Oliver James Young
Patrolman

Oliver James Young

Baltimore Police Dept. — Baltimore, MD
Illness
End of Watch October 5, 1918
Age 32
The Vigil Panel 34 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Oliver Young died as a result of complications from influenza while performing his assigned duties during the Influenza Pandemic.

The Baltimore City Police Department had been tasked with enforcing local health laws to help prevent the spread of influenza, as well as performing their regular police duties.

Patrolman Young was survived by his wife.

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Patrolman Oliver James Young died on October 5, 1918 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 32.

He is one of 201 officers honored here.

The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people worldwide than the war that preceded it. Police officers worked it without vaccines, without antibiotics, and often without masks, enforcing quarantines, transporting the sick, and standing posts in cities where the dead outpaced the undertakers.

They caught it doing the job. There was no treatment to give them.

Survivors

Patrolman Young was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-35589EC2
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Patrolman Young served with the Baltimore City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Young.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Baltimore, MD
Platform Identity baltpd.baltimore.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 5, 1918
Age 32
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Influenza Pandemic

Patrolman Oliver James Young is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MD, 15 of 377 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Baltimore Police Dept., 10 of 151 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 6.6% of this agency's fallen.

Baltimore Police Dept.
10
of 151 officers
6.6% Illness
MD — Statewide
15
of 377 officers
4% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Oliver James Young's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Oliver James Young Compares

Age at End of Watch
32
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Oliver James Young is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285