Warning – this post is not suitable for animal lovers. Yes, I’m afraid Rat Week was not a celebration of the rodent but rather a major offensive on it and other animal pests. Rats have long been considered a nuisance. You may have heard the fact that you are never more than 6ft away from a rat. This, along with the fact that there were more rats than humans in the UK, seems to have originated around 1909. ts not just urban areas where rats were a problem. Farmers have long been cursing them for destroying crops and other property. Then there’s the whole flea-carrying plague-spreading issue. So I’m afraid it was very much a case of ‘rattus non grata’.
In 1919 an Act was passed called the Rats and Mice Destruction Act. This meant that people had an obligation to destroy any rats who had made their home on their property. They also had a duty to take any practicable steps to prevent rats taking up residence. Local authorities could hire exterminators and rat-catchers to rid their own properties of the rodents, and these workers could be hired for a fee by the public. The act came into effect on 1st January 1920.
Two years later the Scottish Board of Agriculture invited the 64 local authorities in Scotland to take part in a campaign called “Rat Week” to encourage the mass slaughter of rats. The week chosen was 27th March to 3rd April 1922. The week in March was chosen as this was just before rats would be getting ready to head to the fields to take up their summer residence. There had been local rat weeks in some places before in 1919 and 1920 but this seems to have been the first large scale one under the new legislation.
Dundee got wholeheartedly behind the campaign. Although not a rural authority, there were still 17 farms within the boundaries of Dundee at the time and of course the urban rat was still a problem. One councillor reported at a Public Health Committee meeting that he had seen a rat in the window of a sweet shop.
Adverts appeared in the local press and the Sanitary Department of the Council placed notices around town informing people of the campaign, encouraging them to rid their premises of rats. They gave suggestions that they could be killed with traps, ferrets, dogs or poison. Citizens were advised to “Think of rats at all times – it pays”. An article appeared in the Courier on 28th March which gave more detail about the varied and inventive ways to deal with the rat problem. One particular poison was referred to which was placed in the window of every chemist for the duration of Rat Week. It was made with flour, beanmeal, oatmeal, plaster of paris and broom of carbon. I have no idea what this last ingredient is, but apparently it helped dehydrate the poor rats and killed them pretty swiftly. There was also tales of local engineers coming up with a creative electric trap which had enough power running through it to kill a horse. However the sprightly rats just skipped right over it. Only those that touched the wires with their noses were destroyed.
During the week it was estimated that at least 2000 rats were killed in Dundee. There were probably more poisoned but the bodies were not found. On two farms 73 and 56 rats were killed alone. One slightly worrying point reported on was the fact that 2 black rats were found in Dundee. The first of these was found in a grain store at the West Station. The Courier described the black rat as the “aristocrat of rats”, but the “most dangerous”, as it was these rats that carry the plague infected fleas. This one was 7 inches long with an even longer tail. It was thought it came here in a shipment of grain which was landed at Leith and then transported up to Dundee via train. The ex-rat was named “Calloo” by the sanitary department staff. This name was chosen to honour Caloo Monsu, who was apparently the last patient treated for bubonic plague in Dundee. When was this, you may ask – the 1700s? The 1800s? No, it was only in 1918. Caloo was a crew member of a ship called Mura. I’ve had a wee look for information about this ship, but can’t find anything. Given the date I wonder if the lack of information could be due to wartime censorship. The article says that Mr Monsu left Kings Cross Hospital in 1918, but not when he arrived here. Perhaps other experts or historical sleuths will find out more.
Under the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act 1919, the council could also prosecute individuals who did not take suitable action to rid their property of rats and other vermin. There were three stages of notices that the authorities could issue. I can only find a reference or a form to once such case. Henry Jack who had the lease to Hillside farm (now the site of Tarbert Place just off Glamis Road) was issued with a notice and instructions on the actions he must take. This included setting traps nightly, applying hot coal to rat holes and then closing them with broken glass, concrete or cement. Clearly as no form B was issued, Mr Jack got to work at ridding Hillside of rats.
One of the tools used in the Rat Week campaign, first used in 1924 was a film about rats, including how to get rid of them. This film did a tour round most of the theatres and cinemas across the city throughout Rat Week. A National UK Rat Week was held in November, and they seemed to have continued bi-annually until at least 1934. In that year the council decided that enough work was being done throughout the year that a special campaign week was not needed.
The Rat Week concept seemed to come to an end in the 1930s. I can’t find any mention of it in the newspapers after World War Two. It seems that general all year campaigns were enough to encourage effective vermin destruction. Its also likely that general living condition improvements and cleanliness practices help to discourage the rat from taking up residence in our homes and shops. By the way, nowadays in urban areas you are probably more likely to be 164 feet (50 metres) from a rat rather than 6ft. So something worked. Unless you are a rat.
The Dundee City Archives Blog 
Very interesting read! Thanks for creating this!
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