The Drones Club is a recurring fictional location

Fictional location

Fictional locations are places that exist only in fiction and not in reality. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as backdrop for their fictional works. Fictional locations are also created for use as settings in Role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons...

 in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse

P. G. Wodehouse

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...

, being a gentlemen's club in London. Many of his Jeeves

Jeeves

Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...

 and Blandings Castle

Blandings Castle

Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth , home to many of his family, and setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...

 stories feature the club or its members.

The name "Drones" has been used by several real-life clubs and restaurants.

Overview

The Drones Club is in Mayfair

Mayfair

Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, located in Dover Street

Dover Street

Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London, England. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also hosts a number of contemporary art galleries...

, off Piccadilly

Piccadilly

Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...

. A drone

Drone (bee)

Drones are male honey bees. They develop from eggs that have not been fertilized, and they cannot sting, since the worker bee's stinger is a modified ovipositor .-Etymology:...

 being a male bee that does no work, living off the labour of others, it aptly describes the contemporary Edwardian

Edwardian period

The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...

 stereotype of rich, idle young club members. At the same time, though, it should be pointed out that many prominent members do have useful occupations. Pongo Twistleton, for example, is reading for the Bar, and other members are mentioned as holding down jobs.

Wodehouse based the Drones Club on a combination of three real London clubs: the Bachelors' Club

Bachelors' Club

The Bachelors' Club was a London gentlemen's club in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, now defunct. As the name suggests, membership was only open to bachelors...

 (existed around the turn of the century), then mostly Buck's Club (established 1919), and a dash of the Bath Club

Bath Club

The Bath Club was a sports-themed London gentlemen's club in the twentieth century. It was established in 1894 at 34 Dover Street. Its swimming pool was a noted feature, and it is thought that the swimming pool of the fictional Drones Club was based on this. Sir Henry "Chips" Channon was a member....

 for its swimming pool's ropes and rings.

However Evelyn Waugh

Evelyn Waugh

Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...

 declared that the Drones did not resemble any real club in 1920s London.
. The fictional Drones barman, McGarry, has the same surname as the Buck's first bartender, a Mr McGarry (Buck's barman from 1919 to 1941, credited with creating the Buck's Fizz and Sidecar cocktails).

A real club has been based at 40 Dover Street

Dover Street

Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London, England. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also hosts a number of contemporary art galleries...

 since 1893, The Arts Club

The Arts Club

The Arts Club is a London private members club founded in 1863 by, amongst others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair, London, England...

. Other gentlemen's clubs which have existed on Dover Street, but are now dissolved, include the Bath Club, the Junior Naval and Military Club, and the Scottish Club, as well as two mixed-sex clubs, the Albemarle Club and the Empress Club. None of these were ever considered among London's 'premier' clubs of the kind found on St James' Street and Pall Mall, and so their ambience often had something of the raucous informality of the fictional Drones Club.

About a dozen club members are major or secondary recurring characters in the Wodehouse stories. In addition to Bertie Wooster

Bertie Wooster

Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...

 (Jeeves stories), Pongo Twistleton

Pongo Twistleton

Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...

 (Uncle Fred stories), Rupert Psmith

Psmith

Rupert Psmith is a recurring fictional character in several novels by British comic writer P. G...

 (Psmith stories), and Freddie Threepwood

Freddie Threepwood

The Honourable Frederick Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club affectionately known as "Freddie", he is the second son of Lord Emsworth, and a somewhat simple-minded youth who brings his father nothing but trouble.Freddie has...

 (Blandings stories), prominent recurring drones include Bingo Little

Bingo Little

Richard P. "Bingo" Little is a recurring fictional character from the Drones and the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a member of the Drones Club.-Overview:...

 and Freddie Widgeon, plus Monty Bodkin

Monty Bodkin

Montague "Monty" Bodkin is a recurring fictional character in three novels of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a wealthy young member of the Drones Club, tall, slender and lissom, well-dressed, well-spoken, impeccably polite, and generally in some kind of romantic trouble.-Stories:Monty...

, Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps, Tuppy Glossop

Tuppy Glossop

Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop is a fictional character appearing in some of P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves books. He is a member of the Drones Club and a good friend of Bertie Wooster. In Right Ho, Jeeves, we learn that Tuppy is of Scottish origin.-Relationships:...

, Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright

Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright

Claude Cattermole "Catsmeat" Potter-Pirbright is a recurring fictional character from the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a member of the Drones Club and a longtime school friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster...

, Archibald Mulliner, and the club millionaire Oofy Prosser

Oofy Prosser

Alexander Charles "Oofy" Prosser is a recurring fictional character from the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the millionaire member of the Drones Club and a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster...

.

Events

• The Drones Club Annual Golf Rally.
• The Drones Club Annual Darts Tournament (sweepstakes).
• The Drones Club Annual Fat Uncle Contest (sweepstakes).

Stories

Among the Wodehouse works, what was later dubbed the "Drones Club series" is a loose set of separate stories told by various narrators, which are either told at the club, or have some events happening at the club, or a club member for protagonist.

Main canon

The main canon consists of 21 short stories (eight Freddie Widgeon, eight Bingo Little

Bingo Little

Richard P. "Bingo" Little is a recurring fictional character from the Drones and the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a member of the Drones Club.-Overview:...

, one Bingo and Widgeon, and four other Drones, including the one introducing Pongo Twistleton

Pongo Twistleton

Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...

 and his Uncle Fred

Uncle Fred

Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse between 1935 and 1961...

), as eventually collected in the omnibus:

• Tales from the Drones Club (1982) later The Drones Omnibus (1991)

The same set of short stories is also available in their original collections:

• Collected in Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then in the United States with a slightly different selection of stories on 23 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.The collection, recounting...
  
  (1936)
  • "Fate" (Freddie Widgeon)
  • "Tried in the Furnace" (Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps and Pongo Twistleton)
  • "Trouble Down at Tudsleigh" (Freddie Widgeon)
  • "The Amazing Hat Mystery" (Percy Wimbolt and Nelson Cork)
  • "Goodbye to All Cats" (Freddie Widgeon)
  • "The Luck of the Stiffhams" (Stiffy Stiffham)
  • "Noblesse Oblige" (Freddie Widgeon)
  • "Uncle Fred Flits By
    Uncle Fred Flits By
    "Uncle Fred Flits By" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the July 1935 edition of Redbook, and in the United Kingdom in the December 1935 issue of the Strand...
    
    " (Pongo Twistleton with Uncle Fred)
• Collected in Lord Emsworth and Others
  Lord Emsworth and Others
  -External links:* , with a list of characters and publication dates* , with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies...
  
  (1937)
  • "The Masked Troubadour
    The Masked Troubadour
    "The Masked Troubadour" is a short story by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the U.K. in the December 1936 issue of the Strand. It was included in the UK collection Lord Emsworth and Others , and in the U.S. equivalent Crime Wave at Blandings...
    
    " (Freddie Widgeon)
• Collected in Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940)
  • "All's Well With Bingo" (Bingo Little with Oofy)
  • "Bingo and the Peke Crisis" (Bingo Little)
  • "The Editor Regrets" (Bingo Little)
  • "Sonny Boy" (Bingo Little with Oofy)
• Collected in Nothing Serious
  Nothing Serious (short stories)
  Nothing Serious is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 21 July 1950 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 24 May 1951 by Doubleday & Co., New York.-Overview:...
  
  (1950)
  • "The Shadow Passes" (Bingo Little)
  • "Bramley Is So Bracing" (Freddie Widgeon)
• Collected in A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United States on 13 April 1959 by Simon & Schuster, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1959 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
  
  (1959)
  • "The Fat of the Land" (Freddie Widgeon)
  • "The Word in Season" (Bingo Little)
  • "Leave it to Algy" (Bingo Little with Oofy Prosser)
  • "Oofy, Freddie and the Beef Trust" (Freddie Widgeon with Oofy Prosser)
• Collected in Plum Pie
  Plum Pie
  Plum Pie is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on September 22, 1966 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 1, 1967 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York....
  
