ABSTRACT
Wilfred R. Bion's war experiences would have a lasting influence on his attitude and his theory. After he was fired as Command psychiatrist without any forewarning or explanation, Bion asked to be transferred to the Northfield Military Hospital in Birmingham, where he joined his friend Rickman and was put in charge of the Military Training Wing. Together they initiated a series of experiments with group therapy designed to treat war neurosis, known as the Northfield experiments. In his autobiography, Bion was rather sarcastic about this. Early in World War II, probably while socializing with other officers, Bion got to know the well-known actress Betty Jardine. In accounts of Bion's works with groups, his natural leadership and sense of power are stressed by all who worked with him at the time. Portraits are sketched by Sutherland, by de Mare and by Lacan: Bion had the great advantage of an imposing military presence.
