From Convent to Conflict; Or, A Nun's Account of the Invasion of BelgiumMarie Antoine, Sister
History
From Convent to Conflict; Or, A Nun's Account of the Invasion of Belgium
Marie Antoine, Sister
Couvent des Filles de Marie (Willebroeck, Belgium); World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Belgium
The gates of her manors, the doors of her castles, the dwellings of her
citizens, have opened wide to harbor the throngs of refugees who entered
her seaports in search of food and shelter. Great numbers went to London
and were received in the Alexandria Palace, where on one occasion about
three thousand were said to have attended the Divine sacrifice of the
Mass and were addressed in their own language by the Rt. Rev. Bishop
Dewachter, Vic. Gen. to His Eminence Card. Mercier, of the Archdiocese
of Mechelen. In this palace they were received and cared for
temporarily. Later they were distributed in groups to the different
towns and cities of the country in accordance with the means of
accommodation afforded by the respective places.
Belgian Relief Committees were established in all the localities about
to receive refugees. These were made up of a number of ladies and
gentlemen, both Catholic and Protestant, of the wealthier class of
English society. The Lord Mayor of the city, and mayors of the towns and
villages, took the work of these committees under their special
supervision. They were present at the arrival of the refugees and
delivered addresses of welcome. The Lady _Mayoress_, by her presence and
example, often assisted and encouraged the ladies in the clothing
department, and when time permitted drove around to visit the Belgians
in their new homes. All the ladies and gentlemen of the relief
committees were regarded as honorary members and received no
compensation for their services.
It is impossible to describe the amount of care, labor and anxiety, not
to speak of the time and expense, which these good people encountered in
this new field of labor. “I have not had two hours’ rest any night since
the work began,” said Alderman C——, a member of the Bradford Committee,
a few days before our departure. The same remark could well have been
made by all the members, who devoted their whole time and energies to
the work in hand.
The relief committees were obliged to make arrangements for the
reception and temporary lodgings of the refugees; also for their wearing
apparel and food supplies, because many of them had left their homes
with the same clothing which they wore at their ordinary work, and had
no other garments with them. Arrangements had to be made with the
vicars, or ministers of the Protestant parishes, and with the lords of
the manors and castles, as to the permanent dwellings and food supplies
of these people during their stay in England; and, to avoid confusion,
all had to be in readiness upon the arrival of the refugees, who were
sent in large numbers from Alexandria Palace, London. In less than three
weeks over fifteen hundred had been received in Leeds, Bradford and
Keighley.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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