Death in April 1919?

[broadtown]

Hi Guys,

Usually don't ask this sort of thing - however:-

We have a set of diaries from

Private HENRY GEORGE MENZIES

302896, H.Q. 2nd Tank Group, Tank Corps

The diaries stop at 30 October 1916, that does not infere he died then just he stopped writing in that particular volume.

That said he did die on 12 April 1919. We cannot work out why, how or where? He has a death plaque and the three medals you would expect. Does this suggest he was a flu or injury victim?

Any help would be grately appreciated.

P.S. any thoughts on the current 'Wiltshire Soldier' series by Richard Broadhead?

Best wishes

Bob Clarke

[Chris_Baker]

St Pol Military Cemetery register:

[ss002d6252]

He died of Flu on 12 Apr 1919.

Menzies, pte. Henry George 302896.

H.Q 2nd Tank Group, Tank Corps. Died of

Influenza 12th April 1919. Husband of Louise

Menzies, of Swan Lane, Sellindge, Ashford.

III. E. 15.

[broadtown]

Thanks guys, I did think that might be the case. It just goes to show how supressed the immune systems must have been by the end of the war. Doesn't reduce the sadness of it all.

Best wishes

Bob

[KevinBattle]

I don't think so, the Spanish Flu virus (H1N1 - remember that in 2009??) was different to the usual outbreaks in that it had more devastating effects on the fit and healthy.

Normally you would expect the sick and frail to be the victims, but the Flu pandemic hit the healthy hardest.

Well worth some research.

[Old Owl]

His MIC says, died 12/4/19, which covers all sorts of possibilities.

His death certificate should confirm the cause of death

[ss002d6252]

H1N1 or 'Spanish Flu' tended to kill people by over stimulating the immune system and it was the 'cytokine storm' which killed people by destroying lung tissue and flooding then in fluid.There was also an unusually large number of co-infections with Haemophilus Influenza which, before the invention of antibiotics was a massive killer through the associated pneumonia (incidentally it was often thought to be the killer before H1N1 was discovered hence the term 'flu).

H1N1 was a novel mix of avian, porcine and human Influenza and is the grandparent of the modern flu - I was reading a recent paper which came to the conclusion that H1N1 only appeared in its current forms around the 1890-1900's and earlier forms of Influenza were very different and this was another one of the reasons regarding the ferocity of the virus and the lack of immunity. It also had an unusual combination of 3 proteins which massively increased the virulence of the virus.