ABSTRACT
The paper, I may add, became the theoretical basis for my later work on German prisoners-of-war which had not then been contemplated. I have already alluded to the shift in interest within the Tavistock staff early in the war, when our seminars were apt to deal with social themes. Here I also record the devoted long services of another member of the secretarial staff, Miss Violet Watts ('Wattie'), who had been with us since 1927 and was to stay with us for many years after the War. However, the finance officers could breathe again, while we had to think seriously where and what we were going to be when peace came and the staff now on war service returned to claim back their appointments and place of work. While the day-to-day affairs of the wartime Tavistock at Westfield College were run by a small medical executive, from time to time the pre-war Medical Committee would also meet in order to deal with longer-term prospects. It will be part of the next chapter's purpose to describe the work and the ensuing policies of this Committee. While we could take pride in the contribution which the Tavistock made both at home and in the various services to the war effort, one reflected that, like many organizations and families, we had lost more than we had gained in pride and prestige.
