The message
from "The Medway Handyman" contains
these words:

The French also have their own 0 meridian, I don't know if that
originated in the same way

It seems that the rest of the world pretty much ignored it though

France was outraged when Greenwich was adopted by International
agreement. In French eyes Paris was the centre of the world and French
the one true international language, but they had not done the hard
work, and most of the charts in use round the world already used
Greenwich so it was the obvious choice, even to the Merkins, who would
no doubt have preferred international agreement that the conference
should pick its location as a key point on the Prime Meridian.

Thats because we have rules. Where would we be without rules eh?

Which have now changed and in due course the Prime Meridian will escape
from Greenwich. No doubt the French were an enthusiastic part of that
conspiracy.

--
Roger Chapman