A deadly little strand of DNA

The First World War claimed 16 million lives. The influenza pandemic that swept the world in 1918 (and continued until 1920) killed an estimated 50 million people, perhaps even twice that number. It was termed the 'Spanish Flu', although that name was a misnomer as it probably originated in the Far East.

It emerged in two distinct phases. In early Summer, the first phase appeared without warning. This was termed the “three day fever” and victims tended to recover after a few days, with a low mortality rate. In Autumn, it was a different story. Some victims died within hours of the first symptoms, others after a few days. The medical profession was at a loss to identify and control this pernicious disease and it was indiscriminate, being rampant in both urban and rural areas alike.

Naturally enough, soldiers were not immune to its depredations and to-day the headstones marking the graves of the many servicemen who died in late-1918 and early-1919 can be seen in the churchyards and cemeteries of the United Kingdom. On investigation, most of them are found to have been victims of the pandemic.

Men of The King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) fared no better than anyone else. One such example was 49980, Private Joseph Murgatroyd, of Dalton-in-Furness.

He hadn’t been a soldier very long, having been conscripted in early-1918. He’d just completed his basic training at Harwich with the 3rd Battalion and had been granted a home leave prior to being drafted out to France.

He most likely contracted the virus in camp at Harwich or on the long train journey back to Dalton-in-Furness. Either way, he fell ill almost as soon as arriving home and was dead within a few days, pneumonia being cited as the cause of death, although it was without a doubt the Spanish Flu’.

Contemporary newspaper accounts describe his military funeral, courtesy of the local detachment of the Volunteer Training Corps - the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). One hyperbole-riddled report suggested there were “thousands” present, although that was likely an exaggeration. In hindsight, it was probably occasions such as that which further contributed to the spread of the disease; the more funerals they held, the more they would need to hold.

Joe Murgatroyd never did get to fight against a visible enemy. He was felled by an altogether more deadly foe - the H1N1 virus. With the Armistice being called three days after his death, the timing must have made it particularly painful for his family, and thousands of other similarly bereaved  families up and down the land.