Belgian government at Sainte-Adresse

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De Broqueville government in exile
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Not to be confused with the Belgian government in exile based in London in World War II.
The Immeuble Dufayel in Sainte-Adresse where the government sat between 1914 and 1918.

The De Broqueville government in Sainte-Adresse refers to two successive

governments in exile during the German occupation of Belgium in World War I. They were based in Le Havre in northern France after October 1914. The first government, known as the First de Broqueville government, was a Catholic government which was elected in 1911 and continued until 1916, when it was joined by Socialists and Liberals expanding it into the Second de Broqueville government, which lasted until 1 June 1918. In November 1914, the vast majority of Belgian territory (2,598 out of 2,636 communes) was under German occupation. The only portion of Belgium that remained controlled by the Kingdom of Belgium in exile was the strip of territory behind the Yser Front.[1]

Exile in Le Havre

2014 October, centenary in Le Havre - Sainte-Adresse.

In October 1914, the government moved to the French coastal city of Le Havre. It was established in the large Immeuble Dufayel ("Dufayel Building"), built by the French businessman Georges Dufayel in 1911, situated in the suburb of Sainte-Adresse. The whole area of Sainte-Adresse, which still carries the national colours of Belgium on its shield, was leased to Belgium by the French government as a temporary administrative centre while the rest of Belgium was occupied. The area had a sizeable Belgian émigré population, and even used Belgian postage stamps.

King Albert I considered that it was inappropriate for the King to leave his own country and so did not join his government in Le Havre. Instead, he established his staff in the Flemish town of Veurne, just behind the Yser Front, in the last strip of unoccupied Belgian territory.

Composition

The de Broqueville government comprised:[2]

Criticism

The Flamingant poet René de Clercq published a poem called Aan Die Van Havere ("To those of Le Havre") in 1916, in which he accused the government (the "Lords of Le Havre") of having forgotten the plight of Flanders.

References

  1. OCLC 948603897
    .
  2. ISBN 2-8011-0951-7

Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Broqueville government in exile.

See also

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