Making Plans

In readiness for war, the UK government had been making plans that would affect everyone including the refugees who would eventually arrive.  Once war was declared these plans were pushed through Parliament. Including, on the 5th of August, the ‘Alien Restrictions Bill’. Notices were printed in newspapers and posted on public buildings and although mainly aimed at Germans and Austrians all foreign nationals were required to register. Failure to do so could lead to fines or even a prison sentence. German and Austrian men aged between seventeen and forty-two were interned.  

Registration of Aliens
The Scotsman 7 August 1914

Spy Mania

Charles Hussey
Mayor of Deal 1914-1915
Courtesy of Deal Town Hall

With Dover and Folkestone being the main ports used for military traffic to and from France and also as ports of entry for refugees there was a very real threat of spies posing as refugees or military personnel coming into Britain. Spy mania ensued. Even the Mayor of Deal, Charles Hussey, it was wrongly reported in the press as being arrested as a potential spy while walking on the cliffs. He wrote a letter to the local newspaper to correct this.

Deal, Walmer & Sandwich Mercury August 15 1914

Support for the Refugees

Initially, all action for dealing with the Refugees was taken by privately run bodies. Then on 24 August, the Foreign Office received a letter the Wounded Allies Relief Commission’ suggesting a scheme to treat wounded Belgian or French soldiers in Britain. George Hamilton who at that time was Captain of Deal Castle and a member of the Foreign Office was conferred with.

Lord George Hamilton
(1845-1927)

As he was of the opinion “it would all be over by Christmas”  he thought that it was unlikely that the wounded would need to be transported across the channel to be treated. But he did say that with the Germans overrunning Belgium  

“…there must be a very large number of refugees who will come to this country almost penniless..”
and that
“… we ought to be prepared to do our best to temporarily support them..”

He suggested the relief commission instead of using their funds to help wounded soldiers they instead use them to support refugees. Whether this happened or not is unknown but it shows there were people in the Foreign Office who were becoming aware of the growing desperate situation.

Captains House Deal Castle c 1906

Brussels Falls

Following the fall of Brussels, the Belgian government moved to the then unoccupied Antwerp. Many of its citizens followed and they were anxious to know if Britain would approve arrangements for receiving those who could not be accommodated in Antwerp.

The Foreign Office contacted the Home Office who decreed the refugees were to be treated as friends and could land provided they did so via the approved ports and once here abide by the Aliens Restrictions Order.
Eventually the Local Government Board, under pressure from Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, would take on the responsibility for the refugees.

The  Local Government Board supervised  the laws relating to public health,
the relief of the poor, and anything related to local government

It was announced in the House of Commons on the 9 September 1914 that the UK government had offered to the Belgium Government hospitality to the victims of the war.
By the time the government’s request for local assistance arrived in Deal, Mayor Charles Hussey, had already gained first-hand knowledge of the needs of the refugees, not just from George Hamilton but also from Mr & Mrs Bouchier of Deal who had been helping with the arrivals in Folkestone. He began visiting the towns lodging and boarding houses and rentable properties creating a book of available addresses for the purpose of housing refugees.

Antwerp Falls

Refugees leaving Alost

On the 08 October as Antwerp was being evacuated thousands of refugees arrived in Folkestone. On hearing about this, Charles Hussey, armed with his address book, visited Mrs Penrose-Fitzgerald of the Folkestone Refugees Relief Committee. A decision was made to send several families to Deal although how many initially came is unknown. On Sunday 11 October following the fall of Antwerp and, as the Germans were advancing on Ostend, a phone call was made from Folkestone to Charles Hussey saying “ For God’s sake come & help us; we are overwhelmed”. Accompanied by Mr and Mrs Bouchier he went to see what could be done.

The Alost witness mentions his own flight to Ostend. When he and the 30,000 inhabitants of the town were evacuated before its eventual capture at the end of September.

Ostend: Belgian Refugees awaiting Embarkation

He says how they left with all they could carry and that in nearby villages trains awaited to take them on to places such as Ghent, Brugge and Ostend. Then in October, as Ostend was threatened, they had to take flight again. He was lucky enough to secure a passage on an overcrowded steamer to Folkestone on which he says they had “…an ideal crossing on a sunny day with bright blue skies so people sat on deck and others joined nuns in prayer ”.
On arriving in Folkestone he says they were met by Mrs Penrose-Fitzgerald and her fellow volunteers.

Now her husband, the Mayor of Folkestone interestingly was the person who started the white feather campaign by organising a group of thirty women in Folkestone to distribute them to men -not in uniform and this soon caught on even in Deal where it was reported that  “…A party of London and Deal women and girls– paraded on the promenade of De distributing white feathers to all the young men not in uniform”…

Even the town crier got involved requesting the help of the town ’s young ladies to do do this. The government soon responded though by issuing badges which could be worn by civilians occupied in war work.  

On War Service badges were issued by the government and private firms from December 1914 onwards to signify that the wearer was engaged in essential war work.