Genealogy Chat

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Having just spent the weekend with a first cousin, once removed, who I haven’t seen for over 30 years, I have a lot of answers and many, many, more questions!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first of these is as follows: My Great Grandmother Annie Mills (nee Mason) died, according to this cousin (and I have no cause to doubt or disbelieve the information), when his mother was ‘8 or 9 years old, during the flu epidemic’ – this information passed to him by his mother many years ago. As his mother was born in 1908, this would suggest a date of 1916-1918, which would tie in with the 1918 infuenza epidemic. However, the only death I can find for an Annie Mills during the correct period is in a different registration district to all the other family ‘events’ around that time. I have an Annie Mills, aged 43 died December qtr 1918, West Ham, Vol 4a Page 849. So, my question is – does anyone know if there were special ‘influenza’ hospitals or sanotoriums set up during this period, and might there have been one in West Ham that would have covered a family living at 25 Great Chart Street Hoxton? Any ideas gratefully received. Many thanks Looby

West Ham and Hoxton are not a million miles apart. She might have been being nursed by a relative. I'm not sure what district the Whitechapel Hospital would come into? If the age is right I think that the only way to be sure is to splash out £7.

Hi Ann thanks for that, but the official website covering the Flu epidemic reckons that the majority of Londoners that died, died during late 1918, but I have checked right through to 1921 and can't find another possible candidate in the right area. By that time, the lady that the information came from would have been into her teens and therefore it would have been too late. Thank you both for your help - think I may have to order the cert. Kind regards Looby

There's one - exceedingly plausible - theory that the military hospitals in France were very close to the places where they kept the messenger pigeons... Christine