Ukrainian Community
Ukraine is a former Soviet Republic Slavic nation located in East-Central Europe, bordered by seven other countries and the Black Sea.
The first generation of Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Hertfordshire in 1947 as displaced persons. At the end of World War II, there were about 4 million Ukrainian displaced persons in Europe. Some were ex-prisoners of War from the Soviet Army, some were survivors of Nazi Concentration Camps, but the majority had been forcibly taken from their homeland to Austrian and German forced labour camps during World War II. After World War II, work-permit schemes issued under the Attlee government recruited Ukrainians to work in the mills of Lancashire and the greenhouses of the Lea Valley.
After a short stay in a transit camp in East Anglia, they were brought to a displaced persons camp in Newgate Street Village in Hertfordshire. At the camp, many young people became affiliated to The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, which had its headquarters in London, the association acted as an important support network for those separated from their family and friends.
The Ukrainian community in the Lee Valley established strong links with other immigrant communities such as the Irish and the Poles. In particular, there were a number of marriages between Ukrainian men and Italian women, who were working as nurses in the old people’s hospital near the displaced persons camp.
In 1991, Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union and an unstable political climate prompted another wave of Ukrainian immigration to the UK. More recently, there has been a trend for migrant workers from the Ukraine coming to work in Britain.
Ukrainians have been settled in Hertfordshire and the immediate surrounding areas for 60 years and 2007 marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Ukrainian centre in Flamstead End Road in Chesthunt. This centre acts as a meeting place, a cultural hub and a school for the Ukrainian community. The centre endeavours to preserve the customs, traditions and Ukrainian language among second and third generation children so they can continue to enjoy and understand their rich, cultural heritage.
Research provided by Anna Bernard - Association of Ukrainians
