Page 28 - Bulletin 23- 2020

24

Woodstock, Salt River, Mowbray, Rondebosch and Claremont. Arrangements have been made
for opening a depot at Observatory, where the disease has gained a fast hold. A well-known
worker found the greatest difficulty in being able to communicate with anyone in the streets,
which she described as being deserted. The windows in houses where the whole family was
sick were all closed, she said. “Do let the people know that one of the best things they can do
is to keep their windows wide open,” she added.

ooOoo

Simon’s Town Historical Society. BULLETIN, v. XXI No.4, July 2001: 177-8.
Extract from “Nongqai” November 1918 – a newsletter of the South African Police

THE ‘FLU’ EPIDEMIC 1918

The terrible havoc Spanish Influenza is making among the general community at the Naval
port is indeed appalling and eclipses anything of an infectious nature ever heard of in these
regions. Every class of the public is afflicted, with the result that practically all the little services
etc. have been considerably curtailed and in some cases absolutely closed down altogether. The
housewives who are still able to move about are to be seen at almost all hours of the day loaded
with parcels containing the necessaries of life. There has been a tremendous strain at the local
chemists’ shops, and crowds were in evidence outside the premises from the very beginning of
the epidemic waiting their turn to get in and be served, and, very fortunately both shops kept
open all through the crisis. The same remarks apply to the chemists at Kalk Bay and
Muizenberg, though perhaps in a more congested state at the latter place, due to the whole of
the assistants at one of the establishments having been stricken down with the disease at an
early stage in the campaign. It was very fortunate that Dr. T. P. Hayes, the District Surgeon,
the only civil medical man in Simon’s Town, held out right through, and rendered excellent
service. Not alone are the coloured people and natives falling victims to the plague, which
seems to be the correct designation for it, but the Europeans are practically all down as well.
There is hardly a business in the district that has not at least one or two of their employees
down, as well as others on the point of collapsing. At the time of writing these notes several
Naval ratings had already succumbed to it, notwithstanding the very best care and attention
meted out to them at the local Naval Hospital. The whole of the Post Office staff excepting one
Junior officer were laid up. The local Troop of Boy Scouts came to the rescue at the Post Office
and attended to the correspondence, as well as delivering telegrams, etc, which efforts were
favourably commented upon in the CAPE TIMES and CAPE ARGUS. Mr. G. Rossouw, Clerk
of the Court, also came under its sway and was obliged to keep to his bed for a week. As a
matter of fact the Magistrate (Mr. E. Graham Green) and Miss Green (his daughter), the typist,
were the only two who escaped on the Court establishment. Fortunately, so far, only one of the
Police in the district has contracted the infection, which happy state of affairs enables the usual
service to be kept up, plus rendering assistance to the sick poor and helpless. The Government
is dropping in for it on all sides for their apathy in regard to this national danger, which
threatens practically the whole community. It is contended that it was due to culpable