ABSTRACT
The Social Welfare Department acted as the agent for the Government in equipping and staffing the Rest Centres. It was the devotion, courage and initiative of the Social Welfare staff at the Rest Centres which coped with the many unpredictable difficulties during the first period of the continuous day and night attacks on London. The Government relied on the experience of the Social Welfare Service in dealing with the distressed and destitute folk of London to cope with the immediate needs of the people of Europe who fled before the tide of war to seek refuge in the lands. More than any other administrative service of the L.C.C. the Social Welfare staff have seen the suffering and tragedy which the war brought to the men, women and children of all nations. The Social Welfare Department held out the welcoming hand at the threshold at a time when London was the cosmopolis of freedom.
