United Kingdom 2013 "Great Britons"

Issue Date	16.04.2013
ID	Michel: Scott: Stanley Gibbons: Yvert: Category: Co
Design	Together Design
Stamps in set	10:
Value	1st class - Normal Parkinson, Photographer 1st class - Vivien Leigh, Actress 1st class - Peter Cushing Actor 1st class - David lloyod George, Politic 1st class - Elizabeth David, Writer 1st class - John Archer London Mayor 1st class - Benjamin Britten classical composers 1st class - Mary Leakey archaeologist and anthropologist 1st class - Bill Shankly footballer and manager 1st class - Richard Dimbleby BBC flagship
Size (width x height)	35x35mm
Layout	stripe of 10 stamps 5x2 ; sheets of 25/50
Products	FDC x 1 PP x1
Paper
Perforation	14.5 x 14.5
Print Technique	Lithography
Printed by	Cartor Security Printing
Quantity
Issuing Authority	Royal Mail

Following in the distinguished footsteps of Eminent Britons in 2009 and Britons of Distinction in 2012, the Royal Mail is delighted to introduce the Great Britons Special issue, celebrating the anniversaries of ten more people who not only achieved greatness in their lifetimes, but also left behind a lasting legacy.
Entitled Great Britons, the stamp issue celebrates individuals across sport, journalism, music, politics and the arts whose anniversaries of birth or outstanding achievement fall in 2013.
As ever, while the esteemed subjects of stamps come from many different fields of endeavor, they are united by a shared drive and determination, each one was a colossus of their time and made a significant difference to the world we know today.
Andrew Hammond, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: We are delighted to be honouring some of the UKs most distinguished figures in history through our latest Special Stamp collection. We hope the stamps will serve as a lasting tribute to their memory and once again encourage people to remember their significant contribution to our great British way of life.



One of the persons who is commemorated on these stamps is Mary Leakey (6 February 1913 9 December 1996) - an eminent archaeologist and anthropologist, Leakeys discoveries were so significant that they forced scientists to radically change many long-held views about human evolution.

She was the one who discovered first fossilized Proconsul skull, an extinct ape now believed to be ancestral to humans.

Mary Leakey on stamp of UK 2013, MiNr.: ; Scott: .

Zinjanthropus skull on stamp of Tanzania 1965, MiNr.: ; Scott: .

She also discovered the robust Zinjanthropus skull at Olduvai Gorge. For much of her career she worked together with her husband, Louis Leakey, in Olduvai Gorge, uncovering the tools and fossils of ancient hominines. She developed a system for classifying the stone tools found at Olduvai. She also discovered the Laetoli footprints. It was here, at the Laetoli site, that she discovered Hominin fossils that were more than 3.75 million-years-old. She also discovered fifteen new species of other animals, and one new genus.
In 1960 she became director of excavation at Olduvai and subsequently took it over, building her own staff. After the death of her husband, she became a leading palaeoanthropologist, helping to establish the Leakey tradition in the field. Mary died on 9 December 1996 at the age of 83, a renowned paleoanthropologist, who had not only conducted significant research of her own, but had been invaluable to the research careers of her husband, Louis Leakey, and their sons, Richard, Philip, and Jonathan.

Another persons depicting on the stamps

Norman Parkinson Born Ronald William Parkinson Smith, he was one of the worlds most celebrated portrait and fashion photographers: a perfectionist celebrated for his action realism style	Vivien Leigh Leigh was an English actress who won Oscars for her powerful and iconic performances as Scarlett OHara in Gone With the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.	Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing was a British character actor who played a number of highly memorable roles including Professor Van Helsing, Grand Moff Tarkin and Sherlock Holmes.	David Lloyd George Lloyd George was Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922 and was one of the true radicals in politics. Although born in Manchester, he was the first and only Welshman to hold the office of PM.
Elizabeth David While studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, David developed a love of fine cuisine, which she shared with austere, post-war Britain through a series of groundbreaking cookbooks.	John Archer Born in Liverpool of Barbadian descent, John Archer was a prize-winning photographer who further distinguished himself by becoming the first ever Afro-Caribbean London Mayor.	Benjamin Britten One of the UKs finest ever classical composers. His works include a number of operas as well as the War Requiem, first performed at the consecration of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral.	Bill Shankly Bill Shankly was a Scottish footballer and manager who achieved his greatest successes at Liverpool FC, with whom he won three First Division titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup.
Richard Dimbleby Widely acknowledged as one of the most respected figures in British broadcasting history, Dimbleby was the anchor of the BBC flagship programme Panorama from 1955 until 1965

Products and associated philatelic items

FDC	Presentation Pack	Gutter Pairs
Post Cards

References

The British Postal Museum & Archive, World Stamp News, Stamp News COM, Royal Mail, BFDC.