Flu epidemic 1959

[anniexf]

Does anyone remember this? It was during Lent term. Some of us were due to be confirmed on 10 March, but this was postponed until 23 April because of it. 3s was used as an extra Infirmary and Mrs. Randall did a lot of the nursing. Term was ended early so we had an extra week or so for the Easter hols. I've heard that sulphur candles were used as some sort of anti-viral protection! It would have been more sensible to allow us more than 2 hankies a week so we didn't have to keep washing them ourselves & trying to dry them on the pipes. Friar's balsam inhalations, the other stalwart, were useless too. I don't know if disposable tissues were even considered.

[Fjgrogan]

Yes I remember all that too, but don't recall that I actually caught 'flu myself. The name Mrs Randall rings a bell too. Was she the mother of Philippa Randall in Sixes, which would surely have been unorthodox?! I had a bit of a 'thing' about Philippa - on the whole she was not too popular amongst the juniors, but I was more than happy to polish her shoes - the innocence of youth! I think she went on to be Head of somewhere like Manchester Grammar School.

[anniexf]

I'm pretty sure Mrs. Randall was in fact Philippa's mother. It was probably becoming difficult to recruit ladies who'd be prepared to take on the Ward Mistress job - a dying breed?
I remember Philippa, always decent though not over-friendly nor particularly extrovert, very good at hockey(?). The only other girl I distinctly remember from 6s is Biddy(Pearce?). She invited me to her birthday tea once. Your own name is familiar but I can't place you! Somewhere I have a photo of myself taken on Confirmation Day 1959; if I can master the mysteries of Photobucket, I'll put it on the appropriate board.

[Katharine]

Yes I remember all that too, but don't recall that I actually caught 'flu myself. The name Mrs Randall rings a bell too. Was she the mother of Philippa Randall in Sixes, which would surely have been unorthodox?! I had a bit of a 'thing' about Philippa - on the whole she was not too popular amongst the juniors, but I was more than happy to polish her shoes - the innocence of youth! I think she went on to be Head of somewhere like Manchester Grammar School.

Not Manchester Grammar, Frances but Leeds Girls High School. I had no idea her mother had been a Ward Mistress. I think 3s had Mrs Weill when I started, she was old 6s if I remember correctly.

[J.R.]

I seem to remember talk of the '59 flu epidemic hitting Horsham as well, though I have no recollection of it.

[kerrensimmonds]

I remember it, and remember being in a 'hospital' bed in another Ward (though I thought it was 1's!) alongside other sufferers. My main recollection is of the spring sunshine outside the windows and my feeling that all this (the 'flu) would end one day, I could hear birdsong and knew that soon I could be outside enjoying the daffodils. Ermmmm ......Were there any daffodils planted at Hertford?! Or were these delusions in my illness?

[Fjgrogan]

Perhaps you were 'wandering lonely as a cloud' Kerren?

[sejintenej]

I seem to remember talk of the '59 flu epidemic hitting Horsham as well, though I have no recollection of it.

I'm not sure of the year tho' it was in the mid - late 50's when Horsham was hit badly - I thought '56. Somewhere on the CHForum I supplied a photo of Col A lunch parade with a monitor and about three boys one of whom was imported. That indicates how badly the Asian Flu hit Horsham.

A lot of houses were "evacuated" to become part of the Sicker. I remember that there were Coronation momentos still circulating in the Sicker - I got the flu early.

[olefours]

Me too! I seem to remember spending ages upstairs in the Infirmary in a four-bedded roon, and being given 'Stews', to bring our temperature down. I think we were given little packets of powder (which we ate presumably - or have I dreamed this bit?) and then being wrapped in scratchy blankets to sweat it out - though the word 'sweat' wouldn't have been encouraged....
I haven't had 'flu since, so hope the immunity is still working.

[kerrensimmonds]

Yes, they were Beechams Powders. They would have been dissolved in water and one was stripped, made to drink the stuff, then wrapped tightly into a scratchy blanket and left to lie on a bed in the Infirmary (or elsewhere, as this thread has revealed), to 'sweat out' the temperature, whilst being unable to move in any direction. Pure torture!
But an effective remedy, given medical technology at the time.

[sejintenej]

Me too! I seem to remember spending ages upstairs in the Infirmary in a four-bedded roon, and being given 'Stews', to bring our temperature down. I think we were given little packets of powder (which we ate presumably - or have I dreamed this bit?) and then being wrapped in scratchy blankets to sweat it out - though the word 'sweat' wouldn't have been encouraged....
I haven't had 'flu since, so hope the immunity is still working.

I was in one of those rooms for measles - another epidemic but which did not hit the school as bad. All windows blacked out in case the light sterilised us! With the current over-population I don't know why they bothered.
As for the flu epidemic I got into all sorts of hassle. Your afternoon temperature as well as the morning one had to be "normal" to be discharged. I didn't play games but for about 5 days my temperature rose in the afternoon so I was kept in bed which did not go down well with those forced to go back to CH so-called normality. There were those who used the soap eating trick and ISTR that one boy got caught!

[englishangel]

Not a flu story, but there was one girl in 2's who shall remain nameless though she is not on here (yet) who if she wanted to get out of anything would just swallow toothpaste, cue return of the previous meal. To be fair she didn't do it often but it was a cute party trick.

[kerrensimmonds]

When I was in 5's, as a tiddler, I used to lick my toothpaste when in bed at night, if I felt really hungry. It was strawberry flavour.... I don't remember any ill effects!

[olefours]

When I was in 5's, as a tiddler, I used to lick my toothpaste when in bed at night, if I felt really hungry. It was strawberry flavour.... I don't remember any ill effects!

I think I remember using flat pink discs of Gibbs dry toothpaste. The toothbrush had to be wetted and rubbed on the disc. The disc was wrapped in darker pink cellophane which tasted wonderful when licked. Did I dream this? I haven't seen anything like it for 50 years.

[anniexf]

No, you didn't! I remember it too, I think it was called Dentifrice.