Martin Hardie

[Born2Bru]

Clearly you have neve heard a londoner speak.

Ha! Have this one kevin. Stick this up yer dictionary.

Cockney:

"Literally, a person born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church in what is now the City of London. However, technically speaking there can be no cockneys born after 1945 since the bells were destroyed by German bombs during WWII. Today the term has expanded to encompass not only those from East London specifically but from London in general."

We can all take quotes from all over the place, but I doubt many people anywhere, especially those from London would go along with your definition.

For some facts:

"The area where Bow Bells may be heard has been the subject of much debate and studies were undertaken to determine their ringing range. Despite this, the area where they may be heard has become associated with the East End of London. Some writers believe this to be as a result of the misconception that the bells in question are in the East End region of Bow and not those of the church of St. Mary-le-Bow. The areas of the East End considered to be within bell-hearing range are Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Stepney, Hackney, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Bow, Mile End, Polar, Wapping, Limehouse and Millwall. Some authorities include the south London area of Bermondsey in this list. "

"The Bells of St. Mary-le-Bow did not ring for 21 years (1940-1961). They were damaged in 1941 when they came crashing to the ground. In 1956, the Lord Mayor of London launched an appeal to raise money to repair and restore the bells to the church.

In 1961, the Bells of St. Mary-le-Bow were restored to the church."