BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Vatican cameos

**Posted by Davina** May 9, 2012 5:35 pm

More Vatican Cameo flash mobs to report.
Sweden, Sherlock meet up on 28.4.12
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V1p8XOdK2g

Also the Finns have been at it again. This time in Helsinki central railway station 14.4.12 I think it is safe to say that some onlookers were a little startled by this one! The language is a bit 'racy' as Benedict would say.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDJisg4Sd9E
And also
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhtAhvgDwhl

I still reckon the one in Cologne is the best so far.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** May 9, 2012 6:24 pm

Ahhh, I do love a good Vatican Cameo!!

**Posted by Sammy** May 29, 2012 1:47 am

feck yeah Köln! :D
my hometown ♥

Flashmobs are always fun ;)

**Posted by sherlockskitty** May 30, 2012 5:04 am

i've always wondered abt the vatican cameos affair. I thought it meant those little brooches women wear, that look like cameo pins. they were bought in the vatican city?

**Posted by Davina** May 30, 2012 1:45 pm

Flash mob doing Vatican Cameos in Berlin. Here's the link because my stupid laptop won't let me copy and paste!

www.youtube.com/watch?=LHUB1HRS6z4

**Posted by jimella** June 18, 2012 10:37 am

Ah, why can't we have something cool like that over here!

**Posted by Smoggy_London_Air** July 6, 2012 2:27 pm

kazza474 wrote:
Of course, such a great line has to be repeated by others due to the intense interest in it.

Here's the latest crowd to use it!

I'm laughing so hard right now.

**Posted by SusiGo** May 14, 2013 12:08 pm

Something I found on tumblr:

Wanna know something I learnt?
julieftws:

thecarpenterwizard:

winterkisseswhenyourlipswereblue:

In WWII the phrase “Vatican Cameos” was used when a person who was not in the British army came before the general, or other high up ranks, as a signal to the other officers that the person was armed.

So when Sherlock says “Vatican Cameos” to warn John that the safe has a gun in it, it’s not something that they’ve set up as a code word- It’s a code Sherlock knew John would know- being a soldier!

Last edited by SusiGo (May 14, 2013 12:08 pm)

**Posted by Mary Me** May 14, 2013 1:04 pm

Oh! Well, that puts another complexion on the matter. Interesting.

**Posted by Be** May 14, 2013 2:45 pm

I am not sure if it is true. Don't know anything about British army code words.
The expression Vatican Cameo was used in canon, I think in reference to an old case.
Did the British Army use it in reference to Doyle?

**Posted by SusiGo** May 14, 2013 3:10 pm

If this is true at all it surely is an allusion to ACD. I just found it interesting that John might have known about it because of his army connection.

**Posted by Be** May 14, 2013 3:24 pm

I like that kind of thinking. Because suddenly you don't know anymore who is referencing and what is real. Suddenly reality gets a bit mixed up with fiction.
Stephen Moffat called it in the Casebook "mind-expanding" when Holmes talks in canon about the story he is in and thinks it's terrible.

Last edited by Be (May 14, 2013 3:25 pm)

**Posted by Davina** May 14, 2013 7:53 pm

Well, I've just done an hour's research on this. I can find the use of the term Vatican Cameos as a code word used by the British Army in World War Two on lots of Tumblr pages. However, despite my very best efforts (as an Historian) I have been unable to find any other reference to it, at all, on any other reliable military source. I have a nasty suspicion that this is Tumblr generated (like kittens and jam and such like) and has no basis in fact.

**Posted by butterfly grl** June 20, 2013 8:54 pm

kazza474 wrote:
Obviously it meant that there was a booby trapped safe. One assumes in teh case of the Vatican Cameos, someone had their safe rigged with a gun to shoot whoever opened the door. Sherlock knew something was up because when he looked at Irene, she started to duck.
He worked it out cos he's smart as well as sexy.

Just what happened when martin freeman is putting out the fire made him make that "Oh sh!!!t" expression

Just as we don't see Sherlock tell John to start a fire to make the alarms go off, we weren't witness to him telling John about the Vatican Cameo affair. Geez come on, can't the boys have some privacy from you fans??!!!