Sanctuary in Cornwall

12/14/21 • 39 min

From refugees fleeing the ravages of war-torn Europe in World War I to modern asylum seekers, Cornwall has welcomed people seeking sanctuary across the generations.

Cornwall's proximity to the French coast made the county a natural destination for those seeking sanctuary over 100 years ago. In this episode we hear how Cornish folk shouldered the burden of the First World War effort by welcoming refugees from Belgium, and later Jewish people escaping persecution.

In the Second World War, hundreds of children made Cornwall their temporary home as young evacuees in World War II. Many of them spent their formative years in villages by the sea before having to return to their home cities which had been ravaged by bombing raids.

And today, local people still welcome those fleeing war and persecution and support them in securing a safe and healthy life for themselves and their families.

From refugees fleeing the ravages of war-torn Europe in World War I to modern asylum seekers, Cornwall has welcomed people seeking sanctuary across the generations.

And today, local people still welcome those fleeing war and persecution and support them in securing a safe and healthy life for themselves and their families.

Previous Episode

Soldiers of Colour

The huge contribution of servicemen and women of colour through the centuries and across the world bolstered British forces in nearly every conflict, and in supporting the building of the British Empire. But so often that skill and loyalty has been overlooked and at times even resented.

In this episode military historian Barry Renfrew explains just how vital the contribution of soldiers of colour has been throughout British military history. Author Kate Werran tells the incredible story of a World War II gun battle between black and white soldiers in Launceston. Bodmin Keep's trainee curator Isabella Hogan tells the real story of the infamous Siege of Lucknow in India in 1857 and Black Voices Cornwall co-founder Marcus Alleyne reveals what it was like to be a black serviceman in the Royal Navy in more recent times.

Next Episode

5 DCLI - a history of Cornwall's volunteer force

Despite being a volunteer force, 5DCLI (Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry) took part in some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of World War two in North-West Europe. We'll hear verbatim from the diaries of some of the DCLI soldiers about their brave exploits. One was shot through the breast pocket but through remarkable luck, survived. Another, although small in stature, was large in spirit. And other 5DCLI men bore witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust, acting as guards during war crime trials after the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.

We also hear from two more recent volunteer soldiers including a single mum for whom the experience of volunteering with the Territorial Army, transformed her life for ever.