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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Belgian Refugees


Chris

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Maybe we've upset him? :whistle:

Bernard

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Oh, not upset at all :-) Been ill I'm afraid. Thanks for the input, afraid I've already been through the newspaper archives, what there are - and there are bits and bobs, but i'm really trying to find something more coherent.

It seems an issue that people *know* there were Belgian refugees "in the area"....but not much more sadly

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Allen

St Werburgh's RC Church in Chester has a team working on a project to remember the fallen from the parish.

In addition to looking into the names on the war memorial, we are looking at a number of topics including the "Belgian connection".

I'll pass your request to the team leaders, and then send contact details to you by a PM.

Harper

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Like Harper, I was going to suggest you try the churches in the area, they may have helped refugees - I think your best bet would be to try the Diocesan Archives, both C of E and RC - you might be lucky..

Have you tried any small local museum in your area, sometimes people pass all sorts of things to small museums and the museums stash them in their own archives.

Honora

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  • 4 months later...
Guest Cheshirelass25

Hi Allen

My Dad had an aunt that married a Belgian Refugee in Nantwich. After the war, they moved backed to Belgium and had 6 children, a couple of which are still living. They were living their during the 2nd world war too. I am in touch with some of their grandchildren and would willingly contact for you if you wanted more information, I have photos of their marriage too. If this is any help to you, let me know

Cheshire Lass

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
More than 1,000 Belgian refugees arrived in Wiltshire from October 1914 and were accommodated in towns and villages. Lady Suffolk provided a marquee for some of them on her estate near Malmesbury. One recognized artist, Constant Permeke, stayed at Stanton St Bernard and another, Joseph Schippers (who was accompanied to England by his wife and eight children), had his own exhibition in Salisbury in 1915. Some refugees worked on constructing army camps and one family ran a shop in Codford where, in the camp, P van Dyck found work with the army as a surveyor’s clerk and draughtsman.


Moonraker

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When the refugees first arrived, local committees encouraged families to invite a small group to tea, or arranged a welcoming tea for a larger group in a local hall. On at least one occasion pupils from a girls' school thought it would be an opportunity to try out their schoolgirl French, only to discover that the refugees were Flemish - nobody had ever told the girls that Belgium was a bilingual country.

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Featured in my forthcoming book...

Bernard

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While staying in Monxton, near Andover, during the war, Lord Dunalley came on 15 Belgian men and girls bathing nude in the Little Ann, a tributary of the River Test. As Henry Prittie, Dunalley wrote Khaki and Rifle Green,which records his unfavourable impressions of the Hackney-based 10th London Regiment in summer camp in 1913 and his experiences at Chisledon Camp, near Swindon, during demobilisation.

Moonraker

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Birmingham Gazette 16 October 1914

SMETHWICK HALL TO HOUSE 50 BELGIANS

Sir Lincoln Tangye has placed Smethwick Hall at the disposal of the refugees, but this being empty, it will be necessary to obtain a quantity of furniture, bedding, linen etc before it would be ready for occupation and then a steady income will be necessary.

The Mayor of Smethwick [Cllr T W Evans] appeals for the loan or gift of household articles. It is thought about fifty persons can be accommodated at Smethwick Hall but it will be necessary to provide for more in private houses and the Mayor solicits offers of hospitality.

The appeal has been well received.

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  • 3 months later...

I have found quite a few articles in the Wiltshire Gazette of the day naming Belgians who were taken into homes in Corsham - did anyone find the article by Ivor Slocombe on Belgian Refugees in Wiltshire.

thanks.

Kevin

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Hello guys,

During my last trip to Glastonbury in october , I bought " Glastonbury's other legacy", a brandnew publication.Chapter 4 is the story of Belgian refugees in Glastonbury. It shows entrees of local newspapers with interviews and at the end a list of the Belgian families. People from Ghent Kwatrecht,Antwerp, Bruges, Termonde and Malines found here a shelter.

kind regards,

Jef

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Don't think Letchworth, Herts & Richmond, Surrey have been mentioned previously. Originally came across these in connection with the Kryn & Lahy steelworks in Letchworth because the company, which was founded by Belgian refugees during the war, was given as co-applicants with Charles Inglis, the WW1 bridge designer, on several patents. This then turned up a link to Richmond & the Pelabon works, a munitions factory set up by another Belgian exile & a Belgian refugee community that was associated with that.

Links:

http://www.thecomet.net/news/help_sought_for_commemorative_belgian_plaque_in_letchworth_park_1_775323

http://www.hertsatwar.co.uk/belgian-refugees

http://www.glias.org.uk/news/156news.html#B

http://www.glias.org.uk/news/159news.html

While checking out that the original links were still valid I came across a blog for the 'Centre for Research on Belgian Refugees' Click which might be also be of interest to anyone researching the topic who's not already aware of it.

NigelS

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  • 9 months later...

Whilst searching for something in the newspaper archive of Find My Past I came across a page for the Derby Daily Telegraph of Saturday 19 December 1914. There was a column:

Les Dernieres Nouvelles en Francais. Pour les refugies belges qui ne savent pas parler anglais.

Was this practice of printing French language news for Belgian refugees in local newspapers widespread? I wonder if it continued through the war?

Any ideas?

Moriaty

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  • 5 months later...
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Hi Moriaty! Just saw your post. Going through the Times and in the Personal columns (classified advertising really) there are several different French language in particular notices for Belgian refugees as workers (in a Glasgow Cement making company for example) in the fall of 1914 onwards. This is of course an employment or job ad as only experienced cement construction / making workers were wanted.

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