Figure 1.--Dutch soldiers registeredg Belgian refugees who fled the German invasion. Here they are registering children who had become separated from their parents, hoping to reunite families. The photograph is undated, but given the people are dressed warmly we would guess was taken in October 1914. By that time the Germans were in almost complete control of Belgium. Notice the involvement of the Red Cross which was was still a fairly new international organization at the time.

The Dutch took in large numbers of refugees during World War I, but they were nearly all from one single country--Belgium. ThevDutch took in refugees befire World War II, mostly Jews escaping gthe NAZIs. Unlike World War II, the Germans did not invade the Netherlands in World War I. This meant that when the Germany Army poured over the Belgian frontier. Belgian civilians and soldiers sought reguge in the Netherlands. The German Army in 1914 was a powerful force, but not mechanized. The Germans relied on rail transport, but when invading they had to move on foot. The Belgian rail system could not be used until the Germans first established control of the country. There was some calvalry, but for the most part the Germans smashed into Belgium on foot with horse drawn carts. This meant that with the exception of the civilians living along the German border, there was time to flee. They could either move north toward the Netherlnds or south toward France. The Dutch opened its doors for the flood of Belgian refugees. Interment camps were established througout the country away from the border. They included camps at lkmaar, Amersfoort, Gaaterland, Groningen, Harderwijk, Oldenbroek, and Soesterberg. There were after the German invasion, an estimated 1 million Belgian civilians in the Netherlands. Eventually as the fighting moved south and conditions in the camps were rough, many Belgians returned even during the German occupation. About 0.1 million remained in the Netherlands throughout the War. Retreating Belgian troops were disarmed and interned in camps located in the South. Refuge relief was a major financial burden for the Dutch--costing 37 million Guilders. It was also a drain on the perilous food supply which became a probklem as the war continued. The Netherlands was not self sufficient in food nd was deoendent in imports. Evebtually arrangements were made to get American food relief into the Netherlnds. The Dutch Government closed the camps immdidiately after the War (1919).

Created: 2:22 PM 2/6/2017
Last updated: 2:22 PM 2/6/2017