ABSTRACT
Wartime government planning for peace saw the development of varied schemes for the return of friendly overseas nationals and colonial people to their home territories. The Registrar-General’s statistics on Belgian refugees developed for use by the government to put Belgian refugees to work later provided useful information which was used in the development of repatriation policy. Repatriation proposals were dictated by the reconstruction needs of both Britain and Belgium. The widespread and severe rioting in June 1919 forced a change in repatriation arrangements. The government made a once-only offer of repatriation to all black and Arab British colonial sailors with no incentives for long-term residents to leave Britain. Post-war legislation limiting the arrival of newcomers was therefore accompanied by a policy of repatriation which it was believed would help free up jobs and houses and sooth the concerns of the returning native military veterans.
