august bank holiday

[nannymary]

Not sure what topic this should be under but I am sure some one will know the answer. Can any one remeber when August Bank Holiday changed from the start of the month to the end. My mother in law is convinced this happened.

[Narolines]

She is dead right. The change was made in 1971.

[saxy_jag]

It's always been at the end where I live, ever since I can remember (at least 1960s). We used to have a two-week industrial holiday at the beginning of July (which we don't get now), then a day's bank holiday on the last Monday (and Tuesday, but that wasn't a BH) in August. The kids would then go back to school on the Wednesday.

I don't ever remember my parents being able to take a day off work anywhere near the beginning of August.

[atoach]

It still is the first Monday of August in Scotland.
I remember it changing ; and didn't the "Whit Monday" holiday change to "the last Monday in May" at the same time ?

[dzug]

The last Monday in August was formally made a bank holiday in place of the first Monday in August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1971. In both cases, this followed a trial period of the new arrangements between 1965 and 1970.
(TUC site)

[reinganum]

The change was made in 1965. The last ABH on the first Monday in August in England and Wales was Monday 3 August 1964. dzug is quite correct in that the change was only formalized in 1971 with a change to the law.
From 1965 to 1970 the holiday fell on the last Monday in August (where it remains) except for 1968 and 1969 when it fell on 2 September and 1 September respectively.

The background to the change was twofold: the tourist industry had been pressing government to make the change almost since the end of WW2, in order to extend the "season" (remember that hardly anyone went abroad in those days) and secondly, many factories and other industries had a "shut-down fortnight" which was often the last week of July and the first week in August and, together with the Bank Holiday, this put intolerable pressure on resorts, roads, and railways for two weeks, so the government moved the Bank Holiday in order to spread the load a little.

Whit Monday moved with Easter (Whitsun is seven weeks after Easter) and this meant that Whit Monday could fall any time between 12 May and 14 June. Since the summer half-term for schools invariably fell in the holiday week, this caused problems for schools, especially since by the 1960s many more pupils were taking public examinations. For this and several other reasons, the holiday (but not the religious festival) was "fixed" to the last Monday in May from 1967 onwards (and like the August holiday, the change was made in law in 1971).

[lankeela]

My mum and dad always took us on holiday the last week in July and first week in August. Wasn't it called 'wakes week ' or something like that up t'north?

[chazza]

We get both days off work so I dont think it has changed as such, just another one added, where I come from anyway!

[alisonwardpay]

according to other sites related to tracking weather the change took place in 1965 but another site says 1971. My mother is mad as everyone denies it has even changed

[alisonwardpay]

one web site concerning weather said it changed 1965 but another site says 1971 and that change was to make it safer to drive on the day holiday. My mother is mad that so many people think it has never changed but she remembers it altered - we think it was moved to spread holidays as more were being created earlier in the year