Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 6

This is a continuation of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 5.
Alternatively, see all the previous parts of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915, together.

It was performed as a "radio play" in Berwick Guildhall on 25 April 2015 at Discover Berwick’s First World War Story. Researched and written by Julie Gibbs.

Narrator  
The family in Cheswick visited by Mr Boal, features in the following police correspondence.
Let me introduce Captain Fullarton James, Chief Constable, Morpeth, Northumberland, who will explain further.

Captain Fullarton James      
Good afternoon.
I have received a letter from Arthur Cayley of the Mead, Beal, dated 19th October 1914, expressing his suspicions of one of the Belgian Refugees. This is what he wrote,’
Lodewijk van Horenbeck, a joiner by trade seems not to wish to get employment, is receiving letters, is visited by other men at dark, wanders on the high roads – pretends not to understand French or German tho’ he did on arrival. I have approached the Postmaster at Berwick, to report to headquarters with a view to examination of correspondence. The man is married & has three children, and is about 30 to 35 years of age. Miss Leyland is looking after this family along with others and her suspicions have been aroused some time ago.
Believe me,
yours faithfully
Arthur Cayley’

Partial Transcript of Belgian children admitted to Cheswick School, 9 November 1914

 (The 4th name says Van Horenbeich, Barbara - parent's first name: Lodewijk)

Of course I immediately contacted Thomas Bolton, the Superintendent at Alnwick. He wrote
I beg to inform you that I cannot find or ascertain that anything is out of place with this man. It seems that he often visits a family named Thompson at Scremerston, who has a daughter at present at home, married to a Belgian named Black ( a very suspicious sounding name for a Belgian!), and the Thompson’s very often visit Horenbeck at Cheswick. Horenbeck is 36 years of age and working in the gardens at Cheswick, he is married, with a wife aged 33 and their children are 14, 9 and 2½.

Sergeant Elliot has had this man under observation, and has still, but has been unable to see anything out of place; it seems that Miss Leyland was at the Sergeant about this man. I will see that every attention is given. 
I don’t think the man cares much about garden work; he is a joiner by trade. 
I am Sir, 
Your Obedient Servant, 
Thomas Bolton, Superintendent.

On the 9th November I received a letter from E Holt Wilson, Captain, M.O.5 (g), War Office, Whitehall.
He had been informed by Thomas Snowball, the Postmaster of Berwick, that A Cayley, Esq of Haggerston Castle, Beal, has called upon him and reported suspicious movements of a Belgian Refugee.

His name is Lodewijk Van Horenbeck and his wife’s maiden name Van Perek. They reside in a cottage provided by local resident near Cheswick House, Beal.
I have been asked to examine the parties as to their name, business, origin etc sending the War Office full particulars of their passports and references in Belgium and England.
I have to ask the Belgians to write in Flemish, to the Belgian Consul giving the history of their present position under which they claim to be without means and desire to be considered Refugees.

Mr Cayley is certainly persistent. On the 12th November, he wrote to me again stating that he had reported to the Postmaster at Berwick some weeks ago that Van Horenbeck and his movements were causing suspicion and that he had also heard that he was receiving a quantity of letters.
He asked the Postmaster to report this to his HQ, thinking that this correspondence if examined might lead to justification for suspicion.
He suggested a Belgian lad at Haggerston who can talk Flemish and French, could be trusted to help should his services be required.
The lad cannot speak English. Mr Cayley offers his own assistance.

How long will this case go on for? I do have other work to do.

(Sits down. )

Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 5

 This is a continuation of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 4.
Alternatively, see all the previous parts of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915, together.

It was performed as a "radio play" in Berwick Guildhall on 25 April 2015 at Discover Berwick’s First World War Story. Researched and written by Julie Gibbs.

Mr Boal     
I am now going on to Cheswick to visit a family there, under Mrs Crossman’s charge. I won’t be long.
(........)

Partial Transcript of Belgian children admitted to Cheswick School, 9 November 1914

Mr Boal    
I am back and I am pleased to report that they were very cheerful considering all they had gone through, and one could not fail to be impressed by the brightness of the three young children.

The youngest – a little boy of 2½ was playing with a box of bricks on the floor. Their father told us, that they had twice left Mechelen (Malines, Belgium) and gone back. The last time they went back was a fortnight after the first occupation, and they expected the Germans had gone for good. They had got nicely settled down in their house, which was undamaged, and a day or two later had just got dinner ready when some Belgian soldiers rode down the street, and running out, he learned that the Germans were close upon them. Leaving their dinner uneaten, and without time to gather up any of their belongings, they rushed straight off, and were continually on the march for six hours.

What that meant to the mothers and the young children, you can imagine.

A neighbour got out his horse and trap, loaded it with such of his goods as it would carry, and was just leaving with his wife and family when a German shell struck their trap, and all perished.

I’ll take my leave now.

Narrator    
Thank you Mr Boal. That was most helpful.

Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 2

This is a continuation of Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 1.
It was performed as a "radio play" in Berwick Guildhall on 25 April 2015 at Discover Berwick’s First World War Story. Researched and written by Julie Gibbs.

Narrator
Now ladies, if by late October, you are still unclear as to how you can help, ‘Border Woman’ will put you straight.  You no doubt read her regular ‘Women’s Work and Interest’ column in the (Berwick) Journal.

Border Woman    (22 October 1914)

Good Afternoon,
‘Women of Berwickshire', let us put our shoulders to the wheel and see what we can do, now, immediately, to help our friends and allies, the Belgians. Just imagine how it must feel to leave everything behind and then be plunged into a country in which you cannot make yourself understood by your neighbours – in which it is extremely difficult to glean news even of what has happened in your own land since you left it.
 I implore you not to say, “There is so little that I can do. I have had so many calls on my purse lately” – every one of us can do something, and every one of us must do all that lies in her power; and please, when you are asked to help, do not say “Yes, yes, but they’ll have to find some work to do.” Find some work to do! You cannot imagine how anxious they are to find work, nor how difficult it is to find it. Those who have a home in a farm cottage will probably be given odd day’s work by the farmer, but as winter comes on, and the odd day’s work is more and more difficult to find, we must help and help and help again.

To begin with, all who have “summer cottages,” or unoccupied furnished homes, can offer to lend them free of rent and taxes. The War Refugee Committee promises to put only responsible people of the educated classes into such houses - people who will understand how to take care of them. While few of us possess such a house, all however, can help with the Belgians of the working class, by finding every suitable empty cottage in the country, and buying, begging or borrowing furniture and then asking all one’s friends to guarantee a regular weekly contribution towards helping that family through the winter – 3d (1p) to 2s 6d (12½p) a week – whatever they are able to promise regularly in money or kind.

If you cannot help in this way, there are already 59 Belgians in the Ancroft, Lowick, Haggerston, and Cheswick districts. In the two former, the organisation is under Mr Riddell and Mr Middlemass, South Berrington; Mrs Crossman, of Cheswick House, and Mrs Leyland, of Haggerston Castle, are responsible for between 20 and 30. The Belgians who have come are extremely thrifty, industrious, and intelligent- indeed it is wonderful how well they have been able to make themselves understood, although three weeks ago they did not know a word of English. The families are in need of furniture, clothing, boots, food, and money. And if your children have toys or picture books that they could put into the parcels for all the poor mites, I think it would be very nice.

 Let it be quite clear that no portion of the Belgian Relief Fund has yet been used for this work; all that has been expended so far, has been sent to Belgium. The cottage people themselves are helping up to the limit of their capacity, but help from outside is really much needed.

(Border Woman  sits down.)