Wednesday and the 1957 flu pandemic

[Ricky]

I don't know if anyone has read this article in last week's Mail On Sunday. The last paragraph mentions government papers referring to the Wednesday match against Manchester City being cancelled because City weren't able to raise a team due to flu. Do any older fans recall this? 

https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8188249/amp/PMs-dithering-virus-killed-33-000-Britons-63-years-ago.html?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=15865062851297&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-8188249%2FPMs-dithering-virus-killed-33-000-Britons-63-years-ago.html

[Sova]

Looking it up, that would have been our first game of the season. Needless to say, we lost the rearranged game, away in October, and since we got relegated by a point that season, you could say that that pandemic played a role in our relegation. City, incidentally, finished 5th, and - incredibly - both scored and conceded 100 goals that season, not least thanks to their 5-4 win in the reverse fixture against us just before Christmas.

[Blatter]

It was my first season supporting the Owls.

Only went to the odd game and we got relegated but I do remember lots of games being postponed.

Season after was when I really got  hooked after Harry Catterick was appointed manager and we were promoted.
 

Flu spread widely, I had 2 weeks off school with it. When I returned less than half the kids and teachers were there. It was a nasty illness but no talk of lockdown. You just got it and carried on as best you could in those days.

 

[crookesowl]

4 minutes ago, Blatter said:

It was my first season supporting the Owls.

Only went to the odd game and we got relegated but I do remember lots of games being postponed.

Season after was when I really got  hooked after Harry Catterick was appointed manager and we were promoted.
 

Flu spread widely, I had 2 weeks off school with it. When I returned less than half the kids and teachers were there. It was a nasty illness but no talk of lockdown. You just got it and carried on as best you could in those days.

 

Guess it depends on the rate of deaths... flu gets a fair few people each year but not really comparable to where we are today. 

[Blatter]

9 minutes ago, crookesowl said:

Guess it depends on the rate of deaths... flu gets a fair few people each year but not really comparable to where we are today. 

Reading that report it claims 33,000 UK deaths whereas the current pandemic accounts for around 8,000 to date so It sounds pretty similar really.
My point though was that there was no means of widespread testing or any real idea of how to prevent the disease spreading around the world back then.

[dunsbyowl]

I posted this on Twitter a coupld of weeks ago :