Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 1. pg21
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BELGIAN REFUGEES. BEFRIENDED BY ALL CLASSES AND CREEDS.
Image Details
| Title | Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 1. pg21 |
|---|---|
| Date | 1916 |
| Page number | Unknown |
| Publisher | Reading Standard |
| Description | 224 pages bound volume |
| Horizon Number: | 1246254 |
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OCR Text
BELGIAN REFUGEES B E F R IE N D E D
BY A LL C L A S S E S AND CREEDS.
Berkshire people are always to the
fore in the cause o f charity, and when
the unfortunate Belgians took refu ge
in this country from the brutal G er
man invaders, hundreds o f them found
homes and friends in the county.
Men, wom en and children of all ranks
and ages were received as guests in
private fam ilies, or accom m odated in
furnished houses, food and cloth in g
bein g provided b y their hosts or by
the public at large.
The problem o f finding suitable em
ploym ent for the refugees was one o f
some difficulty, as m any o f them were
o f the professional cla sses; m oreover,
it was necessary to ensure that they
should not be em ployed in the place o f
E nglish workpeople. F or the sake of
the refugees them selves it was m ost
undesirable that they should live in
idleness, and they were anxious not to
remain dependent on E nglish bounty.
In order to provide w ork for the unÂ
em ployed the M ayor o f R ea d in g 's
com m ittee started a workshop where
various trades were taught.
Each
p(e rson em ployed in this w orkshop or
otherwise was paid a small sum as
pocket-m oney, the rest o f his earnÂ
ings, minus the cost o f m aintenance
o f him self and fam ily, b ein g accum uÂ
lated to his account with a view to
repayment to him on his return to B elÂ
gium.
In the shortage o f farm labour the
employment of Belgians was found by
some farmers to be a part solu
tion of the difficulty. A sober, in
telligen t and industrious race, they
soon adapted themselves to their new
surroundings.
Our Belgian guests evinced the
liveliest gratitude for the hospitality
shown them , but the E nglish people
can never repay that gallant nation
for so n obly standing in the breach at
the critical m om ent and thereby, in all
probability, saving our beloved land
from the horrors of invasion.
FRIENDLY AND O TH E R SOCIETIES P A R A D E D CAVERSHAM
AND COLLECTED £67
FOR T H E BELGIAN REFUGEES ' F U N D .
SOME OF T H E F A M IL IE S AT SUTHERLANDS,
R E A D IN G .
[P h c t c s b y C. E . M a y.