  (1966)
  • "Bingo Bans the Bomb" (Bingo Little with Freddie Widgeon)
  • "Stylish Stouts" (Bingo Little)

Freddie Widgeon

• Fate (Young Men In Spats
  Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then in the United States with a slightly different selection of stories on 23 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.The collection, recounting...
  
  )
• Trouble Down at Tudsleigh (Young Men In Spats)
• Goodbye to All Cats (Young Men In Spats)
• Noblesse Oblige (Young Men In Spats)
• The Masked Troubadour (Lord Emsworth and Others
  Lord Emsworth and Others
  -External links:* , with a list of characters and publication dates* , with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies...
  
  )
• Bramley Is So Bracing (Nothing Serious
  Nothing Serious (short stories)
  Nothing Serious is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 21 July 1950 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 24 May 1951 by Doubleday & Co., New York.-Overview:...
  
  )
• The Fat of the Land (A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United States on 13 April 1959 by Simon & Schuster, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1959 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
  
  )
• Oofy, Freddie and the Beef Trust (A Few Quick Ones)

Bingo Little

• All's Well With Bingo (Eggs, Beans and Crumpets)
• Bingo and the Peke Crisis (Eggs, Beans and Crumpets)
• The Editor Regrets (Eggs, Beans and Crumpets)
• Sonny Boy (Eggs, Beans and Crumpets)
• The Shadow Passes (Nothing Serious
  Nothing Serious (short stories)
  Nothing Serious is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 21 July 1950 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 24 May 1951 by Doubleday & Co., New York.-Overview:...
  
  )
• The Word in Season (A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones
  A Few Quick Ones is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United States on 13 April 1959 by Simon & Schuster, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1959 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
  
  )
• Leave it to Algy (A Few Quick Ones)
• Bingo Bans the Bomb (Plum Pie
  Plum Pie
  Plum Pie is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on September 22, 1966 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 1, 1967 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York....
  
  )
• Stylish Stouts (Plum Pie)

Other

• Tried in the Furnace(Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps and Pongo Twistleton)-- (Young Men In Spats
  Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then in the United States with a slightly different selection of stories on 23 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.The collection, recounting...
  
  )
• The Amazing Hat Mystery(Percy Wimbolt and Nelson Cork)-- (Young Men In Spats)
• The Luck of the Stiffhams(Stiffy Stiffham) -- (Young Men In Spats)
• Uncle Fred Flits By(Pongo Twistleton with Uncle Fred) -- (Young Men In Spats)

Additional short stories

Can be added the three interlocking Archibald-and-Aurelia short stories about Drones member Archibald Mulliner (the first one starting at the Club), also part of the Mr Mulliner

Mr Mulliner

Mr. Mulliner is a fictional character from the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. Mr. Mulliner is a loquacious pub raconteur who, no matter what the topic of conversation, can find an appropriate story about a member of his family to match it....

 series:

• Collected in Mr Mulliner Speaking
  Mr Mulliner Speaking
  Mr Mulliner Speaking is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on April 30, 1929 by Herbert Jenkins, and in the United States on February 21, 1930 by Doubleday, Doran....
  
  (1929)
  • "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald
    The Reverent Wooing of Archibald
    "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald" is a short story by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a part of the Mr Mulliner series and related to the Drones Club series. It features Archibald Mulliner, the sock collector who can mimic a hen laying an egg, and his love Aurelia Cammarleigh...
    
    " (Archibald Mulliner and Algy Wymondham-Wymondham, told by Mr Mulliner)
• Collected in Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats
  Young Men in Spats is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then in the United States with a slightly different selection of stories on 23 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.The collection, recounting...
  
