From The Times, Saturday, Mar 30, 1940 BALLOON BARRAGE DEVELOPMENTS NEW TYPE OF MOORING MAST FROM OUR AERONAUTICAL CORRESPONDENT Methods of handling balloons have undergone several developments since the outbread of war, and yesterday I was able to see some of the latest equipment at the balloon sites. Perhaps the most important change is in the method of mooring the balloon when it is drawn down. A type of stub mooring mast, mounted in such a way that it permits a certain "give" a the point of attachment, is being tested. It permits the balloon to be brought down to the ground, and then, steadied at the nose and tail by additional cables, to be left secure. Men attached to the balloon barrage wear on a piece of cord round their waists a jack knife. The purpose of this is to enable them in an emergency to cut loose any cable that has become jammed, or is otherwise causing danger to a balloon or its crew. Men are still needed by the Royal Air Force for the greatly expanded balloon barrage. Recruits fall into two categories. Seventy-five per cent. are operators, whose ages must be between 35 and 45; the others, who may be between 18 and 42, will be employed as drivers of balloon barrage lorries.
