What time did he die?

Chimp

Moderator & Cheeky Human IMP
Staff member
King George V died at Sandringham House on 20th January 1936, his physician was Dr. Dawson.

To quote Dawson’s diary, for January 20, 1936: “At about 11 o’clock it was evident that the last stage might endure for many hours, unknown to the patient but little comporting with the dignity and serenity which he so richly merited and which demanded a brief final scene. Hours of waiting just for the mechanical end when all that is really life has departed only exhausts the onlookers and keeps them so strained that they cannot avail themselves of the solace of thought, communion or prayer. I therefore decided to determine the end and injected (myself) morphia gr. 3/4 and shortly afterwards cocaine gr. 1 into the distended jugular vein.”

King George died at 11.55 pm.

But did he?

king Edward VII., finding the days too short, arranged for the clocks of Sandringham to be kept thirty minutes fast all the year round, and so gained more time for shooting. This custom was still kept up at Sandringham, and consequently the clocks there had to be put back only thirty minutes in-stead of an hour.

In later years the practice was also observed at Windsor and Balmoral Castle. The custom of Sandringham time continued after the death of Edward VII, through the reign of his son King George V. However, because of the confusions that the time difference caused, which were heightened during George's final hours, King Edward VIII abolished the tradition during his brief reign. Neither King George VI nor Queen Elizabeth II chose to restore the tradition.

So did he die by Sandringham time or by GMT
 
Apparently the BBC combined all of its services on the night that the king died. The services were silent except for regular 15 minute bulletins about the king's health. The BBC broadcast news of his death shortly after midnight. That implies that at the time of the 11.45 pm bulletin he was still alive, or does it?
 
I’m gathering that there were no outside broadcasts then, so the death notice would have to have been posted on the gate. Then the news would have to have been relayed back to the BBC. I’m thinking that the Sandringham clock was used. 7 or so minutes for it be broadcast seems rather quick. Back then at least.
My thoughts anyhow.
 
Yes, a bit of a shocker that one. It is still done today, but not for the reasons they had. It's more so that someone doesn't have a lingering death.
 
:oops: Yes it happens more than people realise. Mostly as they haven't gone through it yet with a loved one, and my wish is that they never have to :oops:
 
Sorry Sue, the BBC made its first outside broadcast on the wireless in 1927 (Wimbledon). So did they wait for the No. 10 announcement, or not?
 
I didn't keep the link, but last night I did a search for "death of George V" and among the articles was one which mentioned a host of journalists holed up in a village pub near Sandringham waiting for news, and extra phone cables being specially installed.

Once the news reached the pub, it apparently went round the world in seconds. However, it seems plausible that it was first relayed to the government etc, and to the Times, before being released to the media in the pub.

Nothing I found mentioned the time discrepancy, so I suspect the doctor's notes and the official bulletins were all done in standard time.
 
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