Belarusians in the United Kingdom ( be, Беларусы ў Вялікабрытаніі) are

Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...

living in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and

British people British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs m ...

of Belarusian background or descent. The 2001 UK census recorded 1,154 Belarus-born people living in the UK. The 2011 census recorded 4,031 Belarus-born people resident in England, 102 in Wales, 211 in Scotland and 62 in Northern Ireland. Nowadays, organised community life exists only in London.

Terminology

Belarusians or Byelorussians have been researched, and written of academically and journalistically, as a distinct ethnic group within the United Kingdom.

History

According to researcher Natallia Hardzijenka, the first significant wave of immigration from Belarus to the UK took place in late 19th and the beginning of 20th century. Another significant wave came after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. A large number of those were former Belarusian military personnel of the Polish

Anders Army Anders' Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the 1941–42 period, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders. The army was created in the Soviet Union but, in March 1942, based on an understand ...

. According to estimates, ten to twelve thousands of Belarusians arrived to the UK in the aftermath of the war. A significant number of them later emigrated to other countries (mainly the US, Canada and Australia). Many of the Belarusians who resettled in Britain during this period were registered or counted as

Polish people Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Cen ...

, despite being ethnic

East Slavs The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs. They speak the East Slavic languages, and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor.John Channon & Robert ...

. This was due to Belarus not yet being considered an independent nation, and therefore the Belarusian ethnic group was similarly disregarded in statistics. During the 1960s,

Ceslaus Sipovich Ceslaus Sipovich ( be, Чэслаў Сіповіч, Łacinka: Česłaǔ Sipovič) (December 8, 1914 – October 4, 1981) was a bishop of the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church and a notable Belarusian émigré social and religious leader. Early ...

and Alexander Nadson became notable religious figures for Belarusians in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and were involved with the Belarusian Memorial Chapel.

Community

There have been Belarusian community centres in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

and

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

as well as several religious centres. The Belarusian St. Cyril of Turau Boys' School was active in London in the 1960s and 1970s.Наталля Гардзіенка
“Беларуская дыяспара ў Вялікабрытаніі — з’ява ўнікальная на Захадзе”
This school was reopened in 2015 and has classes for children and adults on Saturdays and Sundays. The

Anglo-Belarusian Society The Anglo-Belarusian Society () is one of the oldest Belarus-related organisations in the UK with an object of “diffusion, interchange and publication of knowledge relating to the Belarusian people, their land, history and culture”. History ...

was founded in 1954 to promote contacts between the Belarusian diaspora and the British establishment. There are several other Belarusian organisations in the UK, including the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain, the

and the

Professional Union of Belarusians in Britain Belarusians in the United Kingdom ( be, Беларусы ў Вялікабрытаніі) are Belarusians living in the United Kingdom and British people of Belarusian background or descent. The 2001 UK census recorded 1,154 Belarus-born peopl ...

. The Belarusian Catholic Mission was established in 1946. In addition to its religious work, it has contributed to various secular initiatives of the Belarusian community in the UK, including the

Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum (Belarusian: ; also referred to as Skaryna Library and ''Skarynaŭka'') in north London, England, is the only library outside Belarus to collect exclusively in the field of Belarusian studies. It wa ...

. The Mission built the

church of St Cyril of Turau and All the Patron Saints of the Belarusian People Church of St Cyril of Turau and All the Patron Saints of the Belarusian People ( be, Царква Сьвятога Кірылы Тураўскага і ўсіх сьвятых заступнікаў беларускага народу, also kno ...

- the first Belarusian Catholic church outside Belarus and the first wooden church in London since the Great Fire of 1666.

External links

Belarusians in Britain blog

Anglo-Belarusian Society

Association of Belarusians in Great Britain

Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum

Journal of Belarusian Studies

Professional Union of Belarusians in Britain (PUBB)

British people of Belarusian descent

References