Refugee contributions to Britain’s cause have proved of great advantage and “have justified what some people considered our too open-handed hospitality in welcoming these emigrees,” says an article in the Evening Standard, commenting on the order that all of Britain’s refugee population must register for “national civilian service.”
The great majority of the refugees, the Standard writes, “are repaying our generous gesture by rendering loyal service in many fields. More than 5,000 are serving in the Pioneer Corps, scientists of international repute are giving us their specialized and creative knowledge, while the demand for refugee engineers and technicians far exceeds the supply. The Ministry of Agriculture is making use of trained continental agriculturists and unskilled labor.” German and Austrian refugees, who are at liberty and are to register for “national civilian service,” welcome this measure, the Standard adds.
Britain’s refugee population, which consisted of some 80,000 to 90,000 people at the outbreak of the war, is gradually shrinking, the article also discloses, since about 20,000 have emigrated. A large number departed at the beginning of the war, while emigration continues on a minor scale in spite of shipping difficulties.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
