Bow Bells are the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow Church in the City of London. By tradition, anyone born within the sound of Bow Bells is a Cockney, or true Londoner. There are 12 bells, which were first rung in 1961. The previous set of bells was destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz--that is, the bombing of London and other English cities during World War II. An earlier set of bells was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.