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World War I -- Belgium Countries Taking in Refugees France
World War I Belgium: Facilities for Refugees in France
Figure 1.--Here we see a Belgian school in France durinhg World War. We are nit sure if the nuns are Belgian or French. Unfortunatly we can not make out all of the board. We see something lke "Colonie ???? Belge in Gourville 4° Classe 1918". The children are clearly Belgian. $th class would mean anout 10 year olds, but sime if the bous look younger. They are wearing Belgian Army caps ands smocks. There are quite a large number of nuns and men for such a small group of children. Gourvill is a tiwn in southwestern Frnce, well away from the front.
The Belgian refugees in France were some of the luckier refugees of the War. America although not yet in the war provided relief supplies and France was one of the few places that these supplies could easily reach the refugees. There were a variety of facilities established. We notice schools for Belgian children in France. This inckluded both orphans and the children of whole famiklies which fled the Germans. The children often seem to be wearing smock uniforms. The boys had Belgian Armny caps. We note a religious group which set up schools and other facilities in various French towns such as a colony at Campeaux .
We note Belgian orphans in the colony of the Comite France American pour la Protection des Enfants de la Frontiere, Les Ombrages, under the special protection of Madame la Comtesse Pierre de Viel Castes and Mrs. Walter Gay. Several of these children are reprtedly skilful lace-makers and are taught sewing, embroidery, knitting, house-keeping and lace making.
Here we see a school gtroup of boys at the Colonie Belge in Gourville (figure 1). It is run by nuns. The boys wear Belgian Army caps aand black smocks.
The American Red Cross supported facities like these.
We have been unable to find much information on these schools. We have found several images, but with little or no information associated with them. Belgian and French nuns played important roles in these schools. American authoress Edith Wharton was in France during the War. She wrote about the French. [Wharton] Like most American acadenic and literary figures, she was sympthetic to the Allies. Because of her fame and influential connections. the French Government, primarily through Walter Berry (president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris), she was given qccess to the front. Throughout the War she worked in a range og charitable efforts to aid refugees, bith Belgian and French. She helped set up workrooms for unemployed Frenchwomen, organizing concerts in part to provide work for musicians, opened tuberculosis hospitals and founded the American Hostels for Belgian refugees. She edited the The Book of the Homeless (1916). This include writings, art, erotica and musical scores by important European artist.
Sources
Norga, Irène. War diary (August 23, 1914). At the time she was crossing Hainaut on her flight to France, accompanied by her cousin Irène and her parents.
Warton,Edith. "Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort." A series of articles published in American newspapers.
