With Halloween approaching, people in Britain get to enjoy an extra hour in bed – or an extra hour partying – on Saturday night, as British summer time (BST) officially ends at 2am on Sunday 30 October, and the clocks go back an hour, so you get to have 1am to 2am twice. Which sounds great, unless of course you are doing night work during that period, or if you have children or pets to whom the clock change means nothing.
It is more than 100 years since changing the clocks was established in the UK under the Summer Time Act 1916 during the first world war. It was in response to Germany moving its clocks forward in an attempt to save fuel for the war effort by reducing the need for lighting during longer, brighter evenings, although the idea had been in discussion for some time. Legislators at the time clearly never considered how difficult it was going to be for people in the future to remember how to reset the clock on their electronic ovens and in their cars.
Although the number of hours of daylight varies around the globe, there is no real scientific basis for changing the clocks, and you can argue for the social and economic advantages or disadvantages of lighter mornings or lighter evenings. William Willett, one of the earliest campaigners for clock changes, felt one of the great gains would be the opportunity to play golf for longer in the evenings.
Many countries have been re-evaluating the practice. The European parliament recently voted to no longer mandate it at an EU level, leaving it up to national governments to decide.
If you do get to enjoy the extra hour in bed, it is tempered by the fact that there is always a downside. You may get an extra hour in October, but you have to give it back again next year. The clocks go forward again by one hour to restart British summer time at 1am on 26 March 2023.
