UK Honours List - a bit OT

[Jock Scot]

M o R is spot on.These titles and awards are part of the UK's (the Commonwealth too, I think still?) heritage and whilst the system is old fashioned and scoffed at by some-----it works and creates a huge amount of pride and goodwill not only for the recipient but the families and colleagues too.

I know that I and others have been having a spot of fun here by being deliberately evasive, but behind it all, there is a very real natural reluctance to say too much about these things. Not because any one is ashamed of the honours system, far from it, but "blowing one's own trumpet" really is not regarded with any enthusiasm by the British. Its just not done and it is the way we are, thank goodness.

It is exceedingly bad form to make too much of a fuss about these things and on day to day events no one will be any the wiser of your achievements and that is how it should be.No one likes a braggart and Britain has a natural aversion to such people and has ways of dealing with that, should the rare occasion arise. However, as M o R points out, in business and official letters and on one's card there are clues. I must add, there are many people with various honours who choose not to publicise their achievements at all and that is a personal choice that they make and it is quite acceptable so to do.

In passing, it is also bad form to ask people why and how they achieved an honour and you will need to know some one really,REALLY well before asking them how they achieved an honour and even then the reply from a military man might be "oh I helped an old lady accross the road once" or from somene else "oh I developed a better way of counting paper clips".

[BoldHighlander]

I know that I and others have been having a spot of fun here by being deliberately evasive, but behind it all, there is a very real natural reluctance to say too much about these things. Not because any one is ashamed of the honours system, far from it, but "blowing one's own trumpet" really is not regarded with any enthusiasm by the British.

Believe it or not, there are many of us on this side of the pond who feel the same way!

No one likes a braggart and Britain has a natural aversion to such people and has ways of dealing with that, should the rare occasion arise.

And neither do I! :mrgreen: