"ZEPPELIN NIGHT."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 110, 19 November 1915, Page 3 (Supplement)

"ZEPPELIN NIGHT."

HOW LONDON TOOK IT,

(By F. W. W., in the Sydney " Daily Telegraph.")

LONDON, September 'J

'"Zeppelin Night/' That is what last night was properly dubbed. The raid wae> one ot those experiences that can never be forgotten. For it was tne first on London proper —on points within what might be tailed the central circle of the metropolis. The latelycoined official phrase " Eastern Counties' 1 does not lit at all. Only a lewdays ago Mr. Balfour wrote scathing ingly upon the Zeppelm ineffectiveness in the thirteen mouths of war. Perhaps the taunt the Huns into unwonted activity. Anyhow there was a raid which cost us 5b casualties —40 of them women and children —at midnight on the 7th instant. The explosion of the bombs and the brisk cannonading of the anti-arcraft guns were heard over the greater part ot Lonaon. it was the nearest attack that had happened. In the evening the papers had telegrams from Holland to tne effect that Zeppelins had been seen jn the morning steering in the direction of England. So London's defenders were warned. When the visitors mnved London had for the most part gone to bed. Most of it was sound asleep. The war has done what peace was unable to do —cured London to a great extent of the bad habit of lato Hours. There is so lttle entertaining that families are thrown upon their own resources, and that means keeping healthy hours. But the first bomb or gun—l do not know which led —a few hundreds of thousands of people, pel • minutes before eleven o'clock woks up haps millions. It burst into the last act in all the theatres. It was loud enough to be heard on a still night for many miles around. Inside five minutes London was at its windows and doors, and in the streets. It seemed to me that in my neighbourhood there was only one desire —to see the fight. Generally not much er nothing could be seen, because buddings obscured the view. The night was fine and the \ ..-. tors easily visible. For 20 minutes or thereabouts the noise of the battle, if such it may be called, was continuous, and then it ceased abruptly. Which was bomb and which was gun only experts could say. It was a weirdly picturesque combat to take place under a starlit sky. Only the number of casualties, 20 killed and 86 injured, and an announcement that a few fires had been started but were quickly brougiio under control, have been allowed to appear in the papers. Everybody thinks, and most people say, th:it Mie official secrecy is an absurdity. Publicity would keep down bewildering and false rumours. Nobody doubts than the Germans know exactly the mea6ui« of their success or failure. Indeed, last night's visitors seem to have found their way without any serious difficulty to their objective. Striking the 6pot they did after so long a journey in high altitudes was a harder thing to do than making a bull's-eye at long range with a rifle. They were not 6een between Holland and the heart of London, upon which u»ey suddenly dropped from the stars and let go their bombs. The feat was so neatly performed that multitudes of witnesses are convinced that they are guided by friendly lights. I do not knaw enough about aerial warfare to have an opinion on the matter worth putting intoprint, but one as ignorant as I am may venture the alternative that either they had an illuminated chart below them or they are amazingly good at their job. Whether our guns hit them or our flying corps did them any injury has yet to be declared. Our men will soon" get acquainted with their methods and limitations. There is universal confidence in the ability and courage of our airmen. They have to find out just how to circumvent and dfsiroy this particular enemy, but they may be trusted to protect London. One phase of the visit may be emphasised. It was intended to be an instalment of frightfulness. And when you think of it aud try to estimate its moral quality you are compelled to describe it a«» * diabolical way of carrying on war. It is an unmitigated savagery in the 20th century. It was an example of German Rultur set on fire in hell. Years and years of inventive and mechanical skill spent on fashioning the weapon; then a journey of hundreds of miles in the upper air—to do what? Drop high-explosive and incendiary bombs on a sleeping community of millions of non-combatants in the middle of the night. To be here, to see this immense multitude of men, women, and children, and then to be an eye and ear witness of a Zeppelin raid, is to get a view of the German nature, that absolutely prohibits tho idea of making any peace except one based on crushing conquest. Setting tire to London in the Zeppelin way is an idea that could come only from a devilish imagination. But it is a miscalculaton of the English temper. 1 am no prophet, and cannot write about the consequences of future raids, but past raids have not intimidated the Euglish people. Take this last aud most horrible instance of frightfulness. What followed!-' What was intended by the raiders was uncontrollable fear, a conditio.! of panic. What actually happeued was that people poured into the localities where the bombs murdered non-combatants and kindled fifes. They we're anxious and ready to help. They were also curious to watcn this new kind of warfare. There is a story about that at last they hindered the firemen, and were dispersed long after midnight by turning the hoses on them. And to-day. AH the day long London has'been congested by the strcunis of people who poured in by every 'bus, tube, underground, and railway route to see what the Zeppelins had been able to do. Late in the afternoon I tried to, get a view of 'the ruins, and fqunit the streets thronged as I had never seen f heni before.' I, ihould. say that tjio general result of the inspection was a reassuring oue. Apart from tho regrettable deaths and injuries, tht< raid bad not done much damage. In estimating the damage, you have to take into view the frightfulness intended and boasted about, and also the magnitude of Loudon. Here was enormous opportunity for destruction of wealth. How much was destroyed,? ]i\ oue place 1 saw a tmuikiug and ste-aiii-ing ruin of apparently moderate tu'st'i, on which water was 'it'll being played. and iu another two or three shattered dwellings or shops, and hundreds of broken windows. It seemed an inconsiderable destruction, when set against, the magnitude of the nietroiiolL. Guiiniiirineti havo made no big bob' in F?ri tain's in"!c :tiiliti« navy, but Zeppelins are uot in it, so far. with submarines. Something like that, 1 imagine, w'3* tb" conduson re.ach«>d today by Mini enormous crowd oi curious a,ud interested onlookers.