Refugees fleeing to Brussels for safety from Collier's photographic history of the European War.

Collier's photographic history of the European War.

Refugees fleeing to Brussels for safety.

Today, it’s generally called World War I, but at the time, since so many countries and conflicts were involved in the warfare from 1914 to 1918, WWI was first called the Great War or the War to End All Wars. However, not every country in the world was involved, nor wanted to be. Belgium, a small country in western Europe that’s bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France, preferred to stay neutral. However, due to its proximity to the warring nations, Belgium was eventually pulled into the war when Germany invaded the country just weeks after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which is considered the official start of the war. Many Belgians, like those in the picture, had to flee to other parts of the country such as Brussels, the Belgian capital, or even to different countries. Those in the picture had to grab whatever belongings they could carry to take with them. Travelling by horse, car, bicycle, and foot, the refugees left their homes without knowing if they would ever make it back to their home or if they would even have a home to return to after the fighting ended. By the end of the war, over 1 million Belgians had fled their homes and took to the road, hoping to find safety when they got to their destination.