The Italian Refugees' Relief Committee was set up in 1927 as a non-political humanitarian organisation to raise funds to support those who had had to flee Mussolini's Fascist regime. British immigration regulations of the time did not permit the entry of refugees into Britain. However, a large exile community was being established in Paris, where the Comit de Secours aux Rfugis Politiques Italiens was formed. The British Committee was able to send funds and material aid to their French counterparts. The first Chairman was Alys Russell (formerly the wife of Bertrand Russell), who was later replaced by Lady Margaret Slesser. W.S. Kennedy acted as Honorary Secretary and F.R. Muir as Honorary Treasurer.
From the guide to the Papers of the Italian Refugees' Relief Committee, 1927-1930, (Reading University: Special Collections Services)
