Do you remember polio outbreak in Blackburn 1966?

[LordBob]

During the outbreak travel in and out of Blackburn was severely restricted and Blackburn Rovers had a large number of home games postponed for obvious reasons, 6 I think. To play these games at the end of the season in quick succession was a bridge too far and Rovers were relegated, we will struggle if this carries on a sombre thought.

[duncandisorderly]

You play polio with horses, don't you?
Explains a lot really.

[LordBob]

You play polio with horses, don't you?
Explains a lot really.

ha ha something like that, it's never gonna leave em is it ?

[FCBurnley]

Remember it well. Was a source of great hilarity among the Burnley fans. That sounds awful today but it’s how it was back in the day

[LordBob]

Remember it well. Was a source of great hilarity among the Burnley fans. That sounds awful today but it’s how it was back in the day

Yeah as youngsters you never really understand the painful consequences I do remember having a sugar cube at my local clinic.

[LordBob]

Remember it well. Was a source of great hilarity among the Burnley fans. That sounds awful today but it’s how it was back in the day

Yeah as youngsters you never really understand the painful consequences I do remember having a sugar cube at my local clinic.

[ElectroClaret]

Yeah as youngsters you never really understand the painful consequences I do remember having a sugar cube at my local clinic.

Yep, had my sugar cube as well.

[Claretforever]

During the outbreak travel in and out of Blackburn was severely restricted and Blackburn Rovers had a large number of home games postponed for obvious reasons, 6 I think. To play these games at the end of the season in quick succession was a bridge too far and Rovers were relegated, we will struggle if this carries on a sombre thought.

The Polio outbreak was in June 1965, and all vaccinations were completed by mid-September.

Their first match of the season was 25th August, only 4 days after Burnley kicked off our season on 21st August, and though they look to have had a couple of extra games in early May they were relegated 15 points adrift of safety, and at 2 points for a win that’s 8 matches.

Rovers had 7 crowds under 10,000 that season (inc. 4 under 8,000), mainly towards then end. 7,256 v Tottenham was their lowest.

[Paul Waine]

I remember queuing for a vaccine at clinic near Accrington rail station. Seemed like the whole town was there to get vaccinated.

[ElectroClaret]

I remember queuing for a vaccine at clinic near Accrington rail station. Seemed like the whole town was there to get vaccinated.

Probably Cannon Street clinic. That's where I went too, as I recall.

[alf_resco]

I remember queuing for a vaccine at clinic near Accrington rail station. Seemed like the whole town was there to get vaccinated.

Lancashire Health Authority clinic on Cannon Street. Wooden portakabin-type offices. I was prob standing next to you in the queue.

[Claretforever]

Blackburn’s results and attendances for the 1965-66 season. They managed to beat us comfortably on the Turf, costing us a runners up spot eventually, though we lost to Leeds in our final home game.

126247A9-6E60-4070-922D-85C51DC0C3E7.jpeg (632.27 KiB) Viewed 2212 times

Final league standings in what was a World Cup winning year.

[basil6345789]

I remember queuing for a vaccine at clinic near Accrington rail station. Seemed like the whole town was there to get vaccinated.

Yes, no silly arguments against vaccinations back then.

[FCBurnley]

Yes, no silly arguments against vaccinations back then.

That’s because the vaccines back then did their job. Unlike today !!!!

[mikeS]

Remember queueing up for the sugar lump at Burnley town hall

[Malvern claret]

I remember that season well. I was away at university and having played football in the afternoon we would gather in a cafe (paying 6d for a cup of tea) and find out the scores on the wireless. I got some stick from friends when the Burnley/Blackburn result came through.
Blackburn experimented by moving Mike England from centre half to centre forward. It certainly worked that day and they continued with it for a few games but without the same stunning success.

[Petersa]

Remember it but not in too much detail, I had the polio jabs a few years earlier at a clinic in Colne. The jabs I do remember were about 1960 for smallpox with a sort of hooked needle the size of a bodkin, now they did hurt and gave a sort of blister at the jab site that was sore for about a week....anyone remember them? For those not old enough there was an epidemic in West Yorkshire at the time. Thank goodness smallpox is now under control and those jabs arent needed anymore.

