Thursday, 5 May 2016

Poem ~ A Bill for Saving Daylight - Friday, 5 May - Saturday, 6 May 1916


Source: File: Allegorical illustration depicting the introduction of daylight saving time from 1916. Daylight Saving Time: What is it and why do we have it? by Jess Staufenberg   Thursday 3 March 2016. [online] See an original image at: <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/daylight-saving-time-what-is-it-and-why-do-we-have-it-a6907621.html> [Accessed: 6 May 2016]

For further study see:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/bills/daylight-saving-bill

After much debates for and against,
Was a decision made by Parliament.
This proposal was to last for wars
Duration - the daylight saving Bill.

The idea to alter times of clocks
Had been around for some time -
The waking hours alterations, had
Taken place in the ancient world.

Then a Benjamin Franklin satire
Rekindled the thought, to suggest
That a practice of waking earlier,
Would allow people to use daylight.

One such figure that had risen
To ride his horse in Petts Wood
Noted how many blinds were
Still down despite a summer's day.

William Willett was a builder,
Whose occupation probably
Made him think, how wise
It was to use all possible daylight.

By his own funds in 1907, Willett
Petitioned Parliament with his
Pamphlet - how for half the year
The sun shines while people sleep.

Determined to show all benefits
to Businesses and Town Councils,
He found support in Robert Pearce
MP, who tried to get it passed into law.

While this failed, other minor support
Came from Churchill, with another
Consideration in 1909 - still nought
Came of this until war's outbreak.

Willets thoughts were to improve
Well-being of people, that bring
Clocks forward over four Sundays
In April, to reverse them in September.

To be 20 minutes over each day -
Germany was already using such
A scheme, when 3 May 1916
Announced Daylight saving Bill.

Declared as unexpected the act
Was prompted by several MPs
Being in favour of a trial - only
For the length of the current war.

Advantages would actually give
The saving of coal in producing
Artificial light - the instance
Of advancing would occur in May.

The Daylight Saving Bill, while
Not aimed at peoples health,
Would act as wartime production
Boost, under Defence of realm Act.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Daylight Saving. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 5 May 1916. P.6. Col.6. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12209706/Daily-Telegraph-May-5-1916.html>  [Accessed: 5 May 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 5 May 2016). 



#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1IEngland

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