Thursday 26 May 2016



Biggleswade Church c.1910 [Z1306/16/22/1]

Friday 26th May 1916: The novelty of daylight saving time has been rather more popular in Biggleswade than in Leighton Buzzard. The change of time went ahead smoothly apart from technical difficulties with one or two public clocks. The Church Clock, which has been behaving badly ever since it was silenced by the Zeppelin threat, stopped dead just before 7 a.m., and in the evening when the bells rang for the six o’clock evening service the clock insisted it was only five past four. The people of Biggleswade appear to have accepted the idea of daylight saving with remarkable unanimity. Even the weather showed enthusiasm for the idea, with Sunday the hottest day since last July 4th. The cool, fresh evening proved the usefulness of the extra hour of daylight, and people took advantage of it by staying outdoors and enjoying the fresh air. Almost everyone seemed to fall in easily with the new time, though inevitably there were a few amusing mistakes. In one household both husband and wife put the clock on without realising the other had done so, and in one village the church clock was advanced the hour on Saturday evening, causing a rush of customers to the pub anxious for a quick drink before closing time!

Source: Biggleswade Chronicle, 26th May 1916

No comments:

Post a Comment