* World War I -- Belgium Refugees








World War I Belgium: Refugees--Seeking Safety


Figure 1.-- Here we see Belgian refugees at Bergen-op-Zoom refugee camp in the southern Netherlands. We have not yet been able to find details about what if any facilities the Dutch set up for the refugees at the camp. s best wecan tell, conditiins were fairly primitive. Source: Bain News Service. Library of Congress.

Belgians who decided to flee the Germans had to basic chices--to move north to the Netherlands or south to France. Some Belgians fled north to the Netherlands. Other fled south to France. The Dutch were neutral nd there was hope that thecGermans would not invade them as well. France was the real German target, but as they unlike Belgium had a large amy, there was hope the French could stop the Germans. The decision was primary based in which frontier was the closest. About 1 million Belgians sough refuge in the Netherlands. Getting relief supples to France for the refugees there was fairly simple. The neutral Netherlands was much more complicated. Most of the civilians in the Netherlands gradually returned to Belgium even though it was occupied by the Germans. About 100,000 Belgians remained in The Netherlands throughout the War. Some had the resources to support themselves. The Dutch Government opened refuge camps for those who could not support themselves. They were mostly set up in the south close to the border. Large numbers of Belgian spought rfugee in France. There were a variety of facilities established. We nore a religious group hich set up schools and other faciluties in various French towns such as a colony at Campeaux . Other Belgians were cared for in the small southwestern corner of the country where the Belgian Army and the British BEF stoppe the Germans. One very special group of refugees was the children of Belgian immigrants in America. They came over expecting to bring their wives and/or their children over after becoming established. The outbreak of the war left children and wives separated. A Detroit priest of Belgian origins who was actively working with Belgian relief returned to Belgium to bring the children to America and reunite the families.

Civilian Reaction

Large numbers of Belgian civilians fled the advancing German armies. Fear of an invading army was part of the reason for flow of refugees. But as word of the behavior of German troops and word of terrible attrocities spread, fear of the Germans spread and more Belgians began abandoning their villages and towns. Although Belgians along the border had little opportunity to flee, the effective resistance of the small Belgian Army and the quick reaction of the BEF bought Belgians living further west the time to flee the advancing Germans. Belgium was an ethnically divided country, compsed of flemish (Dutch speaking) and Waloons (French speaking). We are not sure at this time if the two ethnic groups reacted differently to the Germans, but believe that the Waloons were espeially fearful of them.

Choices

As a result of Belgium's geography, those Belgians who decided to flee the Germans had three basic choices. They could flee north or south. They could move north to the Netherlands or south to France. Or a smaller but not inconsequential number could move west--board ships to Britain. None of this was planned. Large numbers of Belgians fled north to the Netherlands. Others fled south to France. The Dutch were neutral and there was hope that the Germans would not invade them as well. France was the real German target, but as they unlike Belgium had a large amy, there was hope the French could stop the Germans. The decision was primary based in which frontier was the closest. About 1 million Belgians sough refuge in the Netherlands. Getting relief supples to France for the refugees there was fairly simple. The neutral Netherlands was much more complicated. Most of the civilians in the Netherlands gradually returned to Belgium even though it was occupied by the Germans. About 100,000 Belgians remained in The Netherlands throughout the War. Some had the resources to support themselves. The Dutch Government opened refuge camps for those who could not support themselves. They were mostly set up in the south close to the border. Large numbers of Belgian sought refugee in France. There were a variety of facilities established. We nore a religious group hich set up schools and other faciluties in various French towns such as a colony at Campeaux . Other Belgians were cared for in the small southwestern corner of the country where the Belgian Army and the British BEF stopped the Germans. A smller group of Belgians reached Britin by ship, some 250,000 refugees. This was the largest single influx of pople in Britain's history. The British were totly unprepared. Suddenly Belgians began arriving immeiately after the German invasion. They landed in ports all along the Kentish coast (southeast England). And for several months they kept coming, landing almost daily at Dover, Folkestone, Grimsby, Harwich, Hull, Margate, and Tilbury. Folkestone was a bustling port, but no one there was prepared when 16,000 Belgian refugees arived in one single day (October 14, 1914. One very special group of refugees was the children of Belgian immigrants in America. They came over expecting to bring their wives and/or their children over after becoming established. The outbreak of the war left children and wives separated. A Detroit priest of Belgian origins who was actively working with Belgian relief returned to Belgium to bring the children to America and reunite the families.









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Created: 9:59 AM 1/17/2016
Last updated: 12:04 AM 1/18/2016