All those young and innocent men who had no choice but to join and who fell in World War I and II.

Thank you.

Britain is just a government trying to make you behave in a certain way. We’re not British; we’re just people, individuals.

I don’t buy this.

I am one of the least likely people to join anything, but I’d still rather Wiggo or Cav or Miller did well in a stage of the tour.

For all your rationalisation, I”m not sure it’s possible to be quite so “lone fox”

Otherwise how does one explain the need of so many people to go and sit in a big concrete bunker and watch a particular set of “individuals” try to kick a ball past another set of “individuals” every week?

Can’t think of anyone…

I’m with TJ on this with Leonard Cheshire

I see nothing wrong with admiring folk for what they have achieved even though i have done nothing to help them achieve it

I totally agree. But being ‘proud’ of where you were born because someone who achieved great things was also born there is different and I find it quite weird. There’s no connection.

TandemJeremy – Member
Still Leonard Cheshire.

Not one person on this thread to touch him

TJ for continuing a fine British tradition of believing that if you shout an opinion loudly and frequently enough it’ll become absolute, incontrovertible, unarguable FACT 🙂

To the OP, I’m struggling to come up with one. There are plenty of British people who I think have done fantastic things but I’m not sure any of them inherently make me proud to be British because they’re British.

Leonard Cheshire I’m ashamed to say I had not heard of, quite a life.

I’m going to go for the recently departed Christopher Hitchens.

And Orwell. While Mandela makes me rather proud of being Homo Sapiens.

TandemJeremy – Member
Still Leonard Cheshire.

Not one person on this thread to touch him in my opinion

In no way should that belittle Cheshire. Quite an amazing chap.

Oh and Alfred the Great. Only King from these isles to get called that. Good reasons too.

Yes, he was going to be my choice too. Without him this country would be drastically different.

Apart from that I’d go with Brunel, Shakespeare, and George Stephenson.

He doesn’t look British to me… (thought you’d have spotted that before posting the pic 😉 )

I’m with TJ on this with Leonard Cheshire

+1.

There’s nobody who I can genuinely say gives me any pride in being British. People are just people, wherever they are. Nationality is pretty irrelevant to me.

A few people do great things, a few others are massive gits, the rest of us make up the numbers doing all the stuff necessary to keep the lights on.

I’m with iDave. No individual makes me proud to be British. The general British public often make me feel proud though.

This country is on the whole pretty tolerant, open minded, outward looing and honest – I like that.

Christopher Hitchens

troll surely..?

William Wilberforce.

Only 1 mention for this chap? Is it because he was Christian?! Took him decades to get Brits to outlaw Slavery then the Brits took on the world. Significant stuff.

Terry Pratchett

@ oldgit, yeah a great hero, are you refering to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom? I read it about 15 years ago and struggled with it but I was trying to read it when doing some evening work when I was a student in a local corner shop, been meaning to revisit sometime soon with a more maturer focussed mind.

@ oldgit, yeah a great hero, are you refering to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom? I read it about 15 years ago and struggled with it but I was trying to read it when doing some evening work when I was a student in a local corner shop, been meaning to revisit sometime soon with a more maturer focussed mind.

I struggled with it a while back too. Wasn’t what I was expecting. Have long been fascinated with the man himself – very dashing. Visited an exhibition devoted to him at the IWM a few years ago – very interesting. Add to that his quirky house and the nature of his death and you can’t help but wonder what more he could have achieved. An ex-girlfriend is also related to him.

The chef at the Red Onion in Stockport. Ok, so he’s not the stereotype but he is British and his ‘meal for three deal’ brings a tear to my eye.

Not forgetting the distaff side…

can’t believe no one has posted this chap yet…

JEREMY CLARKSON

… brilliant, we should have him for PM!

It’s got to be Abu Hamza for me. He’s fighting really hard to retain his British passport.

Kryton57, we need more of this type of vigilance to keep this sceptered isle nice and safe.

Essentially, what clubber, idave, molgrips and others said above.

But, I’ll throw Richard Francis Burton (the explorer, not the actor) into the mix- I’m not British, and he’s not too well known these days, but to me he seems to have all the characteristics that the British hold dear.

From my own country- Ed Hillary, for the same reason as I chose Burton.

I’m impressed that the forum here assembled instantly recognise Jonathan and Camilla… 😉

I once saw him playing Captain Hook at the Yvonne Arnaud in Guildford. Came on in the second half completely pissed. Fell over twice. Hugely entertaining. 😀

Two people for me that have made an impact on my life personally, Sir David Attenborough and John Peel and I think define to me what being British means.

I genuinely mourned John Peel’s death, a real character whose shows used to get me through many a long shift as a chef.

Sir David Attenborough, i think again the day that anything happens to him will be a very sad day.

Christopher Draper – The Mad Major
Ray Mears for his unfailing ability to be able to extract a cup of tea out of any landscape
My mate Bob

Blimey, struggling to think of one….maybe that doctor that goes to Russia and does brain surgery for free.