The Belgian Relief Fund

From 1914 to 1918, the world experienced one of the most devastating wars in history. Various stories have been told, different perspectives have been heard, but one that people may not be as familiar with is that of the Belgians. In 1914, German forces made their way to Belgium and took over the territory despite their neutral status. As the Allies looked for a way to defeat Germany, they saw an economic blockade as their best option. As a country that depended on imports for their food supply, the blockade had an extreme impact on Belgium’s local population and forced them into starvation. To help the country, the Commission for Relief in Belgium was established and people from around the world, including Townshippers, did everything they could to provide the Belgians with the most basic of necessities. Despite Belgium receiving neutral status in 1839, the German army disregarded this upon the heels of World War One. After arriving in Belgium, they seized all industries, destroyed their crops, and took complete control of the territory. As Germany moved into Europe, the Allies increased their war effort in the form of an economic blockade to cut off the German army from importing any resources and supplies. However, cutting off supplies from the Germans also meant cutting off supplies to the Belgians. See full story in the Friday, Feb. 21 edition of The Record.