  (1936)
  • "Archibald and the Masses" (Archibald Mulliner, told by Mr Mulliner)
  • "The Code of the Mulliners" (Archibald Mulliner, told by Mr Mulliner)

Additional novels

Can be added five novels about the adventures of Drones as main protagonist:

• Money for Nothing
  Money For Nothing (novel)
  Money for Nothing is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 27 July 1928 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 28 September 1928 by Doubleday, Doran, New York...
  
  (1928) – novel about Hugo Carmody and Ronnie Fish
• The Luck of the Bodkins
  The Luck of the Bodkins
  The Luck of the Bodkins is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on October 11, 1935 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on January 3, 1936 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston. The two editions are significantly different, though the plot remains the same...
  
  (1935) – novel about Monty Bodkin with Reggie Tennyson
• Barmy in Wonderland
  Barmy in Wonderland
  Barmy in Wonderland is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 21 April 1952 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on May 8, 1952 by Doubleday & Company, New York, under the title Angel Cake....
  
  (1952) – novel about Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps
• Ice in the Bedroom
  Ice in the Bedroom
  Ice in the Bedroom is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published as a book in the United States on February 2, 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on October 15, 1961 by Herbert Jenkins, London.The story was originally published, in a condensed version, in the...
  
  (1961) – novel about Freddie Widgeon with Oofy Prosser
• Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
  Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
  Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on October 12, 1972 by Barrie & Jenkins, London and in the United States on August 6, 1973 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title The Plot That Thickened.Monty Bodkin, nephew of Sir...
  
  (1972) – novel about Monty Bodkin

Related stories

Related are all stories about those Drone members already part of another series (Jeeves

Jeeves

Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...

 and Bertie, Uncle Fred

Uncle Fred

Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse between 1935 and 1961...

 and Pongo, Psmith

Psmith

Rupert Psmith is a recurring fictional character in several novels by British comic writer P. G...

, Blandings

Blandings Castle

Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth , home to many of his family, and setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...

's Freddie Threepwood

Freddie Threepwood

The Honourable Frederick Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club affectionately known as "Freddie", he is the second son of Lord Emsworth, and a somewhat simple-minded youth who brings his father nothing but trouble.Freddie has...

), but more especially:

• The Inimitable Jeeves
  The Inimitable Jeeves
  The Inimitable Jeeves is a semi-novel collecting Jeeves stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom by Herbert Jenkins, London, on May 17, 1923, and in the United States by George H...
  
  (1923) – Jeeves semi-novel, Bertie and Bingo, some events at the club
• Leave it to Psmith
  Leave it to Psmith
  Leave it to Psmith is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on November 30, 1923 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on March 14, 1924 by George H. Doran, New York. It had previously been serialised, in the Saturday Evening Post in the U.S...
  
  (1923) – Psmith and Blandings novel, also Freddie Threepwood, some events at the club
• Summer Lightning
  Summer Lightning
  Summer Lightning is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title Fish Preferred, and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
  
  (1929) – Blandings novel with Hugo Carmody and Ronnie Fish
• Heavy Weather
  Heavy Weather (novel)
  Heavy Weather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on July 28, 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on August 10, 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
  
  (1933) – Blandings novel with Hugo Carmody and Ronnie Fish, also Monty Bodkin, some events at the club
• Uncle Fred in the Springtime
  Uncle Fred in the Springtime
  Uncle Fred in the Springtime is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on August 18, 1939 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on August 25, 1939 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
  
  (1939) – Uncle Fred and Blandings novel, action started by Pongo, Horace, and Oofy at the club
• Cocktail Time
  Cocktail Time
  thumb|1st UK editionCocktail Time is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on June 20, 1958 by Herbert Jenkins, London and in the United States on July 24, 1958 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York...
  
  (1958) – Uncle Fred novel, some events with Pongo at the club
• "Life with Freddie" in Plum Pie
  Plum Pie
  Plum Pie is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on September 22, 1966 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 1, 1967 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York....
  
