Preserving memory of wartime refugees

Oct 7 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

A PROJECT has been launched to preserve the memory of a North East refugee village. Elisabethville in Birtley, Gateshead, was home to First World War Belgian soldiers who worked in the local munitions factory.

They were later joined by their families and a full-scale Belgian community developed.

Now Beamish Museum in County Durham has launched its Belgians in Birtley project at Birtley Library.

It is hoped that local people will become involved in helping to research Elisabethville – named after the Belgian queen – and its community from records at Beamish and in Gateshead Library.

The Beamish collections include archive photographs and objects such as the clogs which were worn by the Belgians, a Belgian policeman’s cap and a poster from Sacriston in County Durham which was used to raise money for the refugees.

Helen Barker, collections officer at Beamish, said: “The Belgian soldiers who came to Birtley were not fit for active service but they still wanted to do something for the war effort.

“Today we are not sure how many people in Birtley are aware of this village.”

It was administered by the Belgian authorities and run as a military establishment.

In addition to the housing there were three dining halls, a church, primary school, market, public laundries and baths, police station and a prison.

A fence surrounded the village and the entrance was guarded by Belgian and British police. Societies were set up within the community including a brass band and an amateur dramatics society.

In total approximately 4,000 people lived in the community. At the end of the war the majority of the Belgians returned home although about 30 decided to stay in the area.

Most of the village was demolished but the school remained in use for 60 years.

The Belgian soldiers were not fit for active service but they wanted to do something for the war effort