Belgian Refugees to England WW1

[BlythSpartan]

Hi all - I have been researching for some time now my Belgian ancestors (Great Grandad). Alfons Liessens who lived on Schoolstrasse in Temse with his family, prior to WW1.
I know he had brothers who fought and died in Belgium, but I believe my GG left Belgium as a war refugee (Temse bridge was a key tactical landmark in the early days of war during the Siege of Antwerp). He eventually married my Great Grandmother, a war widow, in 1919 and lived the rest of his life in Newcastle and Northumberland.

It is the gap between him leaving Belgium and coming to England that I am trying to fill.

The first indication of his whereabouts in England is a correspondence with a wartime newspaper called "Onze Temschaars", in 1918, in which he listed his address as Saltwell Road, Bensham.
His marriage certificate then has him living at Janet Street in Byker in 1919, before moving in with his new family at St Lawrences Square in Byker.
The family and my grandmother eventually moved to Sunnyside in Cramlington, Northumberland where Alfons lived until his death, in 1939. So I have a gap of 4 years from 1914.
I have done a bit of research on Elisabethville in Birtley, but cannot find lists of residents who were there and I am aware there was an aircraft testing area where Belgians were employed on Newcastle Town Moor - part of me believes he may have been at one, both or either of these places at some point - especially given Benshams proximity to Birtley.

If anyone could help me fill in the blank, it would be much appreciated!   

[CaroleW]

He died Dec qtr 1938 (not 1939)  & he was 49 so born around 1889.  He is not on the 1911 census.  Was he Naturalised as his Naturalisation record will show when he came to England

[california dreamin]

I don't know if this link is any use for your search:
 https://www.search.connectinghistories.org.uk/details.aspx?ResourceID=1767&ExhibitionID=1767&SearchType=2&ThemeID=23   The text says that "The register shows us that the majority of refugees were billeted within the Birmingham area, but some are relocated within the wider region or further field"

CD

[River Tyne Lass]

https://twarchives.org.uk/collection/user-guides-and-information

Have you enquired at Tyne and Wear Archives?
It looks like they may have some records.  See ethnicity & migration on their user guides.

[Viktoria]

This won’t help your research ,but a Belgian family from Bruges lived in the house we later bought in Ramsbottom .
The husband was a prominent Doctor in Bruges but was captured by the Germans and had to work in one of their military hospitals .
The wife and children came here and St Paul’s Church Ramsbottom funded them for the whole of their stay.
I did not know that when we lived in Belgium of course.
On a return visit we went to their house in Bruges ,now a clinic but the family lived in West Flanders and we contacted a distant relative by phone, it was just lucky we had brought an old telephone directory here with us for
addresses etc.
There was only one of that name ,a niece. Not in Bruges, but West Flanders,
Ronse.
Ramsbottom Heritage Society did a project on Belgian Refugees here, so our slight contact was useful.

Best of luck with your research.
Viktoria.

[leen]

Is this your Alfons?  https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Zoom/E/13/01/C_G1_E_13_01_1375/C_G1_E_13_01_1375_0114_0.JPG/4
from the database  https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search#/6/2/246/0/French%20or%20Belgian/Military/liessens
Then I don’t think he was a war refugee, as a soldier he may have been wounded and then transferred to the UK

an 'Alfons Liessens from Temse’ is mentioned several times in other newspapers:
- L’Indépendance Belge  1915-02-20   (page 5)
Liste des militaires belges envoyés à ‘The Wounded Allies Relief Committee’ actuellement confiés aux soins de la Salvation Army, 17, Richard Street, Bradford   ... ;  LIESSENS Alphonse, Tamise, 2e Ligne. ; ...

- L’Indépendance Belge  1915-03-04   (page 5)
Liste des militaires belges envoyés à ‘The Wounded Allies Relief Committee’, actuellement confiés aux soins de la Whinney House, Gateshead-on-Tyne.   ... ; LIESSENS Alphonse, Tamise, Génie. ; ...

- L’Indépendance Belge  1915-04-03  (page 7)
Liste des militaires belges envoyés à ‘The Wounded Allies Relief Committee’, actuellement confiés aux soins des dirigeants de st. Anne’s Home, Streatham Hill, S.W.    … ; LIESSENS Alphonse, Ramise, Génie. ; …

- L’Echo Belge  1915-04-08
Nos blessés Belges en Angleterre.
Au St. Anne’s Home, Streatham Hill, S.W.   …  ; LIESSENS Alphonse, Ramise, Génie. ; ...