  (1966) – Freddie Threepwood novella, some events with the club's barman

Relatable stories

Relatable is one story, featuring the Club or Drones as secondary characters:

• Jill the Reckless
  Jill the Reckless
  Jill The Reckless is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on October 11, 1920 by George H. Doran, New York, , and in the United Kingdom by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 4 July 1921...
  
  (1921) – novel, Drone Algy Martyn as secondary character, one chapter at the club

Of course, many more stories simply include Drones member in some scenes, or being mentioned.

Not included

Not included are all identical stories published under other titles (in magazines or U.S. versions), or "recycled" stories, especially:

• "Comrade Bingo
  Comrade Bingo
  "Comrade Bingo" is a comic story by P. G. Wodehouse. It is part of the "Bertie Wooster" series.-Plot:Richard "Bingo" Little falls in love with the daughter of a left-wing, probably, communist or socialist leader called Charlotte Corday Rowbotham...
  
  " and "Bingo and the Little Woman" (Bingo Little) – 1922 magazine stories merged into the semi-novel The Inimitable Jeeves (1923)
• "Quest" (Freddie Widgeon) – 1931 magazine story rewritten as "The Knightly Quest of Mervyn" (Mr Mulliner, non-Drones story, still featuring the Oofy stand-in "Alexander C. Prosser")
• "The Ordeal of Bingo Little" (Bingo Little) – 1954 magazine story rewritten as "Leave It to Algy" (Bingo Little, included above)
• "Unpleasantness at Kozy Kot" (Drone Dudley "Biffy" Wix-Biffen) – 1958 "exclusive" story recycled

>

for the U.S. edition of A Few Quick Ones

A Few Quick Ones

A Few Quick Ones is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United States on 13 April 1959 by Simon & Schuster, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1959 by Herbert Jenkins, London....

(1959) from "Fixing it for Freddie" (Jeeves story)

• "The Great Fat Uncle Contest" (Bingo Little) – 1965 magazine rewrite of "Stylish Stouts" (Bingo Little, included above)

Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets

Most of the Drones short stories are also "Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets stories", as Wodehouse divides the club members between the "Eggs", the "Beans", and the "Crumpets". This is allegedly based on the habit they have of addressing each other as "old egg", "old bean", or "my dear old crumpet"...although, in fact, no character in the stories actually addresses another character by these nicknames.

A few later stories introduce a fourth subset of Drones Club members known as "Piefaces".

Many of the Drones Club stories begin with unnamed members of The Drones Club talking about the latest exploits of Freddie Widgeon, Pongo Twistleton, Bingo Little, or another of their number. The story then transitions into a particularly well-informed Crumpet detailing the specifics of tale to an uninformed Egg or Bean:

« "Beau Widgeon?" said the Egg, impressed. "What ho!" A Crumpet shook his head. "You won't catch Freddie joining any Foreign Legion, once he gets on to the fact that it means missing his morning cup of tea. [...]" » (in "Noblesse Oblige")

« "[...] I allude, of course, to the Bella Mae Jobson affair." The Bean asked what the Bella Mae Jobson affair was, and the Crumpet, expressing surprise that he had not heard of it, said that it was the affair of Bella Mae Jobson. » (in "The Editor Regrets")

« "He can't do that here," said an Egg, [...] "Hoy!" he went on, addressing the Crumpet, who had entered as he spoke. » (in "The Word in Season")

Wodehouse had already used this technique in the stories told by his Mr Mulliner

Mr Mulliner

Mr. Mulliner is a fictional character from the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. Mr. Mulliner is a loquacious pub raconteur who, no matter what the topic of conversation, can find an appropriate story about a member of his family to match it....

, who refers to his anonymous interlocutors by the name of their drink.

Members

The total number of members is not established. At the Drones Club weekend in Le Touquet

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It has a population of 5,355....