[LeadBelly]

Remember it well. Was a source of great hilarity among the Burnley fans. That sounds awful today but it’s how it was back in the day

Yeah, that was the case. I remember the chant - Polio-o, polio-o (bit like the "Yo-heavho" song tune) being made towards Rovers fans when we played them at TM. That would be condemned by the majority now but very many joined in at that time.

Polio was the first jab I actually remember having though I think I had diphtheria jab at a much earlier time in my life. Polio was a very feared disease prior to the big vaccination projects of late 50s/early 60s. A couple of thousand people per year in UK contracted paralytic polio from post-war to early 1960s period and it was much feared by parents because it mainly affected kids; photos of paralysed children in "iron lungs" were very scary even for the tough post-war generation.
The immunisation project took a few years to really get going but had a popular (unfortunate for the man at the centre) boost in 1959 because a Birmingham City footballer (Jeff Hall) contracted the disease and died & the death of a fit young man jolted a lot more people into wanting to be immunised.
I think the oral version of the vaccine was introduced in early 1960s but I recall having the jab at junior school, so I guess late 1950s.

[conyoviejo]

Yes,sad but true...the Polio o o chant used to ring round the ground at Turf Moor and Ewood in those days. Such was the rivalry in those days.

[Paul Waine]

That’s because the vaccines back then did their job. Unlike today !!!!

Most of us are pretty sure that the covid-19 vaccines work, just as polio vaccines worked in 1960s.

I knew someone in Accrington who had polio as a child in 1950s. She wore leg calipers at school.

In early 1970s I had a holiday job counting inventory in health care mobility aids warehouse in Oswaldtwistle; lots of battery powered wheelchairs and stuff like that. It was the breath controls for someone "living" in an iron lung that always gave "pause for thought." We've come a long way with technology and electronics since those days. We've also come a long way with medical science.

[LS7]

My nana (1930s Otley) and my MiL (mid 1960s Liverpool) both had childhood polio which led to lifelong poor health. My MiL was one of the last people in the country to catch polio and has worn a caliper for life.

[Cirrus_Minor]

Polio is a terrible disease that is now very rare due to the widespread use of a vaccine. There is a lesson there that some could learn today.

[Clarets4me]

I was at school with a lad from Blackburn who'd contracted polio when he was 2, which fits into the 1966 outbreak .... he's a regular poster on the BRFCS forum now .... great lad !

[ClaretTony]

During the outbreak travel in and out of Blackburn was severely restricted and Blackburn Rovers had a large number of home games postponed for obvious reasons, 6 I think. To play these games at the end of the season in quick succession was a bridge too far and Rovers were relegated, we will struggle if this carries on a sombre thought.

The polio outbreak was summer 1965 but they only had a couple of games called off I think when the opposition wouldn't travel to Blackburn. They certainly didn't have a fixture backlog at the end of the season. By the time we had 10 games to play, they only had 12 and there were others in the league with more to play.

And they were relegated by 15 points at a time when it was 2 points for a win.

https://www.uptheclarets.com/league-tab ... sion-table

[Paulclaret]

There was a polio outbreak in Burnley in 1958/59. I know because I got it and spent 5 weeks in Marsden Hospital. Luckily I made a full recovery, but unfortunately a girl in the same class as me at St John's Ivy Street infant school wasn't so lucky and ended up with her legs in calipers.

[Chobulous]

There was a polio outbreak in Burnley in 1958/59. I know because I got it and spent 5 weeks in Marsden Hospital. Luckily I made a full recovery, but unfortunately a girl in the same class as me at St John's Ivy Street infant school wasn't so lucky and ended up with her legs in calipers.

At that time the vaccination method was by injection. It wasn’t until years later the sugar cube was used. Throughout my early childhood an injection was known as a “polio prick”

[minnieclaret]

Surprised at Rovers dates for that season. I’ve thought they were games behind until well into the year. Also thought they started with a run of away games because Blackburn was locked down. Both wrong. We got our revenge for the 1-4 at Deadwood.

[gtclaret]

Yep, had my sugar cube as well.

I'm an anti sugar cuber