Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

[goodtimes]

Anyone remember 1970, getting to school and it still being dark?
This is probably only relevant if you were in Scotland or maybe even North England
I disinctly remember being in class singing Christmas Carols and it was pitch black outside the classroom windows.
If my understanding is correct the clocks didn't get moved in autumn that year (and maybe the year before) which is why you'd get to school in the dark.
The idea was to improve road safety. Great idea, let's send kids - who are usually not quite alert at that hour - to school in the dark. Add fog to the mix!
The school made us buy dayglo armbands. That vivid dayglo green seemed utterly space-age to me at the time. Our parents made an unwritten rule that we'd all meet at a local shop and walk en-masse for safety
Wouldn't get properly daylight till about 10 a.m.
What are your memories.

[staffslad]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

I remember it being dark going to school and it would have been around that time. The school either sold or gave away fluorescent patches for mums to sew onto their child's coat so that they could be seen easier. I think the patches I had were a reddish orange.

[staffslad]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

Thinking about this, I felt sure that I was at infants school when this happened, which would put it a little earlier than 1970, and according to Wikipedia the experiment occurred between October 1968 and October 1971, when the UK adopted GMT+1 hour all year round. I can clearly recall walking to school in darkness, my fluorescent patches sewn onto my duffle coat.

[goodtimes]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

I remember it being dark going to school and it would have been around that time. The school either sold or gave away fluorescent patches for mums to sew onto their child's coat so that they could be seen easier. I think the patches I had were a reddish orange.

Can you rememberthe shape and size of the patches

[staffslad]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

Can you rememberthe shape and size of the patches

I know I called them patches, but now I am not sure if they were actually armbands rather than patches, though I thought that some sewing was involved. I am sure they were put on the arms of my coat. I suppose the reflective/fluorescent area would have been about 4 ins by 2 ins, and probably more orange than red. I would have been about 7 when the experiment began.

[George 1978]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

I am certain that it happened a few times, although I am sure that if I was in Scotland or somewhere like that, I would have gone to school in the dark.

And if you had to stay behind for a detention just before Christmas at school in December and went home afterwards, I don't think you would see daylight until the following morning.

[80sChav]

Re: Getting to school and it still being dark 1970

Anyone remember 1970, getting to school and it still being dark?
This is probably only relevant if you were in Scotland or maybe even North England
I disinctly remember being in class singing Christmas Carols and it was pitch black outside the classroom windows.
If my understanding is correct the clocks didn't get moved in autumn that year (and maybe the year before) which is why you'd get to school in the dark.
The idea was to improve road safety. Great idea, let's send kids - who are usually not quite alert at that hour - to school in the dark. Add fog to the mix!
The school made us buy dayglo armbands. That vivid dayglo green seemed utterly space-age to me at the time. Our parents made an unwritten rule that we'd all meet at a local shop and walk en-masse for safety
Wouldn't get properly daylight till about 10 a.m.
What are your memories.

We had this many a-time in the 1980s - though of course it was not like the 1970s Goodtimes, with the strikes and lighting cutbacks, but unless it is cos I live up North (though yer , granted some live a lot farther), but I can generally genuinley recall day's like thisd froim the 80s - starting with light at half 9 and 10am .... then being dark by 2pm/2.30 - particulary December (for obvious reasons), at School or otherwise! Thankfuly the last few though - don't seem to have pluned into darkness as much as in the 80s and less so 90s!!

80sChav