While we are still having sunny days it seems hard to believe winter is on its way — yet this Sunday we will put our clocks back. BEVERLEY SAUNDERS looks at the man responsible ...

These days it seems normal for us to put our clocks an hour forward each spring and an hour back each autumn — but we have done this in Britain for less than a hundred years.

It was American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin who first came up with the idea of daylight saving, in 1784, but it was more than a century later, in 1907, when builder and Petts Wood resident William Willett came up with the idea for its use in Britain.

He was out riding on Chislehurst Common at 4.30am one summer’s morning when it occurred to him the place was deserted and this was surely a waste of precious daylight hours.

He reasoned if the clocks were put forward in summer there would be extra daylight at both ends of the day for people to enjoy.

He set some ideas down in a pamphlet entitled Waste of Daylight, in which he suggested putting the clock forward 80 minutes in four increments over four weeks.

The scheme was criticised as being too complicated but the following year Sir Robert Pearce MP put forward a draft bill in Parliament suggesting clocks should be advanced one hour in spring and returned to Greenwich Mean Time — which is the world standard time — in autumn.

This scheme was also unpopular, especially with farmers who insisted the whole rhythm of farm life would be upset.

William Willett persevered with his idea, however.

Eventually in 1916, as a wartime economy measure, the Daylight Saving Bill became law and most other European countries also adopted daylight saving measures.

During the Second World War British Summer Time (BST) was extended to 12 months.

Our clocks were then moved on two hours in the summer months to help war production in the years 1941 to 1945. This was called Double Summer Time.

There is also an economic benefit in peacetime to be gained from longer daylight hours as less electricity is required for lighting.

According to one study, power usage decreases by 3.5 per cent when daylight saving starts.

Sadly for him, William Willett died just before 1916 and did not live to see British Summer Time in operation.

A memorial sundial set to show the time in BST stands in Chislehurst Woods as a tribute to him and the Daylight Inn and Willett Way in Petts Wood remind passers by of this famous pioneer.

And just in case you find yourself scratching your head each spring and autumn wondering which way to change the clocks, the American slogan, “Spring forward, fall backward” could help.