Leyton & Leytonstone

Historical Society

First World War stories from St Mary’s Leyton churchyard

Albert Edward Austin (1895-1918) continued                  

Electron microscopy image showing recreated 1918 influenza virions (image Wikipedia)

There are still many unanswered questions about the 1918 pandemic which scientists and historians are  trying to answer, in order to understand what happened then, and how it can be prevented from happening again. One thing is clear though, all influenza A  pandemics since that time and almost all influenza A infections worldwide have been caused by descendants of the 1918 H1N1 virus.

The headstone in the churchyard of St Mary’s Leyton provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Sadly Albert was not the only war casualty in his family. His elder brother Frank Thomas  had died at home of wounds sustained in France on 15 October 1916 and is buried in Queen’s Road cemetery, Walthamstow (Ref: A3072). Frank served as a Corporal in  the London Regiment, 1st Surrey Rifles  (service number: 2890)   and was 26 years of age when he died.  He left a young wife who lived in Hoe Street, Walthamstow.