British Summer Time
|
|
British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. In both cases, the change takes place at 01:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
BST is the same as Central European Time (CET): one hour in advance of GMT, i.e. UTC+1. Most countries which use CET in winter move to Central European Summer Time UTC+2 in summer.
The start and end dates of British Summer Time and European Summer Time are somewhat asymmetrical in terms of daylight hours; for example the time of year with a similar amount of daylight to late October is mid-February, well before the start of BST. The asymmetry refects temperature more than the length of daylight.
Starting in 1916, the dates for the beginning and end of BST each year were mandated by the British Parliament. In February 2002, the Summer Time Order 2002 permanently changed the dates and times to match European rules for moving to and from daylight saving time. The European compromise was closer to previous British practice than to the practice elsewhere in Europe.
Each year a national debate rages just before the time when time is to revert back to GMT in October. In 2004, an interesting contribution has been made by English MP Nigel Beard, who has tabled a Private Member's Bill in the House of Commons that England and Wales should be able to determine their own time independently of Scotland and Northern Ireland. This bill, if passed into law, would see the United Kingdom with potentially two different timezones for the first time in history.
During World War II, Britain retained the hour's advance on GMT at the beginning of the winter of 1940 and continued to advance the clocks by an extra hour during the summers until the end of the summer of 1944. During these summers Britain was thus 2 hours ahead of GMT and operating on British Double Summer Time (BDST). The clocks were not advanced for the summer of 1945 and were reverted back to GMT at the end of the summer of 1945. In 1947 the clocks were advanced by one hour twice during the spring and put back twice during the autumn so that Britain was on BDST during the height of the summer.
Safety campaigners, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), have made recommendations that British Summer Time be maintained over the winter months, and that a "double summertime" be applied to the current British Summer Time period, making the UK two hours ahead of GMT during summer. ROSPA suggest that this would reduce the number of accidents that occur over this period as a result of the evenings being lighter, as was shown when the British Standard Time scheme was trialled between 1968 and 1971, when Britain remained on UTC+1 all year. ROSPA have called for the two year trial to be repeated with modern evaluation methods. This proposal is, however, opposed by farmers and other outdoor workers, and many residents of Scotland, since it would mean that in winter dawn would be delayed until 10 a.m. or later in northern Britain.
Start and End Dates of British (and Irish) Summer Time
| Summer | Begins | Ends | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | Sun 21 May 02:00 | Sun 1 October 02:00 | |
| 1917 | Sun 8 April 02:00 | Sun 17 September 02:00 | |
| 1918 | Sun 24 March 02:00 | Sun 30 September 02:00 | |
| 1919 | Sun 30 March 02:00 | Sun 29 September 02:00 | |
| 1920 | Sun 28 March 02:00 | Sun 25 October 02:00 | |
| 1921 | Sun 3 April 02:00 | Sun 3 October 02:00 | |
| 1922 | Sun 26 March 02:00 | Sun 8 October 02:00 | |
| 1923 | Sun 22 April 02:00 | Sun 16 September 02:00 | |
| 1924 | Sun 13 April 02:00 | Sun 21 September 02:00 | |
| 1925 | Sun 19 April 02:00 | Sun 4 October 02:00 | |
| 1926 | Sun 18 April 02:00 | Sun 3 October 02:00 | |
| 1927 | Sun 10 April 02:00 | Sun 2 October 02:00 | |
| 1928 | Sun 22 April 02:00 | Sun 7 October 02:00 | |
| 1929 | Sun 21 April 02:00 | Sun 6 October 02:00 | |
| 1930 | Sun 13 April 02:00 | Sun 5 October 02:00 | |
| 1931 | Sun 19 April 02:00 | Sun 4 October 02:00 | |
| 1932 | Sun 17 April 02:00 | Sun 2 October 02:00 | |
| 1933 | Sun 9 April 02:00 | Sun 8 October 02:00 | |
| 1934 | Sun 22 April 02:00 | Sun 7 October 02:00 | |
| 1935 | Sun 14 April 02:00 | Sun 6 october 02:00 | |
| 1936 | Sun 19 April 02:00 | Sun 4 October 02:00 | |
| 1937 | Sun 18 April 02:00 | Sun 3 October 02:00 | |
| 1938 | Sun 10 April 02:00 | Sun 2 October 02:00 | |
