘Pearl Harbour’ sketch, whereby a group of women from the ‘Townswomen Guild of Sheffield’ re-enact the Battle of Pearl Harbour. The sketch shows them proceeding to throw themselves repeatedly at one another in the mud, in much the same way as the Exeter students in this year’s prank.
One of those involved in the prank, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “This was simply the continuation of an anonymous college tradition, and little else can be added as an explanation.” He did, however, refer Cherwell to the video of the ‘Pearl Harbour’ sketch. Michael Palin, one of the founding members of Monty Python, is an honorary member of Exeter JCR.
The freshers seemed to enjoy the spectacle, with Cherwell reporter Ellen Brewster simply stating, “It was very funny!”
