Mark Brader <msbrader(a)interlog.com> kindly translated into English the
Channel Islands 1916 summer time orders that were recently forwarded
to this list by Joseph S. Myers, and I enclose his message below.
Where he writes ``The orders for Alderney and Guernsey are virtually
identical'', he means identical to each other, not to Jersey.
-- Paul Eggert<eggert(a)twinsun.com>
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From: msbrader(a)interlog.com
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 22:42:38 -0400 (EDT)
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The order for Jersey, in translation, reads as follows. "The States"
refers to the island's legislature. Note that there is no specification
of which kind of midnight applies to the transition back to standard time.
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OFFICIAL TIME.
-----
An act advancing the official time during the summer months.
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In the States of the Island of Jersey.
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The year 1916, the 13th day of May.
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CONSIDERING that the British Parliament, in the national interest, has
resolved to advance by one hour the computation of time in the United
Kingdom from Sunday, the 21st of the present May, until Sunday, the 1st
of next October, and similarly for each following year during the present
war during such a period as shall be prescribed by order of His Majesty
in Council;
Considering that at the time of the adoption in 1898 of the Law that
currently determines the official time on this Island, the States had
already recognized and affirmed the principle that Jersey could not
remain, without inconvenience, outside of the timekeeping prevailing in
Great Britain;
Considering that the difference between the local time then in use and
that of Greenwich was no more than a few minutes, whereas now the time
separation between Jersey and Great Britain would be an entire hour for
the whole summer, unless an analogous change was imposed here;
THE STATES have, as an urgent matter, adopted the following arrangement:
THE SINGLE ARTICLE.
On Saturday the 20th of this month at midnight, the official time on
this Island will be advanced by one hour over GMT, and this will apply
until Saturday, next September 30, at midnight.
A similar advance will be operated each subsequent year as long as there
it is necessary to do it, at times to be determined in due course by
the States so that the local official time remains at all times conformant
to the legal time in Great Britain.
This will be printed, published, and posted.
Ernest le Sueur,
Clerk.
50/1916
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The orders for Alderney and Guernsey are virtually identical, except
for the preambles and signatures naming the officials involved. Some
small discrepancies in punctuation seem to indicate a possibility of
transcription errors. For the Guernsey order the word I've translated
as "Judges" normally means "Jurors"; I'm taking it to be a transcription
error or a specialized sense. A web search reveals that the fourth
Channel Island, Sark, has an official today called the Chief Pleas, so
I presume Guernsey used to have this position also. I don't know what
the reference to "Easter put back" means.
Here are the two preambles:
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In the Court of the Island of Alderney
On May 17, 1916, before John Main Duplain, Squire and Lieutenant-Judge;
present were: John Pierre Gallichan, Nicolas William Gaudion, and Thomas
John Robilliard, Squires and Judges.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ORDER
OF THE
ROYAL COURT
-----------
TEMPORARY ORDER
modifiying
THE LEGAL TIME
(Passed by the Chiefs Pleas according to Easter put back to May 13, 1916.)
Guernsey:
Bichard Printing Co. Ltd.
Office of the Gazette, Bordage St.
------
Order of the Royal Court.
TO THE ROYAL COURT OF THE ISLAND OF GUERNSEY
To the Chiefs Pleas according to Easter put back to May 13, 1916, before
Edward Chepmell Ozanne, squire, Bailiff; present were: Ernest Collas,
George Edward Kinnersly, George Herbert Le Mottee, Julius Bishop, John
Bonamy Collings, Adolphus John Hocart, Thomas William Mansell de Guerin,
Lionel Slade Carey, James Esten de Jersey, Hubert George de Carteret
Stevens Guille et William de Prelaz Crousaz, squires, Judges.
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The almost common text of the Alderney and Guernsey orders. Meaninful
differences are marked in [.../...], with the Alderney version shown first.
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Temporary Order Modifying the Legal Time
The Court, hearing the conclusions of the King's [Attorney/Officers],
has ordered and is ordering:
In the present year, 1916, the legal time on this island will be advanced
by one hour, from 2 AM GMT on Sunday, May 21, until 2 AM GMT on Sunday,
October 1.
During the aforesaid period, any time mentioned or alluded to in
Proclamations, Acts of Parliament, Orders-in-Council, Orders of the
[/Royal] Court effective on this island, in contracts, regulations,
statutes, warnings, posters, or in any other document or any matter of
whatever kind, will be considered to be the time prescribed by the
present Order.
This Order does not derogate at all from the usage of Greenwich Mean
Time for the needs of astronomy or navigation, nor from the interpretation
of any document that mentions or refers to a time with relation to
astronomy or navigation.
And the present Order will be published, and posted in the usual places,
so that nobody can pretend ignorance of it.
(Extract from the Registers)
[Charles R. Leboeq / A. J. Roussel]
The King's [/Deputy] Clerk.
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