Buckingham Palace in the 1920s, although judging from the clothing, probably not those balmy days of May 1922. Image: Suzy Hazelwood
Until now, the hottest daily temperature record for spring in London — 32.8°C — was on 22 May 1922, during a spell of sweltering heat. So in a world without air con and corner shops stocked with ice pops, how exactly did Londoners cope?
The heatwave came as a shock, not least because March had seen the coldest day recorded in some 40 years. "The heat trick has been sprung on us with such unfair celerity that our tempers are exacerbated almost into doing something to cope with the futility of our anti-heat precautions," sweated an Express reporter, who'd winced at a 'limp' waiter's suggestion of steak and kidney pie. "lce-cream? Not enough to be had. lce? What is it? Cool, luscious salads? All green stuff very scarce. Coats off on the golf course? Not to he heard of: simply not done, sir!"
As Londoners clamoured for lighter clothing, a Lewisham draper moaned "The public wait until the weather comes before they ask for the goods, and you cannot cope with it". Meanwhile, a group of guards marching through the city did away with their trousers altogether, opting instead for khaki shorts.
