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Of the thousands of Belgian refugees fleeing their homes following Germany’s invasion of Belgium in August 1914, dozens were transported to Staffordshire and Cheshire and housed with local families and, in the main, integrated with local communities One building in Nantwich; Porch House, reportedly became known as “Belgium House” because of the number of refugees housed there. Belgian children were taught in local schools, men were given jobs in the area and local communities donated money to support them. In the ��ѿ��ý Radio Stoke archives in the 1970s, men and women spoke of their reaction to seeing people from another country for the first time – about the kites they made and sold and of experiences of Belgians eating horsemeat – unusual to see in Staffordshire and Cheshire at the time. Location: Porch House, Welsh Row, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5ED Image: Belgian refugees in Stone, Staffordshire during WW1. Photograph courtesy of Newcastle Borough Museum and Art Gallery.