Changing Identities

Changing Identities: Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians in Great Britain This book presents the fascinating and untold life histories of Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians, who were displaced from their homelands during the Second World War, and who came to Britain as participants of two European Volunteer Worker (EVW) schemes, from 1946-50: 'Balt Cygnet' and 'Westward Ho!' Approximately 13,000 Latvians, 6,000 Lithuanians and 5,000 Estonians were recruited by the British government from Displaced Person (DP) Camps in Germany and Austria, to fill post-war labour shortages in Britain. Although the refugees regarded the migration to Britain as temporary, the longevity of the Soviet Union's occupation of the Baltic States, meant that the overwhelming majority remained in Britain, and only a handful returned following the restoration of homeland independence in 1991. It was the intention of the British Government that the refugees would eventually assimilate into British society, and the EVW schemes were designed and implemented with this goal in mind. This book uses narrative accounts from interviews with first generation Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians carried out by the author to chart their life stories. Documentary and other sources are also used to show how Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians integrated, but did not assimilate into British society. The book also outlines the history of Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians in Great Britain during other periods of history, including the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and more recently since the accession of the Baltic States to the European Union in 2004. The book will be of interest to Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians in Great Britain and other receiving nations such as the United States, as well as to specialists of British migration history, the Baltic States and identity and immigration theorists. (Please note that I changed the title and the title that appears on the book when you click on 'Look Inside' is the old title'.)