St George.
Died circa 303. ~ George, well know as the patron saint of England, is also the patron saint of soldiers and boy scouts. He was born in Cappadocia in Asia Minor (now modern day Turkey) and was one of the earliest martyrs to be executed in Lydda, Palestine.
George has been honoured as a soldier/saint from early in history. The historical facts of George’s life are accepted. He was born in Cappadocia and it is thought he was employed in Emperor Diocletian’s army as a military tribune and served in the campaign against Persia. Some historians believe he may have been sent to Britain, but the evidence for this is quite slim. The emperor ordered all his soldiers to worship the pagan gods, but George publicly refused and immediately left the army. Diocletian commanded the destruction of all Christian churches and copies of written scriptures. George appealed on behalf of all Christians to spare the churches, but he paid dearly for his actions as he was tortured and beheaded around the year 303.
The story of “George and the Dragon” probably came about through the Greek myth of Perseus (representing the Devil) who slew a beast and rescued the maiden (representing the Church). George killing the dragon led to the conversion of thousands of people to Christianity. The dragon is not mentioned in early stories of George, but was added in medieval times. How he became England’s patron is most probably through the knights of the crusades. The knights adopted him as their emblem when going off to fight in the Holy Land.
In 1415, after the battle of Agincourt, King Henry V declared George as the patron saint of England and soldiers.