With the outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939 we were asked by the Government to set up facilities to cater for the increasing number of foreigners arriving in Britain.  This included refugees and other nationals from mainland Europe, people from the armed forces and merchant seamen from other Allied countries.

A 'Resident Foreigners Division' was established in 1939 to arrange programmes of cultural activities and English language classes.

From 1940, a number of National Centres were set up to house this work.  The first was the Polish Hearth in London, which was opened in July 1940 to be 'a centre of Polish life in London', and which held English classes, concerts and dances.  This was followed in 1941 the Czechoslovak Institute in London and the Allied Centre in Liverpool.

The first Allied Centre in Liverpool, had a short existence, being destroyed by bombs only 10 days after being opened.  But 6 weeks later a new centre had been opened, and remained one of the busiest of the National Centres throughout War.  As well as English classes, it had a library, common meeting areas and individual rooms for the various nationalities who used it: American, Belgian, Czechoslovak, Chinese, Dutch, French and Norwegian rooms.

By 1945, there were National and Allied Centres in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon, Leith in Scotland and Wilton in south-west England, as well as a centre for the Society for Visiting Scientists and an Allied Lawyers' Foyer.

With the end of the Second World War, some of the centres were no longer needed and were closed down, but the remaining centres turned to a new type of work, that of welcoming the increasing numbers of students and short-term visitors coming to the United Kingdom from overseas.