The "Bureau" as a whole had now taken shape. The administrative branch, organized and managed personally by Lady Grant Duff, dealt with the following subjects in its eight departments:—

The Executive concerned itself with the receipt and despatch of food and clothing, and was organized and conducted by my daughter until the autumn of 1915, when her services were transferred by Lady Grant Duff to the administration. Mr. and Mrs. Jebb Scott succeeded her on the executive. The personnel of each department consisted of a Lady Superintendent, assisted by British and Swiss ladies and paid workers. Several Swiss gentlemen, including an officer of high rank, also gave voluntary service.

The work, during 1915, was chiefly concerned with meeting the demands of Regimental Committees and other similar institutions, as well as those of private subscribers. The system of transacting business with private subscribers proved cumbersome from the point of view of the "Bureau," and unsatisfactory from that of the prisoners themselves. It entailed, during the course of every month, the receipt and acknowledgment of thousands of letters with their accompanying postal orders, and gave rise to a congestion with which it was not easy to deal. Associated with this question was the uncertainty as to the renewal of the original order, and the possibility of the beneficiary being removed from the "Bureau" lists for want of the necessary remittances from his friends at home. There was little probability of this happening with men borne on the rolls of Regimental Committees, but it was not of infrequent occurrence in the case of private subscribers.

Another difficulty was encountered in meeting the requirements of men recently captured, many of whom made appeals to Berne as soon as they had reached their camps in Germany. This was overcome by bringing all such men on to the Berne lists, and by supplying them with bread for a period of six weeks. Meanwhile, their names were sent home to be dealt with by their Regimental Committees, or by private subscribers, in the usual way.

A consideration of these obstacles to efficiency induced Lady Grant Duff, in 1915, to suggest to the "Ps. of W.H.C." that an organization might be created in England with power to deal directly with Regimental or other Committees, thus centralizing effort, and eliminating the private subscriber. This organization would, it was expected, have the further advantage of putting an end to overlapping, which was much accentuated by minor associations carrying on work as independent sources of supply. I am referring more especially to Switzerland. The danger inherent in these associations was forcibly brought to the notice of the Committee in Berne when a letter was received by Lady Grant Duff from one of the Commandants in Germany, informing her of the arrival of a parcel containing literature of an abusive nature. A warning was added that any repetition of the offence would lead to the closure of the camp in so far as supplies of bread were concerned. As neither the addressee nor the camp were on the Berne lists, the matter was regulated without trouble, but the incident showed the danger to which the "Bureau" at Berne was subjected.

It was not till October, 1916, when the "Central Prisoners of War Committee" came on the scene, and was made responsible for the co-ordination of all effort in connection with the provision of food or other supplies for prisoners, whether at home or abroad, that the wishes of Lady Grant Duff were realized. Radical changes ensued. Berne doffed its independence, and became affiliated to the "C.P. of W.C.," following on which many of the minor associations in Switzerland, to which I have referred, discontinued work. Copenhagen was opened as a supplementary "Bureau of Supply," and the regimental system of registration was adopted, the private subscriber being no longer permitted to deal directly with the "Bureaux" in Switzerland or in Denmark.

The following figures will give an idea of the work of the "Bureau" at Berne, from the date of its foundation, in April, 1915, to October, 1916, when the fusion with the "C.P. of W.C." took place:—

In July, 1915, 13,000 Ps. of W. were in the receipt of weekly parcels of bread; in January, 1916, 19,200; in September, 1916, 30,000.

A few words as to the quality of the bread, and its manufacture, will not be out of place. The flour imported from Marseilles in 1915 and 1916 was of the standard fixed by the French Government for consumption in France, and proved of very good quality. Then a falling off was noticed, the bread keeping less well in consequence. In 1917 the "C.P. of W.C." arranged for the despatch of Canadian flour to Berne, via Havre, so that a high standard of bread was again attained. Its manufacture was entrusted to Swiss bakers, as many as forty different establishments being employed for the purpose in Berne alone. The loaf was baked for twenty minutes longer than was customary in Switzerland, and was calculated to remain in sweet condition from four to six weeks, the period varying according to the season and the quality of the flour. Failures were inevitable, but these did not exceed 2 per cent. in 1915 and 1916, and 8 per cent. in 1917. At the end of 1917, with the advent of Canadian flour, the former excellent record was re-established.