| AdminHistory | By the outbreak of the First World War RWSW was recognised as an expert on Central Europe and had established many useful contacts, notably T G Masaryk, future president of Czechoslovakia. He aimed to publish a journal in which issues of European politics could be more widely propagated, this was finally achieved in 1916 with the journal "The New Europe". From early in the RWSW was involved in aid for Serbia. He was honorary secretary for the Serbian Relief Fund and founder member of the Serbian Society. RWSW was briefly called up into the army as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1917 but was allowed to leave his regular duties to work for the Intelligence Bureau of Department of Information. It was in this position that he was able to exercise political influence. In 1918 he moved to a position with the Enemy Propaganda Department where he was largely responsible for the British propaganda that was disseminated to the peoples of Austria-Hungary. Outside the realm of politics RWSW played a prominent role in the establishment of a School of Slavonic Studies at Kings College, London University in 1915 but it was not until after the war that the School would play a major role in his life. He also published a number of books during the war on issues of nationality in Central Europe and the Balkans. |