100 years ago Cork knuckled down to the coldest winter in living memory

While soldiers braved freezing conditions in the trenches 100 years ago, people at home in Cork knuckled down to the coldest winter in living memory. Robert Hume investigates how they tried to keep warm.

A spoonful of Bovril in a cup of boiling water was another way of staying warm (February 15 , 1917).

When temperatures plummet today, it’s easy enough to turn up the central heating a degree or two in our double-glazed houses.

Microwavable slippers and heatable earmuffs are available — so are battery-heated underpants, should they take our fancy. If we must venture out, we can drive around in heated cars.