Administering relief: Glasgow Corporation’s support for Scotland’s c. 20,000 Belgian refugees

Abstract

Uniquely in the history of British wartime support for Belgian refugees, a subcommittee of Glasgow Corporation assumed complete responsibility for close to 20,000 refugees housed in Scotland. The councillors who formed Glasgow Corporation’s Belgian Refugee Committee became the administrators for Belgian refugee relief for the whole of Scotland. The Glasgow committee raised money to support Belgian refugees via public, church and trade union donations from across Scotland to offset the £1000 weekly running costs. This article considers the reasons behind the Corporation’s assumption of this national role and assesses its success in supporting Scotland’s Belgian refugees.