Belgian Refugees in Luton

Ruined entrance to Termond, Belgium 1914 [Z160/484]

Saturday 29th August 1914 (Luton): Two families of Belgian refugees are now staying in a boarding house in Luton. The fathers are both businessmen from Brussels who escaped on the morning of the very day the Germans arrived in the city. One of them had stayed in Luton many years ago, having been sent here to learn English, so the two men decided to bring their families to the town rather than go to London. They are said to be remarkably cheerful and calm despite the loss of their homes and their uncertain future. There are reports of terrible things having been done to the Belgians by the German invaders, but the refugees saw nothing of this as they had left before the Germans arrived.

Source: Luton News 3rd September 1914