It was the use of flying machines, both heavier than air and lighter than air, to inflict pain and suffering on the enemy.

And, in an unfortunate demonstration of what was to come, it was the first time that civilian populations had been bombarded from the air.

Credit for this remarkable technological advance goes to the Germans who used Zeppelins, rigid air ships, to cross the channel and bomb targets in Britain.

100 years ago today The Ballarat Courier reported: "It is officially announced in London that the bodies of the man and two women who were buried under some debris on the location of the Zeppelin raid on Eastern England on Tuesday night have been recovered.

"Four of the civilians who were seriously injured by the bombs have died.

"The total number of deaths has now reached 17, consisting of five men, six women and six children.

France was also a target with the paper reporting: "Six German warplanes [not Zeppelins] dropped bombs indiscriminately on Nancy on Saturday.

"Materiel damage was caused. Two persons were killed and 10 wounded."

The Allies were not without resources of their own however.

"Reports received at Amsterdam from Brussels declare that the Allies have dropped bombs on the aerodrome at Ghent.

"The barracks were destroyed and 106 persons killed."

On the marine front, a French cabinet minister was predicting that "the hour is approaching when the fleets of the Quadruple Alliance (France, Russia, Britain and Italy) will be able to intervene in the war successfully.

"The Germans then may regret using up their submarines on a criminal task [attacking non combatant shipping] for torpedoes are particularly useful against battleships engaged in furious combat."

Alas, this was not to be. The largest naval engagement of the war was the Battle of Jutland which although a German tactical victory on points was a win for the British in that the Kaiser's fleet never felt game to put out to sea in any strength before the end of the war when it was sent to Scapa Flow.

Once under the guns of the British, the ships were gamely scuttled by their German crews who refused to let them pass into the hands of the former enemy power.

September 11 is, of course, also the anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

You'd think we would be over war by now.