Displaced

The Belgian refugees of the First World War

In the early months of the First World War, 1.5 million Belgians fled the violence that engulfed their country. The Belgian exodus, in which a quarter of the total population left their homes in search of safety, remains an under-researched topic in Belgian historical studies.

From 2025 to 2026, the In Flanders Fields Museum will investigate the heritage of Belgian refugees from the First World War. This will culminate in a temporary exhibition, a multi-day international conference, and a sustainable inventory of potential sources related to this heritage. The team will also collect testimonies from descendants and organize a varied prgramme cultural activities centered around the theme.


You can help

The In Flanders Fields Museum aims to document and preserve the heritage of Belgian refugees during the First World War. This heritage can be found both in Belgium and abroad. The museum searches not only official archives but also the broader heritage sector. In fact, many refugee stories and memorabilia are still preserved within families. It is the hypothesis of this project that every Belgian family today has a refugee story in its history. You can help the museum preserve this heritage.

  • Do you have any refugee stories from the First World War in your family?
  • Do you have letters, diaries, photos, or objects at home that make the Belgian refugee story tangible?
  • Has the refugee history of your community already been documented (a list, a publication, research by a local history society, etc.)?

Can you answer any of the questions above? Do you have additional information? Please contact the museum team.

Belgian Refugees

A Porridge Bottle with a Story

Denise's mother, 21-year-old Bertha Decaesteker, was heavily pregnant when she fled devastated Ypres with her mother and two sisters on January 2, 1915.

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A Diary

Jan Van de Meerssche's diary describes in detail how he and his family fled their home town of Aalst on 27 September 1914.

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Oral History

Refugee stories from the war continue to live on in family histories. To capture and preserve these for the future, the museum team is also relying on oral history as part of the 'Uprooted' research project. How have the second and third generations dealt with the refugee stories in their family histories? This is the question the museum team is asking 15 to 20 people to highlight the personal side of this narrative. The project aims to capture as broad a range of refugee stories as possible.

Exposition Displaced: the Belgian refugees of the First World War

In 1914, 1,5 million Belgians – a quarter of the population at the time – fled the violence of war. An estimated 600,000 remained abroad for the duration of the conflict, primarily in France, Britain, and the Netherlands. Moreover, thousands of others were displaced by force. Soldiers on both sides of the front evacuated these civilians, whose homes had become too dangerous due to the advancing war.Many became "refugees in their own country." At the end of the war, they faced a difficult return. Some never returned because they saw no future in their homeland.

More information

International conference

In 2026, the In Flanders Fields Museum will organize a multi-day international conference with global partners to analyze Belgian history and situate it within a broader European context.

Concrete information will follow in the autumn of 2025.

Partners

The research project has been made possible through a project grant for cultural heritage work at both national and international levels.

In collaboration with

With the support of