Debating Society 1914 - "Aeroplanes would be more serviceable in warfare than Dirigibles".
On Friday 16th January, a full meetig of thsi Society was held. The motion before the House was "that aeroplanes would be more serviceable in warfare than dirigibles." G. Barrett proposed the motion and stated many points in favour of it. He said that aeroplanes had a greater speed than dirigibles, they offered a smaller area to fire at, they were not so costly, and they could be packed up for transport. After speaking for about twenty minutes he sat down, and L. Young opened for the opposition. He said that dirigibles could float in case of broken machinery, while aeroplanes would have to land. Scouts, too, he said, could be dropped from a dirigible by means of parachutes, while this would be impossible from aeroplanes. The two seconders, G. Baker and R. Cole, spoke for about fifteen minutes each, and then Mr. Wheeler*, who was in the chair, threw the meeting open for discussion. The point was raised as to how Young's scouts were to get back to the dirigible - by a parachute that went upwards?
...the motion was finally carried by 14 to 2.
A. A. Symington
*Russell Wheeler was killed in the First World War.
Source: Gaytonian, March 1914