#OnThisDay 1984: British Telecom was replacing the voice of the speaking clock. Sixty Minutes looked at the history of the system. Precisely... | BBC Archive

#OnThisDay 1984: Time was up for the machinery behind the Speaking Clock. The iconic voice of the service, Pat Simmons, chimed in. | BBC Archive

Good times! At the third stroke...the speaking clock will be 80 years old. | BBC Archive

#OnThisDay 1936: The speaking clock was introduced in the UK. Ethel Jane Cain, the voice of the clock, was interviewed 21 years later. Precisely. | BBC Archive

For generations of Australians, checking the exact time was not as easy as picking up your mobile phone. Needed to wind your clocks for daylight savings? Bought a new watch? Had a blackout and realised your microwave/oven/*insert technological device* was doomed to flash until you fixed it? Never fear. The Speaking Clock was just a phone call away. 🕰️ All you needed to do was dial 1194 and this service, which is now part of the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia collection, would connect. Introduced by

#OnThisDay 1957: The Post Office's speaking clock turned 25. BBC News spoke with Miss Ethel Jane Cain, the voice of the clock. | BBC Archive