Trentham Military Camp Influenza Victims (Trentham Military Hospital and Trentham Military Camp Isolation Cottage Hospital)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
www.lynly.gen.nz Trentham Military Camp Influenza Victims (Trentham Military Hospital and Trentham Military Camp Isolation Cottage Hospital) Like most districts in New Zealand Upper Hutt was affected by the 1918 Influenza pandemic also known as the Spanish flu. Situated near Upper Hutt was the Trentham Military camp. Trentham had regular contact with the Featherston Military camp where the Influenza epidemic was rife. As a result the citizens of Upper Hutt were in real danger of contracting Influenza. Around the middle of 1915 Trentham military Camp was occupied by over 7,000 men and as a result there was an early outbreak of influenza and other respiratory diseases resulting in the deaths of 33 service personnel. This early outbreak could not be compared to the later 1918 Influenza pandemic but some lesson were learnt and assisted with the later outbreak. Many believe that the ship S.S. Niagara bought the Influenza epidemic to New Zealand. She sailed on the 10 July 1918 with New Zealand soldiers aboard as well as the Prime Minister Mr Massey and Minister of Finance Sir J G Ward. The 1918 Parliamentary papers recorded very strong debating by the Government officials regarding the S.S. Niagara. Around 26 September 1918 it was reported that there were 400 influenza cases at Trentham Military Camp but the Government authorities insisted that it was a mild flu outbreak. The Trentham Military Camp Quartermaster Major Thomas McCristell was influential in organising and providing beds, blankets, mattresses and equipment for the numerous temporary influenza hospitals set up around the Wellington region during the epidemic. Medical orderlies from the Trentham Military Camp volunteered and assist other local volunteers in the temporary hospitals. The Hutt Valley milk supplies were maintained by soldiers from Trentham Camp. The soldiers also assisted local farmers and butchers. Trentham Military Camp service personnel paid an important part during the influenza epidemic around the Wellington region including the Upper Hutt district. The Registrar General recorded 383 deaths from Influenza in the Wellington region for the months of October, November and up to 6th December 1918. Statistic from to the publication “Black November” by Dr Geoffrey Rice records: Upper Hutt population of 1,554 6 deaths Hutt County population of 5,843 23 deaths Trentham Military Camp population of 3,270 77 deaths Featherston Military Camp population of 7,800 177 deaths The Upper Hutt Township was part of the Upper Hutt Town Board. The Hutt country was part of the Hutt Borough of the Hutt Valley and included major portions of the Upper Hutt district. New Zealand Times newspaper 05 December 1918 There have been twelve deaths recorded in the district (including the three at the Upper Hutt emergency hospital) five in the country and seven in the township and of these three were soldiers, four soldiers wives, one a soldiers child, and two had soldier lodgers, only two were un-associated with soldiers or camp. (Reference Papers past website New Zealand Times & Dominion newspaper 05 December 1918) There were some military service personnel who died of influenza outside of the district but have connections to the Upper Hutt district and the residents. Service Personnel who died overseas “Tahiti” of Influenza buried at sea and associated with UH 03 Sep 1918 - Pte Linus Bernard Golder 579138 nok mother Upper Hutt 04 Sep 1918 - Pte Thomas James Stanley 12/4094 nok wife Upper Hutt 1 HVUH Misc 1918 Influenza victims Trentham Camp compiled by Lynly Lessels Yates New Zealand updated 9 July 2018 www.lynly.gen.nz Service Personnel who died at Featherston Camp from influenza and associated with Upper Hutt 10 Nov 1918 - Pte Robert Daniel Benge 74285 nok wife Upper Hutt Te Marua 17 Nov 1918 - RQMS Charles Betties James 6/1885 nok wife Upper Hutt Heretaunga Service Personnel who died in Wellington area from influenza and associated with Upper Hutt 17 Nov 1918 - Pte William James Collings 38502 Upper Hutt railway station address 26 Nov 1918 - Cpl Robert Allan Macmillan 39668 Trentham Camp permanent staff 26 Nov 1918 - Pte Edward Henry Beagle 22299 Trentham Camp QMS staff Trentham Military Camp and Hospital Trentham Military Camp had service personnel returning from overseas duty as medically unfit and some died of influenza. Trentham Military Camp also had an intake of new young and fit military recruits. Many of them became victims and died of influenza. Defence Department reports recorded the names of 62 service personnel who died from Influenza at Trentham Military Camp. Newspaper articles gave the numbers for Trentham Camp sick parade, hospital admission and recorded a total of 