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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0797.PDF
Flight, October 22, 1915. ^ ft First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOON ER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 356. (No. 43, Vol VII.)] OCTOBER 22 1915. rR«gisfred st the G.P.O.T ["Weekly Prioe 8d. L as a Newspaper. Post Fr*«, Sid. FlB^S^t. Editorial Office; 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W Telegrams: Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1 Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... 15J. ad. Abroad KM. CONTENTS c. 328. ad. Editorial Comment : Zeppelin Murders and Reprisals The Roll of Honour Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information The " X " Aircraft Raids The British Air Services Constructional Details Royal Aero Club. Official Notices Armchair Reflections. By the " Dreamer " From the British Flying Grounds Eddies. By".rEolus" A Propeller Shaping Machine Flying at Hendon Aircraft and the War Lighter Than Air PACK • 797 • 798 800 .. 801 ,. 803 .. 804 . 806 ,. 807 . 810 .. 8u .. 814 JMTOEUAIL COMMEHT. Zeppelin Murders and Reprisals. If by merely passing resolutions at meet ings, got together as the result of some newspaper campaign and supported by a number of men already in the public eye who intend to keep there and by others who hope to become known by means of publicity gained thereby, the aims of those resolutions were automatically carried to a successful finality, what a lot of evil doings could forthwith be rectified and their perpetrators brought, by physical reasoning, to see the error of their ways. But it is a regrettable fact that as a rule the decisions arrived at by most of such gatherings are merely a formal way of giving decent burial rites to the perfectly laudable wishes of the conveners of the meetings, after having afforded a fitting opportunity for the letting off of a deal of superfluous energy in the form of hot air to relieve the pent up feelings brought about by some particular incident or grievance. In this category we are afraid must be classed the meeting convened last week in the City for the purpose of advocating a policy of reprisals for the Zeppelin raids. The great point made was that these raids had got to be stopped, and the way it was decided to stop them was by passing a resolution, moved by Mr. Joynson-Hicks, M.P., seconded by Mr. Ernest Jardine, MP., and carried enthusiastically and unani mously as follows:—"That this mass meeting of City men states its definite belief that the only effectual method of putting a stop to Zeppelin raids upon London and other English towns consists in the formal announce ment on the part of this country of a systematic policy of reprisal raids by British, or British and French, aero planes upon towns in Germany, and that this meeting hereby calls upon His Majesty's Government to render protection to the lives and property of British subjects through the issue and prompt fulfilment of such a declaration." That the emphatic sense of the meeting should be that a policy of reprisals in the form of an "eye for an eye " was the only effectual method of stopping the raids, would seem to warrant little attention being given to iis recommendations. The sort of argument which prevailed may be gathered from the demand that we " must at once send 200 aeroplanes at the very least to circle round and round Cologne, Coblentz, and other towns," with the avowed object of indiscriminately slaughtering German women and children. Surely the opposite to what is wished would much more likely be brought about. It would be the much-hated English who would then be the murderers, and the German High Command would be called upon by the German populace to abandon for the future all that tender consideration which they had so far exhibited towards the English population, during their Zeppelin raids upon London and elsewhere, by only dropping bombs on the " fortifications," docks, and such like legitimate quarry. For the future these raiders must have no compunction—so the German public would maintain—as to respecting either civilians or unfortified districts : Just let go their bombs under the same shameful conditions which had been practised by the English themselves, and so on, ad infinitum. For be it remembered, so far as the German general public are concerned, they have been fed to repletion upon the great deeds of the Zeppelin heroes, in fearlessly voyaging over the seas to England, and by descending to within a few hundred feet of the ground, have thus carefully selected the military objects of their attacks. Under no conditions have they bombed any spots other than actual forts or those pertaining to military services. If a civilian or two happen to be in those forts at the time of attack, well that's their business. They should see they do not get blown into such dangerous places. Hence, instead of our reprisals in the form advocated having the effect of pressure being brought upon the German authorities to stay their methods of murder, blind rage increased tenfold would follow and the exact
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