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Atmospheric deposits at County Hall (reading taken at 16.30h. relating to the previous
24 hours)—0.49 mg./cubic metre smoke, 0.144 p.p.m. sulphur dioxide. District nurses
began treatment of 48 new respiratory cases ; 120 deaths occurred in the County ; and
244 calls were met by the accident ambulance service (average time per call 34 minutes).
These first four days of December were normal winter days with nothing unusual
in their load of morbidity and mortality. On the Thursday evening the thick fog
came down.
Friday, 5th December—Weather at Kew—Fine until mid-morning, then fair, sky
becoming obscured by fog afterwards. Fog all day, thick 05h.-08.15h., 11.10h.-24h.
Frost all day, rime in morning, mean air temperature 29.5°F. Atmospheric deposits
at County Hall (reading taken at 16.30h. relating to the previous 24 hours)—2.64 mg./
cubic metre smoke, 0.751 p.p.m. sulphur dioxide. District nurses began treatment of
98 new respiratory cases; 196 deaths occurred in the County; and 311 calls were met
by the accident ambulance service (average time per call 39 minutes).
Saturday, 6th December—Weather at Kew—Sky obscured by thick fog all day. Frost
and rime all day; mean air temperature 28.9°F. Atmospheric deposits at County Hall
(reading taken at 11.30h. relating to the previous 19 hours)—3.45 mg./cubic metre
smoke, 0.855 p.p.m. sulphur dioxide. District nurses began treatment of 78 new
respiratory cases; 294 deaths occurred in the County; and 337 calls were met by the
accident ambulance service (average time per call 96 minutes).
Sunday, 1th December—Weather at Kew—Sky obscured by thick fog all day. Frost all
day; mean air temperature 28.9°F. Atmospheric deposits at County Hall*. District
nurses began treatment of 42 new respiratory cases; 513 deaths occured in the County;
and 247 calls were met by the accident ambulance service (average time per call
118 minutes).
Monday, 8th December—Weather at Kew—Sky obscured by fog until morning, then
cloudy to fair until late afternoon, afterwards fine. Fog most of day, thick until mid-day,
and from 16.45h. Frost morning and evening; mean air temperature 31.5°F. Atmospheric
deposits at County Hall (reading taken at 09.30h. relating to the previous
46 hours)*—4.46 mg./cubic metre smoke; 1.339 p.p.m. sulphur dioxide. District
nurses began treatment of 175 new respiratory cases; 518 deaths occurred in the
County; and 316 calls were met by the accident ambulance service (average time
per call 76 minutes).
Tuesday, 9th December—Weather at Kew—Fine at first becoming fair, then cloudy
most of day. Fog in morning, thick until 04.30 h.; mist in afternoon. Frost in morning;
mean air temperature 36.0°F. Atmospheric deposit at County Hall†. District nurses
began treatment of 227 new respiratory cases1; 430 deaths occurred in the County;
and 277 calls were met by the accident ambulance service (average time per call
48 minutes).
Wednesday, 10th December—Weather at Kew—Cloudy until early evening, then fair.
Intermittent light drizzle and rain morning and afternoon ; light to moderate rain late.
Fresh wind 11.05-25h., 12h-14h. (S), 16.15h.-17h. (SSW). Mean air temperature
43.3°F. Atmospheric deposit at County Hall (reading taken at 16.30h. relating to
the previous 55 hours)—1.22 mg./cubic metre smoke, 0.472 p.p.m. sulphur dioxide.
District nurses began treatment of 184 new respiratory cases; 274 deaths occurred in the
County; and 273 calls were met by the accident ambulance service (average time per
call 41 minutes).
It is apparent from this brief diary of the ten days covering the fog period that the
pattern of sickness, accident and death changed abruptly shortly after the fog and cold
*No readings are taken at County Hall on a Sunday, and the figures here given for Sunday and Monday are the
averages for the 46 hours since 11,30h. on Saturday.
†On this particular Tuesday no readings were taken at County Hall; the figures here given for the Wednesday
are the averages for the 55 hours ending at 16.30h. on Wednesday.