by Chris Lloyd | Belgian Refugees, In Your Town, Latest, Sedgefield, War Stories
There is a corner of Sedgefield that is forever Belgium. In fact, it is proudly Belgian. The colours of the national flag – black, yellow and red – on top of the headstone are almost as bold and as bright as the day they were placed there nearly 100 years ago. The...
by Chris Lloyd | Belgian Refugees, Latest, War Stories
ON August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. On August 2, Germany demanded right of way across Belgium so that it could attack France, Russia’s ally. The Germans claimed that the French were about to invade Belgium, but the Belgian king and parliament...
by Chris Lloyd | Belgian Refugees, War Stories
WHEN the First World War broke out, Belgium was a small and comparatively new country. It was formed in 1830 with Britain promising to protect its borders. When, in August 1914, the German Kaiser marched into this tiny, proud and neutral nation, the British knew that...
by Chris Lloyd | Belgian Refugees, War Stories
‘THEY came back from church on a sunny day with a blue sky, and sat down to Sunday lunch. Suddenly, Scottish soldiers in blue kilts rushed down the streets shouting ‘the Germans are coming’ and they left their lunch on the table and went flying down...
