The Spanish Flu on the home front

Mary Ann Elizabeth Hollins, my second cousin twice removed, was born in 1877 in Rugeley, Staffordshire. The second oldest child of William and Sarah Hollins (nee Wood). She had one older brother William (born 1875, Rugeley), one younger sister Harriet (born 1881, Rugeley) and three younger brothers Horace (born 1879, Rugeley), Charles (born 1884, Rugeley) and George (born 1886, Rugeley)

Her father William was the well-known local band master of the territorials for over 50 years and had worked at the Phoenix Tannery for the same length of time. The family home was on Queen Street, Rugeley and like most families in Rugeley had suffered losses during the War.

Her older brother William, had moved to Coventry and was working on munitions after being in the old volunteers. Horace had been killed in France in 1916 serving with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. Charles had been discharged before 1916 and George had just been awarded the Military Medal for bravery whilst serving in the Royal Engineers. Harriet’s husband, James Fisher had been killed during the attack on the Hohenzollern redoubt in Oct 1915, One the first men from Rugeley killed in action.

Mary married Frederick John Williscroft on the 11th April 1898 in Rugeley, their first child, also called Frederick John was born a year later in 1899. Mary and Frederick had six more children, Edith Mary (born 1901), Horace William (born 1902), Elsie Hannah (born 1906), Sarah Lillian (born 1909), Harriet (born 1912) and Leslie (born 1913)

Frederick worked as a labourer at the Stokes and Negus Phoenix Tannery along with Mary’s father. In 1911 Frederick and Mary were living next door to her parents
He had enlisted with the 6th North Staffordshire Regiment on the 30th July 1914. At 5ft 8 ½ inches and 35 years 10 months old.

Fred Williscroft

Frederick was discharged from the army on September 28th 1914 due to being medically unfit.

During the summer and autumn of 1918, the second wave of the Spanish flu pandemic swept across the world. It infected some 500 million people around the world and resulted in the deaths of 50 to 100 million (3-5% of the world’s population). Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately killed the young, elderly or people with existing underlying conditions. In contrast, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic predominately killed previously healthy young adults.

Although under reported in Britain, Germany, France and the United States due to war time censorship and the need to maintain morale at the front, nowhere was safe. On the 11th October 1918 the Lichfield Mercury reported that

“An epidemic of influenza raging in Lichfield and all the schools, with the exception of the high school, have been closed”

Two weeks later on the 1st November 1918 the Lichfield Mercury reported

“The Lichfield mercury reported on the influenza epidemic that was causing acute anxiety in Lichfield. Worries about the epidemic caused many schools to be closed in the city and the outlying villages; so many cases had been reported that a lack of nursing staff soon became evident.

A number of reasons had been put forward to account for the rapid spread of the disease in Lichfield, which included overcrowding in homes, with medical staff soon realising that the disease spread more quickly in such circumstances and the rate of mortality was higher. The lack of milk “an essential food in all cases of illness”, was another problem faced by the medical authorities in the city and a number of people suggested the setting up of an invalid kitchen in Lichfield where nourishing foods could be obtained either free or at a nominal cost.”

It was during this period that Mary Williscroft, aged just 41, died from pneumonia after catching influenza during the Spanish flu epidemic. She left behind her husband Fred and their seven children.
Fred Williscroft re-married on 19th June 1919 to Florence Jane Gould (Nee Eccleshall) at St. Augustines Church, Rugeley. Florence’s husband Joseph Gould had passed away aged 29 in January / February 1919.