WHAT TIME WAS IT ?

[john kemp]

A FRIEND OF MINE WAS SPEAKING TO ANOTHER COLLEGUE RECENTLY AND

THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT TIMES OF BATTLES.

THERE SEEMS TO BE CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER TIMES WERE BASED ON

UK TIME OR EUROPEAN TIME.

ANY VIEWS ON THIS ?

[gem22]

As far as I'm aware the time difference wasn't between the UK and Europe in 1914-1918. It was betwen France and Germany. I have seen one or two references to the time difference; but it isn't a common matter of concern in most of the books I've read.

Travelling eastwards the first change in time zone should occur at 15 degrees which means that the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal, and Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK.

Without having an atlas in front of me this isn't guaranteed to be accurate but I don't think I'm far off the mark.

What I don't know is when the change occurred. Perhaps someone else can enlighten us.

Garth

[AOK4]

The Germans used their own time, which could differ 1 to 2 hours (because they sometimes used other dates to start or end the summertime). This German time was also enforced in the occupied territories of France and Belgium.

British books use the British/French time, German books use the German time.

Regards,

Jan

PS John, please do not shout!

[Muerrisch]

Travelling eastwards the first change in time zone should occur at 15 degrees which means that the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal, and Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK.

No. Given that Greenwich is zero and a time zone should be [if it is anything] 360 degrees divided by 24, or 15 degrees, then, Greenwich being the datum is in the MIDDLE of a 15 degree zone, or Kent would have different time from Hampshire. So the first zone change [never mind inconvenient things like national borders] would be 7 1/2 degrees East and indeed West.

I cannot answer the basic question, but I do know when the twenty four hour military clock was introduced, just as the war was drawing to a close. I can reveal that the Armistice was NOT effective at 11 AM, but 1100 hours GMT. As Michael Caine said, 'not a lot of people know that'.

[john kemp]

To take my point a little further, when I'm standing at Lochnagar on July 1

at 7.28 in the morning (French Time) and the whistles are heard for the

start of the service, you start to imagine the scene all them years ago.

But are we an hour out on the time ?

[gem22]

John

LB was right to correct me on my earlier posting. The time zones are based on 15 degrees but they start 7.5 degrees either side of Greenwich. However my basic premise is still correct. In 1914 France, Belgium and Great Britain were all in the same time zone. Germany was in a different time zone.

Your question about Lochnagar crater raises an interesting point. I believe the time of the cannon firing is now based on current French time which puts it one hour out as the French now use the same times as Germany.

BUT we have to take the introduction of British summer time into consideration, and the fact that Germany imposed their time zone on occupied territory, because, of course, what is now Lochnagar crater was German territory before the mine blew.

So if any clever person out there can do the relevant calculations and correct any errors I may have made you might, if you're lucky, get a sensible answer to an interesting question.

Good luck

Garth

[burlington]

I'm sorry to be such a wet flannel, but does it really matter?

At the end of the day (or night in the case of the Somme) watches were calibrated to a 'time' and that time was IT for the whole of the 14 miles length of the battlefield.

Bearing in mind that communications then were not able to be in 'real time' (c/f Hoon's vision of the future for the UK armed forces), calibrated watches were surely the only way of ensuring that everything happened at a moment in time, regardless of what that time was.

The widows, bereaved relatives etc were surely not concerned about such time accuracy!

Or am I rambling...?