the word "frightfulness". But the publication of these figures
awoke some of the old horror of German warfare. The sum total of
lives lost brought home to the people at home the fact that
bombardment from air and sea, while it had failed to shake their
MORAL, had taken a large toll of human life.

At first the Zeppelin raids were not taken very seriously in this
country. People rushed out of their houses to see the unwonted
spectacle of an air-ship dealing death and destruction from the
clouds. But soon the novelty began to wear off, and as the raids
became more frequent and the casualty lists grew larger, people
began to murmur against the policy of taking these attacks "lying
down". It was felt that "darkness and composure" formed but a
feeble and ignoble weapon of defence. The people spoke with no
uncertain voice, and it began to dawn upon the authorities that
the system of regarding London and the south-east coast as part
of "the front" was no excuse for not taking protective measures.

It was the raid into the Midlands on the night of 31st January,
1916, that finally shelved the old policy of do nothing. Further
justification, if any were needed, for active measures was
supplied by a still more audacious raid upon the east coast of
Scotland, upon which occasion Zeppelins soared over England--at
their will. Then the authorities woke up, and an extensive
scheme of anti-aircraft guns and squadrons of aeroplanes was
devised. About March of the year 1916 the Germans began to break
the monotony of the Zeppelin raids by using sea-planes as
variants. So there was plenty of work for our new defensive air
force. Indeed, people began to ask themselves why we should not
hit back by making raids into Germany. The subject was well