Two Yugoslav women and a child in a refugee camp

Production date
1939-1945

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Description
A woman can be seen using a sewing machine to make clothes for herself and her children.

Throughout history, displaced people have had to settle for a time in temporary camps and communities. Life there can be difficult, uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. But it is also in these places that people create and connect with each other.
Collection Type
Archives
Level of Current Record
item
History
SECOND WORLD WAR REFUGEES AND DISPLACEMENT
The Second World War displaced around 165 million people. The changing nature of warfare during this conflict, including advances in technology bringing increasingly devastating weaponry, resulted in a dramatic increase in civilian suffering. The Geneva Conventions protected medical personnel, wounded troops and prisoners of war. However, there were few rules which specifically protected civilians in wartime. Millions of civilians in Europe and Asia were deported, taken hostage, and forced into concentration and internment camps.

As the war drew to a close, millions of displaced people were trying to get home. However, many people had no homes to return to. Others, fearing for their lives, did not want to go back. The British Red Cross assisted with repatriations and played a significant role in reuniting families separated by the conflict, both during and after the war.
Catalogue Number
JWO/9/3/2a

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