The Spanish Flu Offers Lessons for Saskatchewan People

Cover photo: Three soldiers in a trench during World War I. At left is Frank R. Hill of the 5th Battalion (one of the predecessors of the Saskatoon Light Infantry). LH-5515, courtesy Saskatoon Public Library Local History Room.

As the people of Saskatchewan are dealing with our own pandemic, it is useful to think back to the Spanish flu of 1918. The end of the First World War was the perfect storm for the spread of disease. Many of us are hearing about and practicing physical social distancing – reducing our in-person contact with other people. Despite measures to ban gatherings and cancel school, the end of the First World War, on November 11, 1918, brought decreased social distance as family and friends celebrated the return of their loved ones. By the time the Spanish Flu had swept through Saskatchewan 5,018 people had died (Lux, 1997).

Army contingent and civilians, July 1918. LH-4669, courtesy Saskatoon Public Library Local History Room.

The Spanish flu came to Canada in three waves. The first wave hit in the spring of 1918 while the war still raged. It was mild. With the disease originating in Europe, cases spread to Canada as injured soldiers made their way back home. Physically and mentally broken, these soldiers likely did not move around as much as the average citizen (Roos, 2020). Many were restricted to hospitals or tended to by their families. Such an environment slowed the spread of the flu. While cases may have been misdiagnosed, the Spanish flu appears to have spared Saskatchewan during the first wave.

The second wave came to Saskatchewan with a vengeance. Regina reported the first case of Spanish flu in Saskatchewan on October 1, 1918.

“First Death from Spanish Grippe,” The Morning Leader, 7 October 1918. Google New Archives.

On October 7, Robert Callander died, the first casualty in Saskatchewan. Callander likely caught the flu because he lived near Camp Exhibition, a military camp that saw the movement of troops from east to west.

As the war effort wound down, many soldiers passed through the camp on their way back to communities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Camp Exhibition provided the perfect space for disease to thrive.

Dinner time at Camp Exhibition, Regina, July 1918. PH-90-29-21, courtesy of Saskatoon Public Library Local History Room.

Dish washing, Camp Exhibition, Regina, Saskatchewan. University of Saskatchewan Library, University Archives and Special Collections, Canadiana Pamphlets Collection, LXX-451.

Soldiers were housed in close quarters. Frequent turnover as soldiers made their way home ensured that they were exposed to hundreds of other soldiers. The Morning Leader reported on October 15 that at least “twelve soldiers had paraded with symptoms” of the Spanish flu, prompting a quarantine of the camp.

“Dormitory at Camp Under Quarantine,” The Morning Leader, 15 October, 1918. Google News Archives.

On October 16, Regina took more steps to reduce social contact. The city ordered  all “places of amusement” to shut their doors. A day later, the municipal government ordered the closure of churches.

“Places of Amusement, Churches, Closed; Meetings Banned,” The Morning Leader, 17 October 1918. Google News Archives.

Despite these efforts to reduce contact, news of the Armistice on November 11 led to celebrations in the streets, complicating efforts to isolate the ill. The end of the war raised spirits and many believed its end would bring the end of the Canadian epidemic (Luz, 1997). One Saskatchewan doctor went so far as to state  “the only effect this [peace] celebration is going to have on the influenza situation is to improve it” (Saskatoon Daily Star, November 11, 1918). The cautious atmosphere that the flu had caused was replaced by celebrations where thousands of Regina residents gathered together.

November recorded more than 2,500 deaths, the worst month for casualties of the Spanish flu (Lux, 1997).

But the flurry of deaths eased near the end of the month. On November 24, 1918, with the euphoria of victory still fresh, Regina lifted the bans on business, church services and schools. While the Spanish flu lingered well into 1920, life, for the most part, returned to normal.

As we take refuge in our homes, Saskatchewan residents can be thankful for faster and more robust government support. Throughout the Spanish flu, theatre workers in Regina repeatedly called for the government to provide financial support. On October 28, former theatre employees put an advertisement in the papers appealing for financial aid. While theatre owners received a refund on their license, the workers’ calls for financial support remained unheard.

“Relief to Those Affected by Closing Order,” The Morning Leader, 28 October 1918.

War had allowed the start of the global pandemic. Crowded trenches were a perfect breeding ground for the influenza. Peace allowed the flu to spread even further as isolation measures, such as a ban on public gatherings, were ignored in favour of celebration. Saskatchewan is not in the middle of a war, and we are unlikely to have any drastic changes that lead to widespread celebrations.

Nonetheless, the story of Spanish flu underscores the importance of continuing social distancing measures in the face of a desire for a return to normal. The celebrations after the war represented a release of energy after the exhaustion of war. This province may grow weary of social distancing and the end of restrictions may well lead to a similar sort of celebration, where residents are swept up in the desire to reconnect and make up for lost time. 

Selected Sources:

Maureen Lux, “‘The Bitter Flats’: The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Saskatchewan,” Saskatchewan History 49, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 3-13.

David Roos, “Why the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu was so Deadly,” History, 3 March 2020. www.history.com

Derek Cameron is a MA candidate in History at the University of Saskatchewan. He is interested in the history of public health and science communication. His current project studies the communication strategies used by anti-vaccine groups to undermine vaccine acceptance.

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