The Growing List of Fatalities

26/6/1919, The death occurred yesterday of a young man named Maxwell Cummings, formerly a resident of East Fremantle who died at Blackboy Hospital (a quarantine hospital).(reference)

25/6/1919, At Blackboy hill hospital, Gilbert Maxwell More, the dearly beloved son of George Robertson and Annie cumming and brother of Donald (on active service), Andrew (returned) and Colin and Edith Cumming, late petty officer of Royal Australian Naval Brigade, aged 24 years. (reference)

7/1919. At the influenza ward of the Fremantle Public Hospital two deaths occurred being those of Mrs. Katherine Wells, 92 South Street, and Mr James Snell, of Silas street, East Fremantle. (reference)

30/08/1919. There was a substantial rise in the number of new cases of influenza reported to the health authorities yesterday, the total being 17, compared with 11 on the previous day. The deaths, on the other hand, fell from eight to three. Eliza M. Humphreys of 70 Hubble-street. died at the Alma-road Hospital. (reference)

The Great Influenza Pandemic Strikes Fremantle

Influenza Deaths in East Fremantle

In 1918, an outbreak of the worldwide pandemic pneumonic influenza or Spanish flu strain arrived in Western Australia. Troopships, container and other shipping were often quarantined and some sick soldiers sent to Woodman’s point Quarantine Station. The Spanish flu caused 50 million deaths worldwide, remains an ominous warning to public health. WA was no different, Fremantle and surrounding areas were not invulnerable to the effects of the Spanish Flu and quarantine areas were set up at Woodman Point and Blackboy Hill.

Dec 1918-The Year of the Pneumonic Influenza

Quarantine enforced due to confirmed Pneumonic Influenza Outbreak at the Port of Fremantle.

The troopship Boonah, which was farewelled on Oct 30 last, laden with reinforcements for the front, returned to that port yesterday with most of her passengers and crew suffering, either as patients or contacts from pneumonic influenza. When the vessel arrived at South Africa, the armistice having been signed, her commander received orders to return to Australia, and it was during the discharging of her cape cargo that some of her passengers and crew went ashore and brought back with them the germs, which as days went by, spread through the ships complement and laid more than one third of those on board on sick beds. (reference)

The Infected Transport; 1918

Although it was announced on Friday that a transport coming via South Africa had 90 cases of pneumonia influenza on board, the quarantine officials are not in a position to give much information. It is not certain whether the boat will arrive on Tuesday or on Wednesday nor is it clear yet where the contacts to the number of about a thousand will be sent. Woodman’s Point is certainly too small for them, and it is said that the federal people will have a wild idea of sending them to Rottnest, but with Garden Island and the quarantine station available, there is no necessity for such a course. Certain aspects of the quarantine business are discussed in our Fremantle column on page 2. meantime a conference between the local health people and quarantine officials will probably be held at Woodman’s point today. (reference)

In total 27 soldiers died, and 4 nurses also succumbed to the condition. Notable deaths from the Boonah 1919, various interments at Karakatta, East Fremantle cemeteries.

There were three deaths at the Woodman’s Point Hospital on Saturday. No fresh cases among the soldiers have been recorded, but another of the staff nurses showed symptoms of the disease in a mild form on Saturday. One of the three patients who died on Saturday was Sister R. O’Kane, of Victoria, and she was buried with full military honours in the quarantine cemetery. (reference)