 Due to its position in South East England, during the First World War Tunbridge Wells was made a headquarters for the army, and its hospitals were used to treat soldiers who had been sent home with a "blighty wound"; the town also received 150 Belgian refugees.The Second World War affected Tunbridge Wells in a different way—it became so swollen with refugees from London that accommodation was severely strained.Over 3,800 buildings were damaged by bombing, but only 15 people lost their lives.