The more eagle-eyed international students at hosted homestay accommodation will be sure to spot one of the more fascinating rituals of British life on the morning of Sunday 29th October, possibly even the night before! That’s right, the clocks go back one hour to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Don’t worry, your meal plans are not affected – you’ll probably sleep through the extra hour anyway and still wake up in time for breakfast!
Of course, in 2017, nearly all our devices, such as smartphones and laptops adjust the time automatically. However, there are millions of households around Britain with standard, bedside digital clocks, which still need that confusing toggle between two tiny push buttons. Maybe there’s one in the bedroom at your hosted family homestay? And let’s not forget the digital clock displays on the microwave and the kitchen oven. If no one can remember how to change the timer your family host may ask you to have a go as naturally, as a young computer-savvy person, you’re bound to know!
Notable exceptions are most areas of Africa, Asia and South America
Many students from abroad are from countries where the same adjustment of the time also takes place at this time of the year. Currently, around 70 countries participate in Daylight Saving Time (DST). Most of the USA and Europe, and some areas in the Middle East, advance the time by one hour during the summer months and put the clocks back again by one hour during winter. Notable exceptions are most areas of Africa, Asia and South America plus most countries north of the continent near the equator, although Paraguay and southern parts of Brazil do observe DST. Similarly, New Zealand and parts of S.E Australia follow DST while most other areas do not.
China observed DST between 1940 and 1941, and once more between 1986–1991, while neighbouring Hong Kong was slightly different, observing DST in 1941, then between 1945 and 1976 and finally, in 1979. India observed DST only between 1942 and 1945, so too Pakistan, which did so again in 2002 and once more, 2008–2009. This is probably news to young undergraduate students from these countries who may even find one or two clocks at their colleges are still one hour ahead on Monday morning!
People were still asleep during the summer when the sun had already risen
Daylight Saving Time (or “Summer Time,” as it’s known in many parts of the world) was created by Edwardian builder William Willetto in 1907, who noticed that people were still asleep during the summer when the sun had already risen (it was light by 3am and dark at 9pm). At that time the clocks were permanently set to GMT.
His idea was to put the clocks forward an hour in March, which would move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening and make better use of the long sunlight hours of the summer. On the first Sunday in November, the clocks would be put back one hour to return to Standard Time. However, it was Germany who first adopted the new system in April 1916 when the clocks were put forward at 11pm. Britain quickly followed with the passing of the Summer Time Act, which introduced the first day of British Summer Time on 21 May 1916.
One of Britain’s longest running debates
Apart from giving students more study time, the extra hour is most helpful to those people living in countries who live furthest from the equator, where daylight hours are much longer in the summer than in the winter. In locations closer to the equator, daylight hours and night time hours are nearly the same in length throughout the year. In the UK, the maximum 16 hours and 50 minutes of daylight occurs at the summer solstice on June 21 while the shortest day, Thursday December 21, will see just seven hours and 49 minutes of daylight.
Each time the clocks go forward or back, one of Britain’s longest running debates is aired once more – you might even hear it being discussed by family members at your homestay. Should the country keep Greenwich Mean Time, permanently? Some argue that it would “reduce traffic accidents, save energy, boost tourism” and encourage more people to exercise outdoors! In 2011, a government poll found that more than half (53 per cent) of Britain supported moving clocks forward an hour permanently while just under a third (32per cent) opposed the change. Despite proposals put forward in Parliament over the years there are no plans to change the system in the foreseeable future .
In the meanwhile, enjoy the extra hours sleep, British Summer Time returns on Sunday March 25th 2018, when the clocks will once again wind forward.