Genealogy Chat

Hi

My Gt Grandfather died at the young age of 35 in 1918. Family legend has it that he died as part of a Flu Epidemic, which was brought back by troops returning from WW1.

He died in the South Wales Valleys, and no matter where I look (Internet, Local Record Office, Library etc) I can find no detailed record of this epidemic.

Does anyone have any ideas where I can go next ?

Many Thanks ... Paul

yes there was a BIG Flu epidemic around the 1918-1920,s i know one of my tree survived the WW1 only to succumb to Flu in about 1920
it certainly was one of the epidemics that claimed loads of lives then

http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/
or for a UK site the Health protection Agency site has:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/influenza/pandemic/history.htm

Here's the Library of Congress record of a relevant book:
LC Control No.: 97117983
Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
Personal Name: Collier, Richard, 1924-
Main Title: The plague of the Spanish lady : the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 / Richard Collier.
Edition Information: 1st American ed.
Published/Created: London : Allison & Busby, 1996, c1974.
Description: 376 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 20 cm.
ISBN: 0749002468 (pbk.)
----------------------
CALL NUMBER: RC150.4 .C64 1996

Cheers Pete / Shirley

Pete: Those sites are of use, thank you - I was hoping that there was going to be something a bit more"Localised" however it looks like this was a fairly significant outbreak and doesnt appear to be covered at a local level.

Thanks again ...Paul

Malcolm

Thanks, I will look that up.

Cheers...Paul

Paul, there most certainly was a flu epidemic at that time - I expect most of us had ancestors who were affected - I lost two G'mothers and an uncle (though of course I never knew them. The flu wasn't confined to the Welsh valleys, though - it was world-wide (pandemic), and killed more people than died in the war. In fact it killed more soldiers than actually got to fight in the war.

There is a strong theory, which may have been proved by now, that it started in France in an Army transit camp, and was caused by cross-infection between the poultry, the pigs and the humans who were all living in close proximity - much like the 'bird flu' we've heard so much about!

If you google something along the lines of 'Flu pandemic - 1918' I imagine you'll get lots of info. But if you want to find out about your g'g'father, have you got his Death Cert yet? That will tell you for sure - though it won't say 'flu epidemic', more likely broncho-pneumonia' or something similar.

Good luck.

Bee.

Looks like I've typed too slowly again!

Hi Bee

Yes - Death Cert on Order!

I think the mistake I made was to google on Epidemic and not Pandemic! You certainly get better results :)

It looks like it killed 10,000 in Wales alone!

Strange that at the local record office there is no real record of it.

Thanks to all who have helped ... Paul