Belgian Village on the Thames

               

East  Twickenham  Centennial Group Richmond & Twickenham First World War Belgian Refugee Project Researching & Celebrating the First World War Belgian Refugee Community of Twickenham and Richmond

 

                FIND    A    BELGIAN          Search for Belgians by name

                FIND  AN  ADDRESS          Check for Belgians at your house (or known address)  

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Text on this site is written by Dr. Helen Baker, Chair and Lead Researcher for the East Twickenham Centennial Group. Joint copyright of East Twickenham Centennial Group and Helen Baker (2023).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

                                                                     This website is currently being updated

Was your grandmother a Belgian refugee ?   Are you doing a school or college project about our local history ?   Do you have a Belgian refugee ancestor you'd like to know more about ?   Are you researching the history of your own house within the London Borough of     Richmond upon Thames ?    Are you researching the subject generally or professionally ? Are you seeking information     or might you like to compare notes ?    Would you like to honour the courage and enterprise of 1WW Belgian refugees who lived     in Richmond and across London ?   Find information and further contacts on this website

 

                    Richmond upon Thames' forgotten story from the First World War.

  Richmond upon Thames' unique history.    Our area gave a home to 6000 First World War Belgian Refugees:  they changed the face of our towns and made parts of them Belgian.

 

 

 

  "The Belgian Village on the Thames":     East Twickenham, Central Richmond and Richmond Hill became the heart of a Belgian settlement which spread out to Central Twickenham, Teddington, Kew and East Sheen. The Hamptons, Mortlake and Barnes had Belgian settlements of their own, loosely connected with Twickenham-Richmond.

  Most of the Belgians came here to work at The Pelabon Works, a vast munitions factory    beside the river in East Twickenham near Richmond Bridge.  Its founder, dynamic Franco-Belgian engineer Charles Pelabon, escaped from Antwerp on the very day it fell to the invading German army, and dedicated himself to the war effort. Within only three weeks he was producing shells for the Belgian and Allied armies.

  The Pelabon Works started in TEDDINGTON;   three months later Charles started up the much larger Pelabon Works in East Twickenham and this eventually superseded the Teddington factory. (The huge Richmond Bridge Estate development now covers the whole of Pelabon's site.)

  

            

  Richmond-Twickenham's Belgian history is unique.   Refugees went all over the country, but only Richmond-Twickenham developed a community so large, so compact and so vibrant.

When the war ended, the Belgians "melted like snow, leaving so little trace", and by 1945 they were completely forgotten. Their story has come to light by sheer chance.

 

The Belgian achievement and the distinctiveness of Richmond upon Thames                                          need  to  be  remembered  for  ever

 

 

 

Our Objectives .....  Tell everyone about  "The Belgian Village on the Thames"  Dig out more forgotten stories of Belgians in Twickenham- Richmond  Find out about Belgian refugees in other parts of Richmond Borough  Seek out descendants and connect them together  Connect all interested people across the world  Connect researchers from other parts of the UK, Belgium and beyond   To commemorate the Belgian community within Richmond upon Thames  Ensure that "The Belgian Village on the Thames" is never forgotten again

   

Updated 14.12.2023

 

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