-
General mobilisation of the army in Belgium
-
UK at war with Germany
German troops cross the border into Belgium. The UK declares war on Germany. -
Period: to
German conquest of Belgium
From August to October 1914, Belgium is the scene of heavy fighting. Many Belgians decide to leave their homes and become refugees. They flee to the Netherlands, France and the UK.
Most arrivals in the UK happen after the fall of Antwerp and Ostend. -
*Aliens Restriction Act
The Act was designed to allow the introduction under Orders in Council of controls on the movement and liberty of enemy foreign-born residents, it also sought to draw a distinction between ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ from overseas. Yet, the Act initiated compulsory registration with police, controlling the range of movement, search for jobs and the housing of foreign-born residents, including refugees (Jenkinson 2016: 104). -
Formation of the War Refugees Committee
-
Period: to
first bombing of Malines
The heavy bombing of Malines caused most of the city's population to take flight. -
Aliens Restriction Order ending free movement
This ARO, issued when there were only a few thousand refugees in Britain, ended the right of Belgian refugees to move freely around Britain (Jenkinson 2016: 105). -
British government announces hospitality
On the 9th of September, 1914, Mr. herbert Samuel announced in the House of Commons that the British Government offered the hospitality of the nation to the Belgian refugees. On the same day, a conference with the War Refugees Committee was held to determine the respective spheres of the Government and the Comittee. Source: F.J. Willis, Report on the work undertaken by the British government in the reception and care of Belgian refugees, 1920 -
Fall of Antwerp
-
Fall of Ostend
-
*Comité Officiel Belge pour l'Angleterre
-
*Aliens Restriction (Belgian Refugees) Order
This order made registration with the police compulsory for all Belgian refugees (above the age of 16) and prevented entry or residence in prohibited areas without a permit provided by the registration officer of the district. As a consequence, the authorities set up a Register for Belgian Refugees. -
compulsory registration of Belgian refugees
From December 1914 onwards, an Order in Council made it compulsory for Belgian refugees to register. Since that time, neglect to register has been a punishable offence. -
Tax on refugees
The German occupiers install a tax for those high-income citizens who have fled the country and have stayed abroad for more than two months, unless they return before 1 March 1915. The tax is ten times as high as normal taxation. This leads many rich families to return to Belgium over the first months of 1915. Source: Amara 2008: 45 -
Period: to
Animosity against the Belgian refugees
General conscription weighs heavily on the British people. The fact that many fighting-age Belgians can stay put, causes frictions. Popular newspapers come up with the slogan ‘Fight or go’ in the spring of 1916. They do not explicitly name the Belgians, but the campaign is clearly targeted at them. It leads to small-scale disturbances in Fulham and Richmond, where many Belgians have settled. source: Belgianrefugees14-18 -
General Conscription in the UK
The Military Service Act (RA 17.01.1916) imposed conscription on all single men between 18 and 41, but exempted the medically unfit, clergymen, teachers and certain classes of industrial worker.
Conscientious objectors were also exempted.
A second Act passed in May 1916 extended conscription to married men. Conscription was not applied to Ireland. source: Parliament.uk -
General conscription of Belgian refugees
The Belgian Government, Thursday June 1st, has decided unanimously to call on all Belgians married or unmarried, between 18 and 40 years old, who are abroad or in the unoccupied part of Belgium. This decision was issued in a Military Decree on 21st July 1916. source: F.J. Willis, Report on the Work, 1920, p. 29; De Stem uit België, 9 June 1916 -
172,298 Belgian Refugees in the UK
In November 1916, the Registrar General returned this number as the number of Belgian refugees resident in the UK. It was the repatriation committee, erected in October 1916, which had asked for these numbers. -
Period: to
Belgian Medical Mission to France
Repatriation of small groups of Belgian asylum patients to a hospital near Amiens, France -
change from pauper to private
As of 1 July 1918, Belgian refugee patients in the asylums of the London County Council are granted the status of private patients, as their expenses are paid for directly by the Local Government Board and not by the Parish where they were domiciled.
source: Letter from the LGB to COBA, 19 July 1918, The State Archives in Belgium. Archives de la Guerre. Comité Officiel Belge pour l’Angleterre (réfugiés belges en Angleterre). 62 Aliénés. -
Armistice
-
Ministry of Health
There is a transfer of competencies from the Local Government Board to the Ministry of Health, with the exception of 'matters relating to aliens and criminal lunatics', which go to the Home Secretary.