To school?

When the German armies invaded Belgium on 4 August 1914, Belgium was hit by considerable population movements. Between August and October 1914 more than one and a half million Belgians left the country. They sought refuge in France, Great Britain and the Netherlands. In the midst of this immense diaspora were also thousands of children. In order to help and guide them, structures were set up especially for them.

On August 4, 1914, the great holiday had only just begun. When the new school year began in September, the state of the schools and education was so upset that the start of school was constantly postponed, often until 1915. Many schools were occupied, first by refugees seeking shelter, then by retreating army units. In the end, many schools were confiscated by the military, who placed soldiers' quarters, stables or hospitals in them. Throughout the war, all kinds of attempts were made in Belgium to normalise the daily school and classroom life within the context of the war conditions as well as possible.

From the spring of 1915, children in the front region - always the first victims of war violence - were transported to domestic (near Veurne) or foreign (in France and Switzerland) school colonies in order to be able to enjoy education. These children, who go down in history as Les Enfants de l'Yser, have become the symbol for all the children who had to survive during that Great Long War, far away from home. The theme of this exhibition is that in many cases they were able to enjoy education, through the efforts of many.