Edith Annie Hudson (1894-1918)
St Hild’s scholar during the war who died of influenza
Edith Annie Hudson was trained at St Hild’s College before beginning to teach at Easington Lane Council School in 1915. Whilst teaching there she contracted influenza and died before the end of the war in July 1918.
Edith was born on 21 November 1894 in Consett and baptised the following month in the Wesleyan Methodist church in Shotley Bridge. She was one of seven children born to James Crummy and Annie Hudson, one of whom was no longer alive at the time of the 1911 census. The couple’s children who appear on census records were all female. Edith’s father was a letterpress printer and is listed as an employer on the 1911 census.
Having been educated at Durham Johnston School, and following time as a pupil teacher, Edith chose to pursue a career in teaching. In 1913 she began training at St Hild’s College for schoolmistresses in Durham where she remained for two years. As part of this training she spent time teaching in the practise schools attached to the college, including those at St Margaret’s and Gilesgate. Students at St Hild’s would also spend days at other schools and centres in the North East such as the Domestic Centre in Darlington and the Bolam School “for defectives” in Newcastle.
Final college reports from St Hild’s describe Edith as a “fair teacher of infants”. However, it was also recorded that Edith’s “lessons often fall short of being interesting though prepared along the right lines.” It was concluded that she “needs a good deal of practice”. Despite this somewhat negative report, Edith took up a post at Easington Lane Council Infants’ School following her time at St Hild’s. The St Hild’s annual magazine from 1918-1919 records Edith as falling victim to influenza in July 1918 during the time Durham was affected by the influenza epidemic. Local newspapers from this month report the large numbers of people, including miners, affected by this epidemic which caused a serious decline in the output of coal in the county.
Due to the school being short staffed, Edith is reported as insisting to continue teaching when she first contracted influenza. Following this, Edith contracted pneumonia and passed away on 10 July 1918. The Newcastle Journal on 15 July reports several deaths from influenza and specifically mentions Easington Lane and the surrounding villages as being affected.
Civil Parish: Durham Elvet
Birth date: 21-Nov-1894
Death date: 10-Jul-1918
Armed force/civilian: Civilian
Residence: 20 Sunderland Street, Houghton-le-Spring (1901 Census)
Newbottle Street, Houghton-le-Spring (1911 Census)
Education: Durham Johnston School
St Hilds College 1913-1915
Employment: Teacher – Easington Lane School
Family: Parents: James Crummy Hudson, Annie Hudson
Siblings: Katherine Hudson, Elizabeth Hudson, Ethyl May Hudson, Margaret Francis Hudson, Evelyn Mary Hudson
Gender: Female
Contributed by Fiona Johnson - Durham
