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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0439.PDF
Flight, May 10, 1917. First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER. 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. N«. 437. (No. 19, Vol. IX ) MAY IO, 1917. rWeekly. Price 3d.L Post FrM, 4d Fligtit. EditorialOffice: 44, St. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C.2. Telegrams: Truditur, Weitrand, London. Telephone : Gerrard i8a8. Annual Subscription Rates, Pott Free. United Kingdom .. 15*. id. Abroad — .. •. 20s. od. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: • . • ' " PAGE Reprisals and the Squeamish Minority ., .. .. .. .. 439 The Imperial Future of Aviation .. .. .. .. .-. .. 440 Our Aerial Superiority at the Front .. .. .. .. .. .. 440 The Imperial War Conference.. .. . 44a Aerial Casualties in France .. .. ..."••. .. .» ..442 Dilution of Labour .. .. .. ... ,* , ., .. .. 442 Destroy the German Harvests ? .. ,. .. ' .. .. .. 443 The Identification of German Aeroplanes „ .. *; .. .. 444 The " Totally Enclosed" Aeroplane .. ' ;„_ .. ., .. -.. 446 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices ..'•.. .... .. 448 The Roll of Honour .. .. _ ..f .. • .. 449 Answers to Correspondents .. .. .. .. .. 451 Airisms from the Four Winds . „ .. 452 Aviation in Parliament .. .. .. .. .. ., .. .. 454 Some Meteorological Conditions which Increase the Danger of Flying. By Captain C. J. P. Cave, R.E 455 London Presents an Aeroplane to South Africa .. .. 460 Personals .. .. 461 The British Air Services 462 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information 464 EDITORIAL COMMENT. PPARENTLY there is a minority in the country which w6uld allow the Germans to murder and outrage to the very limit of their capacity, and to every barbarous infraction of the laws of humanity reply with empty words. The apostles of the other cheek to the smiter declared them- selves outright in the House of Lords last week, and they have been followed by a chorus of other old women from all over the country. Reprisals The Archbishop of Canterbury led off and the ^^ a questiOn, in which he askedSqueamish . r ., ^ ., , £ ,, ,-, ,Minority. rf 2t were possible for the Government to make some definite statement respect- ing a policy of reprisals in retaliation for the outrages of the German fleet. The Christian judgment of England, he said, was that we should come out of this war, scarred and wounded and bereaved of some of our best, but with clean hands. Lord Curzon, in a very moderately phrased speech, outlined the reasons which had decided the War Cabinet to order the raid on Freiburg. He reviewed the treatment of British prisoners of war in Germany and the callous torpedoing of hospital ships, and informed the House that when the German Govern- ment announced that it was the intention in future to sink these ships without warning, the War Cabinet felt that it would not be right to pass an odious threat of this description without an effort to defeat its execution. Accordingly, the German Government was warned that if the threat was carried out reprisals would at once be taken. The next step was to form a committee to decide upon what form these reprisals should take, in order that the Government might not act hastily or wrongly. Anxious that the decision to adopt reprisals should have the fullest and most authoritative sanction, the matter was referred to the Imperial War Cabinet, which agreed that there was no alternative but to carry the threat into execution. Accordingly, after con- sultation with our French Allies, who entirely approved of the British action, the air raid on Freiburg was authorised and carried out. As Lord Curzon pointed out, the raid itself was by no means a walk-over, since it resolved itself into a stiff aerial combat, from which three of our pilots failed to return. Broadly speaking, said Lord Curzon, reprisals were regarded as against British instincts of humanity, and we had no intention of emulating German methods. What we had done was not an act of punishment or revenge on the enemy, it was a measure of precaution and security for our own people in the future. Lord Milner said that he was fully prepared to accept a share of the responsibility for this reprisal. No action had ever been taken with greater reluctance or after more consideration, and he hoped people would clear their minds of the idea that it was done in order to hurt innocent German women and children, because poor English wounded and English nurses were drowned. It was done with the object of preventing Germany from sinking hospital ships in the future. He was not without hope that the action taken would have the effect intended, and the only effect intended, that of forcing the Germans to reconsider tru:ir barbarous decision to pay no more respect to hospital ships. Lord Selborne wept over the spectacle of his own beloved country descending to the German level and becoming tainted with the horrible infamy that had overtaken the German Government and the German people. What would be wrong when done by the Germans could not be right when done by the
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