Figure 1.--Here are images of the British delousing Duch children before boarding a Royal Navy ship to Britain. The second image shows the children wearing life jackets while crossing the Channel. There was still a danger of U-boat attacks. Put your cursor on the delousing image to see the crossing image.

We note the British takeing in Dutch refugee children (March 1945). We are not sure when they began doing so. This was before the Allies reached the starving Dutch north if the Rhine and the end of the War. Refugees may not be the best word for these children. After 5 years of NAZI occupation and the food shortages resulting from the occupation there were many children whose health was affected. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable in such circumsrances. In the immediate aftermath of partial liberation, the provisional Dutch Goverment did not hve the capability to offer the care that these children needed. The Dutch south of the Rhine did not suffer the Hunger Winter that those north of the Rhine had to endure, but mny children were in bad shape. So the British brought some of these children to Britain where they could receive the food and medical care they needed. We do not know how many Dutch children were involved and how long the program lasted. We have found a series of photographs at the Imperial War Museum. We though that they may have been orphans, but that does not seem to have been the case. A British reader writes, "My grandparents looked after a Dutch refugee boy aged somewhere around 11 years old. Not sure of all the details, but I recall a photograph of the boy at my greataunt's home. She said that after the War that my grandparents went to the Netherlands and stayed with the boy's family. Unfortunately that's all I know." Unfortunately an intrnet search has turned up nothing. We are sure there must be some information on this effort.

Chronology

We note the British takeing in Dutch refugee children (March 1945). We are not sure when they began doing so. This was before the Allies reached the starving Dutch north if the Rhine and the end of the War. Refugees is not be the best word for these children.

Situation in the Netherlands

After 5 years of NAZI occupation and the food shortages resulting from the occupation there were many children whose health was affected. People were starving in their homes. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable in such circumsrances. The Dutch south of the Rhine did not suffer the Hunger Winter that those north of the Rhine had to endure, but many children even in the south were in bad shape. And north of the Rhine people, especially the children were starving.

Selection and Preparation

In the immediate aftermath of partial liberation, the provisional Dutch Goverment did not hve the capability to offer the care that these children needed. We do not know how many Dutch children were involved and how long the program lasted. We have found a series of photographs at the Imperial War Museum. We though that they may have been orphans, but that does not seem to have been the case. There were adults in charge of the evacuee travel. The overall person in charge was camp leader, Mr J Oosterbaan. He was assisted by Dutch school teachers. The Newsreel footage shows delousing of a boy. This was bfore the voyage. I would think this was done before the voyage.

Transport to Britain

So the British began brinining some of these children to Britain where they could receive the food and medical care they needed. Children boarded the passenger ship, a rather large ferry. The impression that boys and girls were separated as pictures shows lines of girls and boys in a group. When sailing across the North Sea the ferry appears to be accompanied by a royal naval escort. Until the German surrence (May 7) there were still U-boats operating. While at sea the children can be seen wearing life jackets.

Humanitarian Organizations

We are nor sure who was organizing this program. More than one group may have been involved. The only groups we have been able to identify at this time involved was work by humanitarians Margaret McEwen and John Barclay. without a formal organization. Their work evolved into Internatiomal Help for Children (IHC). Some 10,000 Dutch children were brought to Britain for short stay care. The organizers found private families willing to look after the children. There was some other person or persons in charge of the Dutch operation. Margaret and John did not agree with the policy of bringing large groups of children over. They organised small groups for holidays. In the begining Margaret was allowed to take the files of the defunct organisation. It was all run on a shoe string. The big problem was an office. In the end Margaret ran the charity from her home.

Care in Britain

The English port to which the children were brought was Tilbury. Here food and medical check ups were given. Afterwards some children were bused to their holding camps. Others left by train to Coventry and then onwards to their camp at Bebbington. We are not sure to what extent they were ared for in these camps or by individual families that took the children into their homes. A British reader writes, "My grandparents looked after a Dutch refugee boy aged somewhere around 11 years old. My grandfather was a member of a strict fundsmentsl religious group called the Plymouth Bredlem. I always wondered if the child was also of this sect. Its membership has declined in recent years. Not sure of all the details about the program for the Dutch chilren, but I recall a photograph of the boy at my greataunt's home. She said that after the War that my grandparents went to the Netherlands and stayed with the boy's family. I think the Dutch boy my grandfather took in was done through the former charity which closed down in 1947 and then became the IHC. There was a Polish refugee camp near Leigh which had Polish refuguees for quite some considerable time after the War. I went there in 1977 as part of a charity walk. Unfortunately that's all I know." An intrnet search has turned up some infirmation about tMargaret McEwen and the IHV, but not a great deal about thecDutch children in Britain.nothing. We are sure there must be some information on this effort.

Created: 4:10 AM 11/23/2017
Last updated: 3:43 PM 9/4/2018