Will church bells be rung when the duchess of Cambridge's baby is born?

[James]

i am just curious as to whether church bells will be rung when the duchess of Cambridge's baby is born.

also were church bell Traditionally rung to get a message or announcement out before the day of social media 24 hour news etc ie if you heard Church bells ringing you knew something big had happened

[Elzbieta]

A celebratory 101-gun salute will be fired from the roof of Buckingham Palace.

;-)

[Daniel W]

A traditional gun salute will be fired, the number of rounds depends on where it is fired (101 is an impossible number in the UK).

It's a standard 21, if it's in Hyde Park it will be an additional 20 (41) if it's at the Tower of London it will be another 21 (total of 62).

The likelihood of firing from the roof of Buckingham Palace is zero if it is at Buckingham Palace (unlikely) it will be 41. Hyde Park is the most likely site.

[Lili]

No, I don't think so. Just a gun salute. I don't remember bells being rung when Prince William was born, though they were certainly rung to irritating degree when he was married.

And you seem to think people had no means of communication before social media and 24-hour news broadcasts. Ever heard of telephones and newspapers? Radio? And the noon and evening television news? Even before television people read newspapers, listened to the radio, or saw newsreels in movie theaters. They had newspapers and the telegraph back in the 19th century, and telephones came along in the late 19th century.

The problem with bells is that they can't tell you exactly what's going on. If people have been waiting for some days for a birth or death, tolling bells may announce that it's occurred, but otherwise, bells can't communicate clearly or in detail.

[Lord Lucan]

Yes of course dear James. The pealing of church bells shall be heard from Land's End to John o'Groats! Ask not for whom the bell tolls dear boy, it tolls for thee!

[MO]

I hope so. It will be a wonderful day.

Mo