All our lives have changed but we must be vigilant
IT seems unbelievable that, within the space of a few months, almost the whole world has been struck by a virus that has changed our lives.
All the features of what we regard as normal life – shopping, travel, pubs, visiting pals and relations and sport are regarded now as “no-go” areas.
The situation has even been described by some people as similar to the pandemic that struck in 1918-19 but is that a valid comparison?
In November 1918 the First World War had just finished, a conflict that had a severe effect on football in Scotland.
The Scottish Cup had been cancelled for the duration of the war, internationals were also banned, players’ wages had been reduced by 25 per cent and were later fixed at £1 per week.
No wages were paid during the close season and footballers were expected to take their place alongside the other workers in the munitions’ factories and shipyards.
League matches were confined to Saturdays and holidays and players could only take part if they had worked the rest of the week. It was a tough time for everyone and the last thing they needed was the arrival of a vicious virus.
It was called Spanish Flu as, while countries like Britain, France and Germany played down the effects, Spanish papers, in a neutral country, freely reported its spread, even when the King was struck down.
The virus may have originated in the Far East but it first properly emerged in America in the early part of 1918, at Camp Funston in Kansas.
A short time later, it appeared in Europe, brought over by US troop ships. Glasgow was one of the first places to be affected, presumably brought here by troops returning from the war.
Portsmouth,
Southampton and Liverpool – all troop ports – were also hit early, as were the naval stations at Scapa and Rosyth.
The initial wave was not powerful but as the months wore on the flu gradually turned into a dreadful killer.
The figure for Scotland was eventually assessed at 33,771 deaths, a large number for a population of 4.8million. But figures elsewhere were even worse, 17million in India, 675,000 in the USA and 400,000 in France.
Football authorities decided there was no reason to ban large gatherings and matches went ahead. There were some deaths though.
Angus Douglas from Lochmaben was a winger who played for Chelsea and Newcastle and won a
Football authorities decided matches were to go ahead
cap for Scotland. He worked in the munitions factories but died aged 29 in December 1918.
Dan McMichael also died during the pandemic. He led Hibs to a Scottish Cup win in 1902 and a League Championship in 1903 but collapsed on the way home from a 1-1 draw at Falkirk on February 1, 1919 and died five days later.
Like many of the victims he was buried in an unmarked grave. Decades later, Hibs fans found the grave site and raised funds for a gravestone.
When compared to those figures, current statistics do not match up. But we cannot afford to relax and it is up to all of us to be vigilant and follow the advice given by the authorities.