1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic

[fotonix]

One of the best books IMHO about this subject is 'Catching Cold', which you can get hold of through Amazon and/or Abe Books. A very interesting (and slightly worrying) read.

I seem to recall that the adults in their late teens to mid-20's were most affected, but do check!

J.

[59165]

Might some of them been admitted to hospital because they were suffering from 'flu not necessarily having been wounded.?

All is possible but I'm thinking no,for the moment anyhow, just for the fact that there are a couple of Chinese labourers there(I know,pretty lame but,I'm getting there on researching all those buried at Auberchicourt)& some Cannucks from the last days fighting at Valenciennes.

[Sue Light]

Might some of them been admitted to hospital because they were suffering from 'flu not necessarily having been wounded.?

Absolutely. There were whole casualty clearing stations used as centres for treating medical cases with influenza/pneumonia, particularly after the Armistice. Some continued to be used as they were ideally situated away from large populated areas. I've been rather interested in the sickness rates for the trained nurses who were caring for these men. Although there was an increase in the number of sick nurses, and an increased death rate from the 'normal', on the whole they escaped relatively unscathed. Considering they were surrounded by the infection 24 hours a day, they were affected barely at all. I assume this was down to their constant contact with infectious disease over many years, and the subsequent toughening up of their immune systems.

Sue

[4thGordons]

It's interesting - I just finished a survey of war service of a local county here in Illinois (USA). There were 28 casualties from the county during the war listed in the local "Roll of Honor"(sic). After looking into it I found 5 died as a result of enemy action (KIA or DOW), one was struck by lightning, one was hit by a locomotive and the others were probably all influenza/pneumonia victims. For a couple I could not determine but they died in large military camps at the height of the influenza outbreak so I think it highly likely they too were victims of the pandemic. I intend to follow up with a look at a larger sample from an more urban county, my expectation is that I will see large numbers of influenza/pneumonia victims.

[59165]

From the time(october'18)that our village was retaken to the last 1919 dated death,out of the 269 known dead here,74(approx) died after 11 11 18.

Of these,a largish amount were Canadians involved in the Valenciennes battle.

I'd say that all the 1919 dead were killed by flu.About 5%,which seems the norm but later in regard to war casualties for this cemetery.

[4thGordons]

Thought these might be of interest:

From: Ayres, L.P., 1919. "The War With Germany: A Statistical Summary" Washington: Govt. Printing Office.

[BJanman]

i have just returned from a lecture presented by Professor John Oxford, Professor of Virology, called The British army camp at Etaples and the source of the Great Spanish 1918 pandemic.

His research suggests that the virus then is the same virus as todays bird flu. He, and an expert on Etaples, have been investigating records which indicate that the first victims died in 1916 in a hospital in Etaples but it didn't get a hold until 1918.

The lecture was really interesting and explained a lot. A bit scary though because it is happening again now.

Barbara

[laughton]

Barbara - your web site is fantastic! I had not been there before.

Congratulations.

[avidgenie]

There is an interesting report by the Bureau of Public Health for the Province of Saskatchewan, which can be downloaded from the Saskatchewan Settlement Experience here

[Tony Lund]

From the Huddersfield Examiner 1919:

ODE TO SPANISH FLU.

All hail! Thou germ of Spanish blood,

Thou joy of all creation,

That com’st across the Channel flood

To plague our stolid nation.

We, who were always proud and free,

Who felt no man’s oppression;

We bow down one and all to thee,

As slaves in thy possession.

Thou com’st unseen, unheard, unknown,

To torture and to pillage.

Thy hordes, to countless numbers grown,

Sack every town and village.

Thou makest us to sneeze and cough,

And ticklest throats so tender,

We fling all bravado off

And make complete surrender.

Reckless despot, Spanish Flu,

That tramplest on tradition;

Grim Knight o’ the Order of Atchoo,

Hear our one meek petition:

Oh mighty tyrant, from thy tower,

Go seek the German vulture,

And, having got him in thy power,

Then give the flu to Kultur.

Tony.

[BJanman]

Barbara - your web site is fantastic! I had not been there before.

Congratulations.

Thank you