What is described as the first factory created in time of war for refugees only has been established in London. More than 50 skilled workers from Holland, Belgium and other countries are employed at the Woodbridge diamond-polishing factory in Central London. The factory hopes to handle £500,000 worth of stones a year, most of which will go to America as investments.
“All that stands in the way of this country’s capturing virtually the entire diamond-polishing trade for at least the duration of the war is the absence of labor,” says the Manchester Guardian. “A tremendous opportunity for this country appears to have been lost when the Germans overran Holland and Belgium. Some 60 per cent of the work people in the industry are Jews. About 8,000 fled to France, where at least 4,000 remain. Had they come here they could have been placed in almost immediate employment and the new industry would have become a flourishing and extremely valuable growth.”
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.
