ABSTRACT
IN 1915 Hans Renold Limited became a ‘controlled establishment ’ under the Defence of the Realm Act. In this way it was formally articulated with the British war machine, which was at last assuming a size and power to match the still unexhausted resources of Germany. At Renold Works 2,380 people were employed, half of whom were women, and all but one-and-one-half per cent of the output was for the war effort. The Governing Director felt that he wished, and had n éed, to share the burden of executive direction with younger men. He was conscious also that the currents of industry were flowing in new and strange channels. These might perhaps be better plumbed and charted by others. He looked to the end of the war, to the problems and opportunities that would then arise, and fully appreciated the growing sociological importance of labour.
