British
Summer Time ends...
Don't forget! British Summer
Time came to an end on Sunday 30th October 2011. Did you remember
to put your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed
on Saturday night...
British Summer Time starts again... link
British Summer Time officially
ends at 0200 hours on the last Sunday in October when clocks
shall be put back to 0100 hours Greenwich Mean Time. As the
clocks go back in the UK, there are fresh warnings of a rise
in car accidents and more awareness of children walking to
and from school is needed. The darker morning and evenings
caused by the clocks being turned back an hour have been
singled out as the biggest factor in the rise in vehicle
accidents seen every November.
Increased Danger!
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
say drivers should take time and effort to cope with the
changing conditions. Motorists should sit in their cars for
a while before moving off so they can adjust their eyes to
the dark, watch their speeds, check their lights and be aware
of vulnerable road users, the society said.
Parents should ensure children wear bright clothing, preferably
with reflective or fluorescent strips.
Do
the clocks go FORWARD or BACK?
Every year in the Spring we adjust our clocks
by one hour to take advantage of the changing light conditions
as the days get longer thus giving farmers more daylight
to work on their arable land. The saddening thing about putting
the clocks forward, we lose an hour in bed. But on a brighter
note, when the days are drawing in, and it gets alot darker
earlier in the day, with wet, cold and frosty mornings, we
gain an hour in bed to keep snug under the quilts (by putting
the clocks back in Autumn).
A simple analogy to remember which way the
clocks go, is to appreciate another word for Autumn is Fall
(imagine the leaves falling
off the trees). So once we know that, by remembering the
following little phrase SPRING Forward, FALL back. Hopefully
this will help to to know whether to put our clocks forward
or back
British Summer Time
- A background
The idea of British Summer Time was dreamed up in 1906 by William
Willett, a Surrey-born builder who believed it would be helpful to maximise
and standardise daylight hours. He believed people woke up quicker and in better
spirits when it was light, and suffer relatively little as the nights drew in.
Mr Willett also argued it would save the country £2m a year in fuel costs.
His first idea, an advance of 80 minutes rather than an hour, brought forward
in four moves of 20 minutes each, was met with ridicule and derision.
Many were determined to stick to Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT), which had been in existence for 25 years
but had only just been adopted nationally. Railways mounted
some of the toughest opposition to daylight saving, arguing
time changes and a deviation from GMT could lead to more
accidents. Mr Willett campaigned hard, and eventually the
first Daylight Saving Bill was introduced in 1908. It was
thrown out, as were two further attempts in 1909 and 1911.
It finally became law in 1916, as a wartime measure because
of an acute coal shortage. It then continued long after the
war, and in 1925 it was made permanent by the British Summertime
Act.
Did you know: Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT) is also known as Zulu Time. There are 25 integer
World Time Zones from -12 through 0 (GMT) to +12. Each one
is 15° of Longitude as measured East and West from the
Prime Meridian of the World at Greenwich, England. Some countries
have adopted non-standard time zones, usually 30 minutes offset
which have a * designation.
Each Time Zone is measured relative to Greenwich, England.
There are both civilian designations which are typically three
letter abbreviations (e.g. BST) for most time zones. In addition
there are military designations. These use each letter of the
alphabet (except 'J') and are known by their phonetic equivalent.
E.G. Greenwich Mean Time (civilian) or Z = Zulu (military and
aviation). |