Between 40 and 50 million people were killed during the Spanish 'flu pandemic of 1918-19 - six times the number killed during the First World War – says Edward Davies in a strikingly timed article in the April edition of Y Traethodydd journal.

North Wales was affected particularly bad by the illness: Caernarfonshire was the county with the highest death rate throufg England and Wales, with Flintshire fourth on the list. 607 of Caernarfonshire's inhabitans were killed - a death rate of 6.7 in every thousand. Edward Davies suggests that the 'flu affected certain parts of north Wales very badly because of the close links with the port of Liverpool that existed at the time, with 40,000 of the city's inhabitatns having migrated there from Wales.

In some cases whole families, including the maids, were simultaneously confined to their beds.  As there were not enough people to prepare food for the sick, soup kitchens were opened in Caernarfon and Llanberis, with the diet consisting of beef tea, mutton broth, barley water and lemonade.  The concerns and fear of the people of Llanberis was reflected in the Herald Cymraeg: “We live in terrible days, fearing every minute of the day that we will hear of the death of neighbours and friends.  There is great sympathy to be found with the families in the middle of storm.”

The virus found it difficult to cross the Menai Strait and fewer people were taken ill in Anglesey.  But not everyone was lucky: in 4 Henry Street, Holyhead, lived William Williams, his wife and six children.  Both parents and two of the children were dead within five days of one another.

The flu did not distinguish between rich and poor: Lloyd George himself was almost killed.  During the pandemic, which lasted for 46 weeks, 151,446 were killed in England and Wales.  Although most patients were not in fatal danger, recent news about swine flu reminds us that flu remains a disease which endangers lives, killing around 12,000 people in England and Wales every year.

Y Traethodydd is the oldest magazine in Wales and Welsh.  It is a quarterly cultural journal which includes historical and literary articles, as well as discussions on theological and philosophical subjects and reviews.  It can be bought through your local bookshop or you can subscribe annually (£3.00 per issue, £12 a year) by contactinc Gwasg y Bwthyn, Lôn Ddewi, Caernarfon, LL55 1ER (01286 672018).

To visit Y Traethodydd web pages (Welsh only) click here.