London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Woolwich 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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The following table, No. 3, shows the relative number of people at different ages living in Woolwich compared with London:—
| Age last Birthday. | MALES. | FEMALES. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. | Woolwich. | Woolwich. | London. | |
| 0—4 | 100 | 104 | 116 | 100 |
| 5—9 | 100 | 94 | 106 | 100 |
| 10—14 | 100 | 94 | 108 | 100 |
| 15—19 | 100 | 111 | 101 | 100 |
| 20—24 | 100 | 109 | 95 | 100 |
| 25—29 | 100 | 101 | 97 | 100 |
| 30-34 | 100 | 95 | 96 | 100 |
| 35—39 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 100 |
| 40—44 | 100 | 100 | 102 | 100 |
| 45—49 | 100 | 105 | 101 | 100 |
| 50—54 | 100 | 101 | 101 | 100 |
| 55—59 | 100 | 97 | 94 | 100 |
| 60—64 | 100 | 92 | 88 | 100 |
| 65—74 | 100 | 86 | 87 | 100 |
| Over 75 | 100 | 86 | 91 | 100 |
This table shows two excesses of males, one from 15-29
years, and one from 45-54 years. The first excess is in all
probability due to the military establishment, 4,118 males
being enumerated in these buildings on the census night.
The second excess is probably due to the influx of older men
to work on munitions during the war. The smaller proportion
of females in the age groups 20-39 may be due to young
women leaving Woolwich to find employment elsewhere, or
to the fact that the London female population at these ages
is increased by provincial immigrants who would not be likely
to settle in Woolwich where there is very little opportunity
for them to find work. This explanation is supported by
the fact that, comparatively speaking, there is less female
labour employed in Woolwich than in any other Metropolitan
Borough, and particularly is this so in the case of married
women of whom, approximately, one in twenty is employed
compared with one in nine in London as a whole.