Baltic people in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Baltic people in the United Kingdom are those born or raised/resident in the UK who are of Estonia
n (although only considered Baltic geographically, not linguistically or culturally), Latvia
n and Lithuania
n origin.
n and Lithuania
n (Lithuanians in the United Kingdom
) refugees began to settle in Glasgow (Lithuanian Scots
) and at its height in the 1950s, there were around 10,000 in the Glasgow area.
During the first period of Estonian independence
in the inter-war years, Great Britain, and, especially, London, became a magnet for many young people from Estonia wishing to learn English. This was made easier by a bi-lateral agreement drawn up by the British (Agreement A), which allowed foreigners to live with English families and get board and lodging in return for housekeeping duties. After the initial influx, the number of immigrants gradually reduced as people were more able to find work and, as a result, they gravitated to a few towns and cities, in particular London, Leicester
and Bradford
, with smaller communities in and around Bolton
, Manchester
, Birmingham
, Bristol
, Cardiff, Nottingham, Bournemouth and some north of the border in Scotland
Significant numbers of Baltic people came to the UK in 1947 under a government backed scheme called 'Westward Ho'. The first group of DPs from the British zone of occupation of Germany arrived in the UK in 1947, called the 'Balt Cygnets' - a thousand young Baltic women recruited brought to work in British hospitals. The Baltic men would come later that year, as the British government at the time considered these hard working and freedom loving people to be of the "right stuff" to help Britain rebuild itself after the war.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n (although only considered Baltic geographically, not linguistically or culturally), Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n origin.
History, population and settlement
In the early 20th century, many LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n (Lithuanians in the United Kingdom
Lithuanians in the United Kingdom
Lithuanians in the United Kingdom including individuals born in Lithuania who have migrated to the UK as well as their British-born descendants form a subgroup of Baltic people in the United Kingdom...
) refugees began to settle in Glasgow (Lithuanian Scots
Lithuanian Scots
Lithuanian Scots or Scottish Lithuanians are an ethnic minority of Lithuanians living in Scotland. There were many different reasons why they left their home on the shores of the Baltic: some were escaping conscription into the Russian army; some were freedom fighters, carrying illegal books in the...
) and at its height in the 1950s, there were around 10,000 in the Glasgow area.
During the first period of Estonian independence
Estonian Liberation War
The Estonian War of Independence , also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the White Russian Northwestern Army, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Western Front offensive and the aggression of the...
in the inter-war years, Great Britain, and, especially, London, became a magnet for many young people from Estonia wishing to learn English. This was made easier by a bi-lateral agreement drawn up by the British (Agreement A), which allowed foreigners to live with English families and get board and lodging in return for housekeeping duties. After the initial influx, the number of immigrants gradually reduced as people were more able to find work and, as a result, they gravitated to a few towns and cities, in particular London, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, with smaller communities in and around Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Cardiff, Nottingham, Bournemouth and some north of the border in Scotland
Significant numbers of Baltic people came to the UK in 1947 under a government backed scheme called 'Westward Ho'. The first group of DPs from the British zone of occupation of Germany arrived in the UK in 1947, called the 'Balt Cygnets' - a thousand young Baltic women recruited brought to work in British hospitals. The Baltic men would come later that year, as the British government at the time considered these hard working and freedom loving people to be of the "right stuff" to help Britain rebuild itself after the war.
External links
- The Baltic Music information centre UK
- UK Baltic Study Group
- Association of Estonians in Great Britain
- Bradford Eesti Kodu Club
- Great Britain Lithuanian Youth Association
- Latvians in Britain
- Latvian National Council
- Straumeni or Catthorpe Manor - Latvian cultural centre
- London Latvian Choir
- Latvian Welfare Fund/Daugavas Vanagu Fonds
- Rowfant House
- Latvians in London
- United London Latvian Church