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Public Health Department.
Town Hall.
Wallington.
To His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Beddington and Wallington.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit my report for the year ending 31st December, 1940.
This health report is the first to cover one full year of war. The
text of the report has been kept at a minimum by reason of war
economy and comprises merely the summary of essential statistics.
It is as well, however, in this introductory letter, to refer to the
more significant of the statistics and draw inferences, where possible,
to illustrate the effect of the war upon the inhabitants of the
Borough.
The Registrar-General's estimate of the resident population for
1940 was 27,410. The population during the year fluctuated considerably,
rising from 28,328 in January to 29,645 in August, and falling
to 26,293 in December. Many persons who, with their families, had
left the district in 1939 began in 1940 to return, and this mflux
continued up till August. During that month, however, the German
air attack fell heavily on this district, and continued until the end
of 1940 with little respite. During the last three months of the year
an outward flow again took place, the population falling in December
to 26,293.
The fluctuating circumstances of the population had a bearing on
the attendances at the Maternity and Child Welfare clinics. The
figures reached their lowest level during the worst months of the air
attack, but towards the end of the year already an increasing
number of evacuees from bombed properties in the Metropolitan
districts began to flow into the area.
It may be anticipated that, during subsequent war years, this flow
of evacuees from London, together with the presence of an increasing
number of residents from South Coast towns, will keep our population
figure at a fairly high level.
The Birth Rate has been maintained at approximately the same
level as in 1939, being 12.55 per 1,000. The Death Rate, however, is
higher, being 12.62 per 1,000 as compared with 9.38 per 1,000 in 1939.
In the report it will be noticed that 38 deaths were attributed to
war operations, 26 residents being killed in air raids within the
Borough and 12 residents elsewhere. In addition, 3 non-residents
were killed in raids in the Borough.
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