Yugoslav British

Yugoslav British or Yugoslav Britons refers to the people of the former Yugoslavia origin that have formed communities in or were born in the United Kingdom. Ethnically this most commonly refers to Serbian British, Croatian British and Slovenian British as well as Bosniaks and Montenegrins.

History and Settlement

The earliest settlement of Croats was in the 16th century when there was a community in London and other cities. Many former Yugoslavs fled to Britain after the Second World War, with another wave arriving in the late 80s/early 90s. The Serbian community in London was mainly settled here immediately after World War II by Britain’s ex-combatant Serbian allies who stayed in Britain, not wishing to be repatriated to the communist regime at home. There was a new influx of Serbian people mainly fleeing the recent wars and disintegration of Yugoslavia. Most former Yugoslavs in the UK are now second or third generation, whose parents relocated from 1963 after being issued with passports which enabled them to move, live and work freely outside, although some did arrive after 1991.

There are around 70-100,000 former Yugoslavs in Britain according to various estimates, 40,000 of them in London, mainly in the western borough of Hammersmith and Ealing. Notting Hill is the community's main focus, with the Orthodox Church and the Serbian-Croatian Community Centre. Leeds also has a large community.

Resources

• BBC Born Abroad - Ex-Yugoslavia

See also

• Croatian British
• Serbian British