On our
way to Leeds, our train unexpectedly stopped at Hitchin. Quite fittingly
really. You can find a Hitchin Belgian through the database
by @FWWBRefugees. Irma, came to England when she was
16 years old. She was accompanied by her mother, Maria Theresia Lodewijk, and
her brother Leon. They settled in Letchworth,
Hertfordshire in 1914. A munition factory had been established there by two Belgian
refugees Jacques Kryn and his brother George. The factory became known as Kryn
and Lahy. Mrs Lahy herself lived at Corrie Wood, Hitchin Road, Letchworth.
There is a
nice story about
Maggie Wray, a local young woman who worked at Kryn and Lahy. Irma began
working there as a munitionette While working there she met her future husband
George Julien Francois Heinen. They were married in Letchworth when she was
19yrs old at the Church of St Hugh of Lincoln, Letchworth. They lived at an
unnamed road in Hitchin. freebmd.org has the
marriage, Dec 17.
Hitchin
has 87 hits at hetarchief.be, although some
relate to Lord Robert Cecil's election victory in Dec 18 or to a Hitchins. @viaa_be hetarchief does mention The Belgian
Cottages in Ickleford (between Hitchin and Letchworth). At those cottages Mrs
Angélique Gonderzeune (from Merksem, Antwerp) lived, with her daughters. The
cottages also house Maria Wouters, most likely a sister-in-law. Ickleford also
welcomed a French refugee, I. Gonnet, from Paris. Gerard Remes/Herges (Namur -
the two spelling variants appeared) stayed with Mrs Ransom at Grove House,
Hitchin. Jeannette Devos, from Kumtich (Tienen) was based at 4 Cleveland
Terrace, Walsworth, Hitchin. A family Van Doren resided in Hexton, Hitchin.
On 21
October 1915 Jean-Baptiste Moens (born in Brussels 1886), corporal in the
Belgian army, was buried in Hitchin. He had been wounded in the siege of
Antwerp more than a year prior and had been working at Kryn and Lahy in
Letchworth as a convalescent soldier. He had died because of a lung-related
illness. (L’Indépendance Belge, 25 October 1915). A mention was made of fellow
convalescent soldiers including those from the local Belgian convalescent
hospital. On 19 August 1916 Séraphin Balcaen, from Aartrijke, had died in
Hitchin because of an unspecified accident.
On 21
February 1916, it became clear funding for Belgians was no longer at the same
level it was at the start of the war: an appeal was made for funding so that a
group of 10 to 12 year olds could have some more clothes. The children, listed
below (note the nameless girl…), were overlooked at St Michael’s School in
Hitchin by the Belgian priest Cochet.
On 31
March 1915, an event was held at the Hitchin Gymnasium. Mr. William Baruh, the
chairman of the Union Dramatique d’Anvers was talking about “De l’influence des
sociétés d’agrément sur l’ésprit artistique de la Belgique”. Entrance was free
for Belgians, which makes you wonder whether any non-Belgian even attended.
(L’Indépendance Belge, 30 March 1915) The event was covered again one week
later by the same Belgian exile newspaper but then it was added that Mr. Baruh
thanked the Hitchin Debating Society and that local people would have attended,
in part because of the Hitchin Collège Français. After he concluded his talk,
Baruh recited two patriotic poems by Emile Verhaeren.
On the 10
April 1915 L’Indépendance announced that the then coming Sunday a very Belgian Te
Deum would be performed at the local Catholic church, due to the birthday of
King Albert’s, and that the de facto head of the Belgian community in Hitchin,
Mr. Vuylsteke, invited all to come, especially those who were open to some
religion and patriotism.
There are
two paintings of St
Mary's Church at
Hitchin by Gerard Ceunis (1885-1964). There is a connection between Ceunis and
the building that now has the Hitchin Starbucks.
But then
again we might as well want to mention that nearby Wheathampstead was
established by Belgic tribes in 50 BC. However, do have a look at the Hitchin
Roll of Honour and browse using 'Belgium' to get a more accurate imprint of WW1
times.
