Today in History: July 7, 1940 – War children routed to Grand Forks

Today in History revisits the Sunday, July 7, 1940, edition of the Grand Forks Herald and highlights a story of five children being sent to Grand Forks who were fleeing the Blitzkrieg-threatened British Isles.

Five children, fleeing the blitzkrieg-threatened British Isles, will arrive in Grand Forks soon.

The five—two boys and three girls—are from Edinburgh, Scotland, and are second cousins of Rev. W. Murray Allan, minister of the Plymouth Congregational church. They will live at the Allan home.

Mr. Allan said the boys were from one family and the girls from another. Ten days ago Mr. Allan received a cable from the parents, whom he has not seen in 25 years, asking if he would care for them.

Although he has not had definite word, Mr. Allan said he presumed the children are en route to the United States now. He also has been in touch with the American Committee for European Children.

The children coming here are believed to be the first war refugees who will reach North Dakota. Several other Grand Forks families are reported considering offering their homes to British children.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.