, France, were "about 87 members", and not all of them crossed the Channel (such as Pongo Twistleton and Horace Davenport). Comparatively, only a few Drones have been depicted:

Confirmed Drones members include

• Samuel Galahad "Sam" Bagshott
• Charles Edward "Biffy" Biffen
• Montague "Monty" Bodkin
  Monty Bodkin
  Montague "Monty" Bodkin is a recurring fictional character in three novels of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a wealthy young member of the Drones Club, tall, slender and lissom, well-dressed, well-spoken, impeccably polite, and generally in some kind of romantic trouble.-Stories:Monty...
  
  
• Godfrey "Biscuit" Brent, Lord Biskerton
• "Tubby" Bridgnorth
• Frederick "Freddie" Bullivant
• Hugo Carmody
• G. D'Arcy "Stilton" Cheesewright
• Nelson Cork
• Dudley Finch
• Ronald Overbury "Ronnie" Fish
• George "Boko" Fittleworth
• Cyril "Barmy" Fotheringay-Phipps
• Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop
  Tuppy Glossop
  Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop is a fictional character appearing in some of P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves books. He is a member of the Drones Club and a good friend of Bertie Wooster. In Right Ho, Jeeves, we learn that Tuppy is of Scottish origin.-Relationships:...
  
  
• Richard "Bingo" Little
  Bingo Little
  Richard P. "Bingo" Little is a recurring fictional character from the Drones and the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a member of the Drones Club.-Overview:...
  
  
• Algernon "Algy" Martyn
• Archibald "Archie" Mulliner

• Horace Pendlebury-Davenport
• Judson Phipps
• Tipton Plimsoll
• Claude Cattermole "Catsmeat" Potter-Pirbright
  Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright
  Claude Cattermole "Catsmeat" Potter-Pirbright is a recurring fictional character from the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a member of the Drones Club and a longtime school friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster...
  
  
• Alexander "Oofy" Prosser
  Oofy Prosser
  Alexander Charles "Oofy" Prosser is a recurring fictional character from the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the millionaire member of the Drones Club and a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster...
  
  
• Rupert "Psmith" Smith
  Psmith
  Rupert Psmith is a recurring fictional character in several novels by British comic writer P. G...
  
  
• Adolphus "Stiffy" Stiffham
• Reginald "Reggie" Tennyson
• Frederick "Freddie" Threepwood
  Freddie Threepwood
  The Honourable Frederick Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club affectionately known as "Freddie", he is the second son of Lord Emsworth, and a somewhat simple-minded youth who brings his father nothing but trouble.Freddie has...
  
  
• Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton
  Pongo Twistleton
  Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...
  
  
• Hugo Walderwick
• Frederick "Freddie" Widgeon
• Percy Wimbolt
• Harold "Ginger" Winship
• Bertram "Bertie" Wooster
  Bertie Wooster
  Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
  
  
• Algernon "Algy" Wymondham-Wymondham

Possible Drones members include

• Marmaduke "Chuffy" Chuffnell
• Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle
  Gussie Fink-Nottle
  Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle is a fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a lifelong friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a possible member of the Drones Club...
  
  
• Harold "Stinker" Pinker

Club staff includes

• Bates (hall porter)
• McGarry (a barman)
• Robinson (a cloakroom waiter)

Virtual Drones members include

• "Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets" (unknown narrator(s) and various nondescript members)
• Dudley "Biffy" Wix-Biffen (exists only in a non-canon, recycled story)

Real Drones Clubs

Some real "Drones" clubs or restaurants exist or have existed, including:

• A "Drones" restaurant exists since the early 1970s in London at 1 Pont Street
  Pont Street
  Pont Street is a fashionable street in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, central London, England, not far from the Knightsbridge department store Harrods to the north-west. The street crosses Sloane Street in the middle, with Beauchamp Place to the west and Cadogan Place, and Chesham Place, to the east,...
  
