Four Times of the Day is 29 May, Oak Apple Day, a public holiday which celebrated the Restoration of the monarchy (demonstrated by the oak boughs above the barber's sign and on some of the subjects' hats, which recall the royal oak tree in which Charles II hid after losing the Battle of Worcester in 1651). Alternatively, Sean Shesgreen has suggested that the date is 3 September, commemorating the battle of Worcester itself, a dating that preserves the seasonal progression from winter to spring to summer to autumn. Charing Cross was a central staging post for coaches, but the congested narrow road was a frequent
HMS Royal Oak (08) torpedo attack. By 19:15, "Royal Oak" gunners had observed the German battlecruiser squadron and opened fire at the leading vessel, . The gunners overestimated the range initially, but by 19:20 had found the correct distance scored a pair of hits aft, which did not inflict serious damage. "Derfflinger" then disappeared in the haze, so "Royal Oak" shifted fire to the next battlecruiser, . She scored a hit at 19:27 before "Seydlitz" too was lost in the mist. While "Royal Oak" was attacking the battlecruisers, a German torpedo boat flotilla launched an attack on the British line. "Royal Oak"s secondary guns