BELGIUM is a country that should be dear to all of us, historically. The “rape of Belgium” moved many hearts to pity at the start of the First World War, and many Belgian refugees were accommodated in Britain after it was occupied by Germany. A hundred thousand places of shelter were offered to fleeing Belgian refugees in 1914-1918, and war recruiting posters often carried the slogan “Remember Belgium”.
In Ireland, Belgium’s traditional Catholic faith was signalled as a special reason to come to Belgium’s aid. The most successful recruiting poster appealed to Irishmen to save “Catholic Belgium” – and the sense of fellowship with a small country was highly successful.
