THE SILENT RAID.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1924, Page 4

THE SILENT RAID.

LONDON’S NIGHT OF GREATEST PERIL. LONDON, October 25. Of interest to everyone is a hook to bo published this weed;—“’The Defence of Loudon 101.3-18", by Lieut. Col. A. Rawlinson. Col, Rawlinson who helped to create an air defence organisation lor London, tells the inner history, for the first time of London's night of greatest peril during the war—October 19, 1917. ’I Ins was tire silent laid in which the Germans used for the lir.st time a new type of high-flying airship. It was obviously the intention of Hie enemy to assemble in the neighbourhood of Y\ afford, then to float down wind over London at a high altitude with their engines stopped; ill which case wo should neither be able to see them to shoot with, out "eyes", tint’ hear them to .shoot willt our ‘‘cars’’. The one advantage the defence possessed was that, being on the ground, they were in a position to know the speed of tlie wind. This the enemy, at their great altitude, had no means of judging, but the moment our searchlights were unmasked the enemy would be able at once to judge the speed a* which their ships were moving over the ground by the change of the various lights. I called till stations and gate .orders that no lights should he iincoveiYd under nnv consideration.

At I L p.tit. Watford reported sounds of am fell to the north. I lie licet was therefore at last complete, and about to starL on its lloai over London. lit the meantime our faith htl and invaluable ally, the w ind, si ill continued in ire-hen. interminable minutes passed in absolute darkness and silence,

and >m sign was given from the sky. But at 11.21 p.m. bomb- were te-piuTod from south-easi of liar row. on the direct line front Watford to the heart of tin city.

I thought then, am! still think, this was tin attempt to induce us to uuci.vi'i* our lights. Hut. if 10, tllf enemy n list have been sadly iii-appointed. a-s not a glimmer of light was shown. Four minutes later another (ingle explosion was heard, bearing tturi h-oast-by cast from my headquarters at Putney, and ahuii'- four miles ib.staid. I he crucial moment hail arrived, and the whole Zeppelin licet, fully loaded with bomb -. were in Idle position they had striven so long' to allaiti. and the heart of London then lay helutv lliem at their mercy, but .slitoitded in impelled table ila i k ness. agonising moments. Then- can la- lie doubt that this bomb 1.,,s ;d—i til-dial geil with the object of inducing the lights to uncover: and the ac'ii'.ay cf its ami was so astounding that had its discharge been has",l on any •lel'uiile know ledge cl their actual po'-dlb'ii, it is lertaiii that every bomb in the Zeppelin licet would have been dropped simultaneously at licit critical mu’,in lit. Only o,c was drop; ed. howcior, and ft I III ! I,\- Ibo < ;: Li;- •s ; n I silcui" L■low i\ u a iced im ■ enet ruble and imbl nketl. Tin- .-.m ■ceding minutes iv-re charged with such an anguish of anxiety, .-ays (oi. Ifaw I in-on, and the horror ol the awl’n! tragedy which appeared likely to lie enacted at any luoimnt was so great as i.» cause him ;m absolute spasm of nervous agony. This lie found it almost impossible to control, end says it tlui-.a-ten. d every moment, to tend")- him physically sick from apprehension. Tie* good net t 11-w.'-t wind Diii .stood out Itii nil. It gained steadily in >n "iigt !i, mini, -ix : ,in.iiivs lat-r. an otir. r bomb was ■irol-pcd iii ibe neighliuti iiim a I i»: Gune I’.trk. far to the .south east, and cur agonising anxiety was cv"r. tor in the freshening gills i.o airships could ever hope to return again.-l the wind.

I. union u:i- saied ft on t a catastrophe of wliii-h the j e.■■-lido i -.i- nl can neve, he e-tmi.-ti'i K-i'iurtely The one large bond) ivliieb drop' ed at 1.1 .IPs p.m. was the on- that i * -11 at I tci ndiPy-oiivus. which demolished ;remi-os of Mcs.-rs Nwau am! Edgar. TO IT'" As ilL’-trat ii e of v. hat might have been il.oe- had all I lie (mi.- of bombr:tiri"d by t he all slops been dropped, the iV’tual damage done In tho I hive bomb- (nhirh were the only an- 1 - d ■ ■:- ped that night, in the metropolitan < 1 i - - 1 1 id i wtt -: I illed !:!. injured ft. .s.tliietnr.l liimage L'.0.100. The lowed estimate ol the number of bombs at that moment flouting over t i:>• ton u wuukl lie at least Km. and the iu-tual number was pnaiabli nearer ‘_’i )!. "It only remains for us." eotiolitdes Col. Rawlinson. “to i-e fliaiiklid for our iiomleri’ii! escape that nighi. ami to see i-> it. as far as may lie it: the power of each and a!! of us, lh.it Lou,«an»r«r tessa kbcimwi?!!

don shall never' l>o exposed again to the danger, of such an appalling disaster/* JTc is convinced of the inefficiency of ground defence for dealing with air raids such as London might have to face in the future. Neither London nor any other district, he says, can be defended successfully except b» adequate aeti I d'orees.