History of the Union Jack and Flags of the EmpireCumberland, Barlow
History
History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire
Cumberland, Barlow
Emblems -- Great Britain; Flags -- Great Britain
On the opposite side of the world from the _Heart of the Empire_ at
Windsor Castle are the _Fiji Islands_, the Colony situate nearest to
longitude 180°, which is 180°, or 12 hours, from the centre of time
at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and is the dividing line of
the days of the world's time--where day begins and midnight ends. At
these Islands, being on the opposite side of the world, it is 4 o'clock
in the afternoon at the same moment at which it is 4 o'clock in the
morning of _the same day_ in England. The problem was therefore to have
the National Anthem commenced in Fiji at the beginning of Her Majesty's
day, and arranging to have it sung thereafter precisely at 4 p.m., _as
the sun arrived_ at that moment in succession over each place in the
Colonies and passed onward around the world.
A form of service was devised, suitable for any Sunday afternoon
service to be held in any church, open air service or assembly hall, in
which the National Anthem should be arranged to be sung at the exact
moment of 4 o'clock.
A time-table of longitudes, prepared by the Meteorological Department
of Canada, showing the meridian or _sun time_ at each place, and full
descriptive circulars with forms of service and a time-table showing
the hour at Windsor Castle and the corresponding hour at each place,
were sent in multitude to friends and correspondents in these Colonies
and Dependencies owning allegiance to the Union Jack.
With the co-operation of the Right Rev. the Bishop of Toronto, who was
a member of the Order, and the Heads in Canada of all religious bodies,
communication was opened up with the Colonial bishops and clergy, and
their services were enlisted. Patriotic societies and the secretaries
of the Royal Colonial Institute were asked to assist, and letters were
also sent to the captains of every British passenger ship which would
be at sea on the 20th of June, asking them to sing the Anthem, fire a
gun, and note the position of their ship at 4 p.m. on that day.
The brethren of the Society in Newfoundland and Canada took the service
up with energy and enthusiasm. The Sons of England in South Africa
answered with alacrity, Australia and New Zealand joined in heartily,
and thus, by prompt and efficient action, the organization was
completed and ready for the eventful day.
Copies of the services and time-table beautifully illuminated, were
sent to Her Majesty, by reference to which it could be seen at any hour
how far the Anthem had proceeded on its way and in what Colony it was
at any moment being sung.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account