APRONS' FOR GOTHAS

Evening Star, Issue 16992, 14 March 1919, Page 4

APRONS' FOR GOTHAS

la a recent ic-sua tho ‘ Daily Mail ’ (London) described how at a great height balloon “aprons," which, .suspended over certain Loudon suburbs proved to be a great obstacle to the Gotha raiders. It is now possible .to state that the idea originated frith Major-general S. B. Ashmore, V.0., the man responsible for the London defences during the first aerooLne night raid in September, 1917. It seemed at that time there was no answer to night raiding. The lifting of complete nets to the heights attained by the Gothas was obviously impracticable for technical reasons, but next morning General Ashmore put forward the suggestion that “ aprons,” in which m'pgle strands were suspended from transverse cordage joining two or more observation balloons, and experiments were at once begun. The details were worked out by Colonels Bovill end Boshy, both of the Kite Balloon Service, and the earliest experiments witnessed by Lord French in Richmond Park showed that the balloons would lift the aprons to a great height without huddling together. ONE ACCIDENT. Shortly afterwards a nasty accident during a further trial in Richmond Park nearly led to the abandonment of the scheme. An apron of-five baboons was sent aloft in a light wind, when three balloons broke adrift, one carrying two men with it. One man released hia hold, and, falling from about I,oooft, was smashed to pieces in Richmond Park. The other, who tried -bo climb into the rigging of the balloon, fell from an immense height on, the way to the coast. The balloons were afterwards shot down by a Dover battery. Officers and men, however, wore very quick in learning the business, and the aprons soon began to appear round the East End of London. A depot in Eppine Forest trained and supplied the men, and the Apron Balloon Wing was soon organised and divided into squadrons, the squadrons being subdivided into aprons. They were a complete success. Their main duty wa-s to keep iho Hun at a contain height, in order that our night-flying aeroplane patrols should only have to watch the sky above that height. Incidentally, they prevented low , and accurate bomb-diopping” on London. The j Huns would not come down low over London, j knowing they would have to climb again, and therefore fly slowly, in order to get over the aprons on the way out. HUNS’ TERROR. The aprons wore an added terror, and with the powerful searchlights, guns, and patrols, kept some 75 per cent, or the raiding machines out of London. Our night lighting pilots at first did not like the aprons, but when they found the aprons gave them a better chance in meeting the Hun they became warm supporters of -the scheme. The examination of Gotha prisoners disclosed with what dread the aprons were held by the raiders. Returning after the raid of March 7-8, the senior officer reported to his commander that the number of balloon aprons , had so increased as to add immensely to their j difficulties. Any further increase or improvement, ha said, would make a, raid over London almost impossible. It is significant, and a warm tributq-i-o General Ashmore and the great system of defensive forces’under him, that, whereas all raiding on London was stopped on Whitsunday night, Paris was afterwards raided no fewer than 16 times—< and this in spite of the fact that the British Independent Air Force were doing the bulk of the big raiding on German towns.