ABSTRACT
Neutral countries offer attractive destinations for victims of war and conflict. The Netherlands during the Great War was no exception; it witnessed a major refugee crisis when, during the German siege of Antwerp in October 1914, around one million Belgians fled northwards across the Dutch frontier, increasing the population of the Netherlands by one-sixth virtually overnight. Alongside these civilian refugees, military personnel from various foreign armies, from various directions, and for various reasons also sought sanctuary in the Netherlands during the war. These soldiers, sailors, and airmen presented a potential threat to the territorial integrity and neutrality obligations of the country. According to articles 1 and 2 of the Dutch neutrality declaration, belligerents could not make military use of neutral territory, not even accidentally. 1 The Dutch were responsible for policing any contraventions. Interning the tens of thousands of foreign military personnel in the country presented one of the least controversial and most obvious means by which the country could protect its neutrality. Nevertheless, in combination with the civilian refugee crisis, the tens of thousands of interned soldiers presented a logistical nightmare for the Dutch authorities. It made the war all too visible and real.