   off Knightsbridge. Previously a burger-and-fries, it was turned in November 2000 into a gastronomic restaurant by new owner and restaurateur Marco Pierre White
  Marco Pierre White
  Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
  
  .
• A "Drones Club" existed in London at 12 St. George Street in Mayfair. Also previously owned by Marco Pierre White
  Marco Pierre White
  Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
  
   and Piers Adam, the smaller restaurant was purchased in 2004 by businessman Ben Goldsmith
  Ben Goldsmith
  Benjamin James Goldsmith is an English financier and environmentalist.- Career :Goldsmith is a founding partner of a venture capital fund that invests in clean technologies, and of its sister company...
  
   and turned into a members-only dining club. Membership included pop star
  Celebrity
  A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
  
  s, peer
  Peerage
  The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
  
  s, CEO
  Chief executive officer
  A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
  
  s, and princess
  Princess
  Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
  
  es. This club closed in March 2007 due to losing its location to a restaurant, and may not reopen.
• Another "Drones" restaurant, aka "Drones Fenwick of Bond Street", exists in London inside the Fenwick
  Fenwick (department store)
  Fenwick is an independent chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom. The store's founder, John James Fenwick, was born in Richmond, North Yorkshire in 1846....
  
   department store at 63 New Bond Street
  Bond Street
  Bond Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London that runs north-south through Mayfair between Oxford Street and Piccadilly. It has been a fashionable shopping street since the 18th century and is currently the home of many high price fashion shops...
  
  . It was linked to "The Drones Club" above.
• The "Drones Club of Belgium
  Belgium
  Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
  
  " is the name of a P. G. Wodehouse fanclub, founded in 1989, about 60 members .

• During the early to mid-1990s a Drones Club dining society was established at Oxford University. It was a "polite" dining society, where members met for civilised breakfasts, lunch engagements and formal suppers. Their formal dining room was located above The Old Tom Public house 101 St Aldates Oxford and they had their own "Jeeves" Giles Mortimore, who is now a private detective in the far east, Themed events included May Morning breakfasts, civilised garden parties and dinner dances. The club was started by Sebastian Madden (Bertie Wooster) who was studying PPE at Keble College. Mr Madden continued to run the club until his graduation in 1996. Other members included Damien Collins, now Conservative MP for Folkestone, Toby Purser (conductor of the Orien Orchestra), Charles Methven (former editor of the Sportsman) and Benedict Peers (a criminal barrister).

• A club named 'The Drones' exists at Charterhouse School
  Charterhouse School
  Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
  
  
• The Drones Comedy Club is an informal comedy
  Comedy
  Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
  
   open mike
  Open mike
  An open mike or open mic is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone. Usually, the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies. These events can be focused on poetry and the spoken word, music, comedy, and the open format of open...
  
   show hosted by the Chapter Arts Centre
  Chapter Arts Centre
  Chapter Arts Centre is an arts centre in Canton, Cardiff, Wales. It hosts films, plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free art gallery, café and bars. There are also over 60 work spaces, used for an eclectic range of purposes including Chapter's own training courses.Income for...
  
  
• The Drones Club is a live music club occurring in various venues around Stoke Newington
  Stoke Newington
  Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
  
   in London since 2004. Performers have included Bobby Conn
  Bobby Conn
  Bobby Conn is an American musician based in Chicago, Illinois, known for his pop-rock. He often collaborates with other artists such as musicians Colby Starck and Jim O'Rourke, and film-maker Usama Alshaibi. In 2003, Conn produced a session for UK punk band The Cribs, whom he met when they were a...
  
  , Holly Golightly
  Holly Golightly
  Holly Golightly is a British singer-songwriter. Her mother christened her after the protagonist in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her musical style ranges from garage rock to R&B.-Musical career:...
  
  , Phil Wilson of the June Brides and Edward Ka-Spel
  Edward Ka-Spel
  Edward Ka-Spel is an expatriate English singer, songwriter and musician residing in the Netherlands.-Biography:...
  
   of The Legendary Pink Dots.