| 1939 | Sun 16 April 02:00 | Sun 19 November 02:00 | |
| 1940 | Sun 15 February 02:00 | BST for remainder of war years | |
| 1941 | Sun 4 May 01:00 | Sun 10 August 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1942 | Sun 5 April 01:00 | Sun 9 August 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1943 | Sun 4 April 01:00 | Sun 15 August 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1944 | Sun 2 April 01:00 | Sun 17 September 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1945 | Sun 8 April 01:00 | Sun 15 July 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1945 | Sun 7 October 02:00 | Back to GMT | |
| 1946 | Sun 14 April 02:00 | Sun 6 October 02:00 | |
| 1947 | Sun 16 March 02:00 | ||
| 1947 | Sun 13 April 01:00 | Sun 10 August 01:00 | BDST (2 hours ahead) |
| 1947 | Sun 2 November 02:00 | Back to GMT | |
| 1948 | Sun 14 March 02:00 | Sun 31 October 02:00 | |
| 1949 | Sun 3 April 02:00 | Sun 30 October 02:00 | |
| 1950 | Sun 16 April 02:00 | Sun 29 October 02:00 | |
| 1951 | Sun 15 April 02:00 | Sun 21 October 02:00 | |
| 1952 | Sun 20 April 02:00 | Sun 26 October 02:00 | |
| 1953 | Sun 19 April 02:00 | Sun 4 October 02:00 | |
| 1954 | Sun 11 April 02:00 | Sun 3 October 02:00 | |
| 1955 | Sun 17 April 02:00 | Sun 2 October 02:00 | |
| 1956 | Sun 22 April 02:00 | Sun 7 October 02:00 | |
| 1957 | Sun 14 April 02:00 | Sun 6 October 02:00 | |
| 1958 | Sun 20 April 02:00 | Sun 5 October 02:00 | |
| 1959 | Sun 12 April 02:00 | Sun 4 October 02:00 | |
| 1960 | Tue 19 April 02:00 | Sun 2 October 02:00 | |
| 1961 | Sun 26 March 02:00 | Sun 29 October 02:00 | |
| 1962 | Sun 25 March 02:00 | Sun 28 October 02:00 | |
| 1963 | Sun 31 March 02:00 | Sun 27 October 02:00 | |
| 1964 | Sun 22 March 02:00 | Sun 25 October 02:00 | |
| 1965 | Sun 21 March 02:00 | Sun 24 October 02:00 | |
| 1966 | Sun 20 March 02:00 | Sun 23 October 02:00 | |
| 1967 | Sun 19 March 02:00 | Sun 29 October 02:00 | |
| 1968 | Sun 18 February 01:00 | BST all year begins. | |
| 1969 | BST all year | ||
| 1970 | BST all year | ||
| 1971 | Sun 31 October 02:00 | BST all year ends. | |
| 1972 | Sun 19 March 02:00 | Sun 29 October 02:00 | |
| 1973 | Sun 18 March 02:00 | Sun 28 October 02:00 | |
| 1974 | Sun 17 March 02:00 | Sun 27 October 02:00 | |
| 1975 | Sun 16 March 02:00 | Sun 26 October 02:00 | |
| 1976 | Sun 21 March 02:00 | Sun 24 October 02:00 | |
| 1977 | Sun 20 March 02:00 | Sun 23 October 02:00 | |
| 1978 | Sun 19 March 02:00 | Sun 29 October 02:00 | |
| 1979 | Sun 18 March 02:00 | Sun 28 October 02:00 | |
| 1980 | Sun 16 March 02:00 | Sun 26 October 02:00 | |
| 1981 | Sun 29 March 01:00 | Sun 25 October 01:00 | Moves in line with EU |
| 1982 | Sun 28 March 01:00 | Sun 24 October 01:00 | |
| 1983 | Sun 27 March 01:00 | Sun 23 October 01:00 | |
| 1984 | Sun 25 March 01:00 | Sun 28 October 01:00 | |
| 1985 | Sun 31 March 01:00 | Sun 27 October 01:00 | |
| 1986 | Sun 30 March 01:00 | Sun 26 October 01:00 | |
| 1987 | Sun 29 March 01:00 | Sun 25 October 01:00 | |
| 1988 | Sun 27 March 01:00 | Sun 23 October 01:00 | |
| 1989 | Sun 26 March 01:00 | Sun 29 October 01:00 | |
| 1990 | Sun 25 March 01:00 | Sun 28 October 01:00 | |
| 1991 | Sun 31 March 01:00 | Sun 27 October 01:00 | |
| 1992 | Sun 29 March 01:00 | Sun 25 October 01:00 | |
| 1993 | Sun 28 March 01:00 | Sun 24 October 01:00 | |
| 1994 | Sun 27 March 01:00 | Sun 23 October 01:00 | |
| 1995 | Sun 26 March 01:00 | Sun 22 October 01:00 | |
| 1996 | Sun 31 March 01:00 | Sun 27 October 01:00 | |
| 1997 | Sun 30 March 01:00 | Sun 26 October 01:00 | |
| 1998 | Sun 29 March 01:00 | Sun 25 October 01:00 | |
| 1999 | Sun 28 March 01:00 | Sun 31 October 01:00 | |
| 2000 | Sun 26 March 01:00 | Sun 29 October 01:00 | |
| 2001 | Sun 25 March 01:00 | Sun 28 October 01:00 | |
| 2002 | Sun 31 March 01:00 | Sun 27 October 01:00 | |
| 2003 | Sun 30 March 01:00 | Sun 26 October 01:00 | |
| 2004 | Sun 28 March 01:00 | Sun 31 October 01:00 | |
| 2005 | Sun 27 March 01:00 | Sun 30 October 01:00 | |
| 2006 | Sun 26 March 01:00 | Sun 29 October 01:00 | |
| 2007 | Sun 25 March 01:00 | Sun 28 October 01:00 |
External links
- History of legal time in Britain (http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jsm28/british-time/)
- BBC news report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/3213979.stm): Safety call as clocks go back.
- BST FAQ (http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/bst2.htm)