Yes, it is the season of colds and flu. We have all suffered from one at some time or another but none of us remember the awful flu epidemic of 1918-1920.
Our picture shows nurses from Blackfriars Depot, Chippendale NSW on board a C 1914 Underslung Regal Model 25 and we wonder how much ribbing he got when the driver crumpled the offside wing? Perhaps a reader can help us identify the motorcycle outfit?
Here's another picture of the Underslung, complete with damaged wing, this time transporting nurses from the Riley St. Depot in Surry Hills.
The flu epidemic understandably caused panic and masks were worn to stop its spread - schools, theatres and Sydney University were closed for a time.
To maintain morale, wartime censors minimized early reports of illness and mortality in Germany, Britain, France, and the United States; but papers were free to report the epidemic's effects in neutral Spain (such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII ) creating a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit — thus the pandemic's nickname 'Spanish Flu'.
Tens of millions of people worlwide perished and Governments did their best to educate their population how to avoid spreading germs. This 1946 video shows how the simple message was put across. The Australian Government issued volunteer workers with a certificate by way of thanks for joining the staff of the Australian Red Cross to help stamp out the 'Pandemic of Pneumonic Influenza'.
If you are wondering what to buy your loved one for Christmas, get them a handkerchief!
Text Robin Batchelor, pictures from archive.