39 deaths. Later Wellington newspaper reports recording details of those who died of influenza included their name, rank, service number and the name and address of their next of kin. An unofficial newspaper article noted over 70 deaths at Trentham Camp and over 160 at Featherston Military Camp. Statistic from to the publication “Black November” by Dr Geoffrey Rice records the Trentham Military Camp total deaths during the influenza epidemic as seventy seven [77]. I have located seventy eight [78] Service Personnel who died from influenza at Trentham Military Hospital situated in the Upper Hutt district of New Zealand. By using various records I have created below in date order a draft list of deaths followed by an A-Z list of details about the individual Trentham Military Camp service personnel who died of influenza during the epidemic and others connected to the Upper Hutt district that also died of influenza. 08 Nov 1918 - Pte William Albert McKinstry 81701 nok wife Gisborne 09 Nov 1918 - RQMS Cyril [Charles] Watts 24745 nok Mrs Napier 11 Nov 1918 - Pte R Goodman [Goodwin] 88228 nok wife Highbank 11 Nov 1918 - Major (Dr) John Bonwell Sale 3/4316 nok wife Upper Hutt 12 Nov 1918 - Pte Clifford William Flood 82636 nok mother Greytown 12 Nov 1918 – Pte Frederick Alfred Hansen 92581 nok wife Onehunga 12 Nov 1918 – Edwin Rowland James 85474 nok wife Auckland 13 Nov 1918 - Pte James Charles Brown 92541 nok wife Trentham 13 Nov 1918 - Pte Ralph John Brunton 83461 nok father North Auckland 13 Nov 1918 - Pte John Edward Rush 71936 nok Mr Whangarei 14 Nov 1918 – Pte John Connell 79733 nok mother Auckland 14 Nov 1918 - Cpl Hugh Thomas Corcoran 85421 nok Miss Waikato 14 Nov 1918 - Pte Alfred Galvan 77873 nok mother Raglan 14 Nov 1918 - Pte George Hay 82970 nok Mrs Wellington 14 Nov 1918 - RQMS Leslie Vernon Latimer 6/490 nok wife Upper Hutt 14 Nov 1918 - Pte George William Sanderson 72593 nok wife Wellington 14 Nov 1918 - Pte Robert Stewart 84004 nok Miss Auckland 15 Nov 1918 – Pte John Flanagan 3/3339 nok mother Wallaceville 15 Nov 1918 – Rfl John Friend 25/1101 nok friend Palmerston North 15 Nov 1918 - Pte Thomas Harlin 82841 nok Mrs Hastings 15 Nov 1918 - Cpl Joseph James Martin 82544 nok wife Wellington 2 HVUH Misc 1918 Influenza victims Trentham Camp compiled by Lynly Lessels Yates New Zealand updated 9 July 2018 www.lynly.gen.nz 15 Nov 1918 - Cpl Percy Frederick James Merrin 78057 nok wife Wellington 15 Nov 1918 - Cpl Andrew Frank Silvester Williams 88313 nok mother Christchurch 15 Nov 1918 - Pte William Harold Williams 92561 nok wife Waihi 16 Nov 1918 - Cpl Francis Tolloff Cobeldick 79883 nok Mrs Rotorua 16 Nov 1918 - Pte Edward John Cockle 82214 nok sister Christchurch 16 Nov 1918 - Pte Alexander Fraser 6/1145 nok Mrs Christchurch 16 Nov 1918 - Pte John Harp 81944 nok wife Greytown 16 Nov 1918 - Cpl William Henry Jones 77068 nok Mrs Christchurch 16 Nov 1918 - L/Cpl Thomas Charles Lawson 80544 nok wife Dunedin 16 Nov 1918 - Pte Denis Quane 92967 nok wife Blenheim 17 Nov 1918 - Pte Arthur Robert Cobb 82890 nok wife Upper Hutt 17 Nov 1918 - Pte William James Collings 38502 nok father Greytown 17 Nov 1918 - Pte James Jeremiah Hogan 82115 nok wife Doyleston 17 Nov 1918 - RQMS Charles Betties James 6/1885 nok wife Heretaunga 17 Nov 1918 - Pte David Malcolm North 77631 nok Mrs Picton 17 Nov 1918 - Cpl Douglas Hedley Trott 83015 nok wife Newtown 18 Nov 1918 - Pte Ernest Owen Crowe 82744 nok mother Oxford 18 Nov 1918 - RSM William John Donald Garvie 8/41 nok wife Wellington 18 Nov 1918 - Pte Michael Hogan 91945 nok Mrs Auckland 18 Nov 1918 – Pte Richard Illingworth 92859 nok father England 18 Nov 1918 - Sgt Major Edward John McTigue NN nok wife Upper Hutt 18 Nov 1918 - Cpl Joseph Thomas Marshall 83577 nok wife Auckland 18 Nov 1918 - L/Cpl Herbert Stanley Slight 77382 nok wife Fielding 18 Nov 1918 - Pte Cecil H Wright 92897 nok father Taumaranui 19 Nov 1918 - L/Cpl Thomas Brown 79967 nok Mrs Gisborne 19 Nov 1918 – Pte Thomas Fitzpatrick 78791 nok wife Dunedin 19 Nov 1918 - Major Donald Bruce McKenzie 9/325 nok wife Trentham 19 Nov 1918 - Pte Charles Ernest Peters 91724 nok wife Shannon 19 Nov 1918 - Sgt Albert William Simpson 5/464 nok wife Upper Hutt 19 Nov 1918 – Pte William Turner 3/3752 nok mother Dunedin 20 Nov 1918 – Pte Frederick George Atyeo 3/130a nok mother Christchurch 20 Nov 1918 – Pte William James Berwick 93004 nok wife Napier 20 Nov 1918 – Pte Frederick Lloyd Burgess 63511 nok father Auckland 20 Nov 1918 - Pte John Patrick O’Neill 92906 nok father Hastings 20 Nov 1918 - Sgt George Edward Francis Rickard 61063 nok wife Heretaunga 20 Nov 1918 – Pte Albert Joseph Wheldon 81420 nok wife Marton 22 Nov 1918 - Cpl Albert Joseph Arlow 84236 nok wife Thorndon 22 Nov 1918 - Pte George Blamey (Blaney) 79630 nok wife Auckland 22 Nov 1918 - Pte George Ranfurly Brown 92935 nok mother Ashburton 22 Nov 1918 - Sgt