Winter is fast approaching, heralding the time to turn back the clocks. As the colder season sets in, darker mornings and evenings become the norm. However, the act of turning the clocks back grants us the luxury of more sunlight in the morning. Moreover, equipping us with an extra hour in bed on the day the clocks change, it is a change embraced by many.
The scheduled date for the clocks to change in 2024 is Sunday, 27 October at 2 am when they will “fall back” one hour. Looking ahead to the spring, the clocks will “spring forward” by one hour on 30 March 2025 at 1 am. Annually, the clocks undergo this alteration at 2 am on the last Sunday of October. This transition signifies the UK’s shift from British Summer Time (BST), also known as Daylight Saving Time, to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). For those with smartphones or devices, the clock should automatically adjust in the early morning hours.
In the preceding year, the clocks advanced an hour on Sunday, 26 March, marking the onset of British Summer Time. The rationale behind the clock change lies in the natural progression of the days post-summer solstice in June. As daylight diminishes gradually, turning the clocks back an hour in autumn accords individuals with more morning sunlight. Conversely, moving the clocks forward in spring extends the light into the evening hours.
The concept of Daylight Saving Time traces its roots back to the Summer Time Act of 1916, where it was initially introduced. William Willett, an Edwardian builder and the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, championed the cause. His advocacy for advancing the clocks in spring and regressing them in winter aimed to encourage outdoor activities during daylight, ultimately conserving energy. Willett’s proposal titled “The Waste of Daylight,” published in 1907, found fruition in the government’s adoption during World War I in 1916, a year post Willett’s demise. Politicians perceived this measure as a means to curtail coal consumption.
Although Willett’s proposal underpinned the establishment of the Summer Time Act, various historical figures had previously broached the idea of manipulating daylight through clock alterations. Benjamin Franklin, in 1784, articulated a similar notion in a satirical letter to the Journal of Paris, suggesting that earlier rising could contribute to economic savings on candles. The ancient Romans too align with this practice, showcasing a desire to optimise their daylight hours effectively.
As the clock change looms nearer, the history and purpose of these annual adjustments render them not merely as temporal shifts but as reflections of societal perspectives on time and daylight.