BIG BEN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 11, 2 February 1942, Page 6

BIG BEN

INTERESTING SOUVENIR CARD RECEIVED FROM LONDON An interesting souvenir lias been secured by Brian Gundy, ol Matamata, a High School pupil, in the shape of a signed card from the BBC acknowledging a letter. On the face, of the card are the autographs of twelve announcers most of whom are well-known to New Zealand listeners. The names are: John Ellison, Marjorie Anderson, Anthcaiy Hinsley, Robert Beattj', Georgie Henschel, Philip Robinson, Berl Measor, Derek Prentice, Phillip Cunningham, Norman Claridge, Bob Dongali and Robert Harris.

On the back of* the card is a picture of London's famous Big Ben,] with interesting information in rer gard to this famous chiming clock. 'Among other things the recipient is informed that the clock is one of the most accurate and powerful in the world. The four di/ais are 24 feet in diameter ant\ the minute hands, which are made of copper, travel a distance equal to 100 miles each The hour hands, made of t>Unmetal, on which the hours are struck, weighs tons, and twice I a day the clock is automatically checked at Greenwich Observatory.

From the microphone hanging in the belfry the chimes are brought! by land-line to Broadcasting House, and l'rom there are passed to the !£m pi re transmitter at Daventry, and to the world. When setting watches or clocks listeners are advised to remember that at the quarters anil half-he.urs the first note of the Westminster Chime* give? the correct time, but ,lt the hour it i> given by the f'r-t stroke of big ben himseli. On tile other hand the hist pip of the Greenwich time signal (radiated from Daventry at other periods) denotes the exact hour to within one twentieth of a second. The chimes arc set to* the following lines:— All through thiis hour Lord be my guide, And by Thy Power, No foot shall slide. The music score of the chimes is also given.

Asthmatic .and bronchial cornplaints promptly relieved by Dr. Hair's Asthma Cure. F. G. Macklow, Central Pharmacy, Whakatane.