Use Merino Wool For Service Cloth

Northern Advocate, 16 June 1941, Page 8

Use Merino Wool For Service Cloth

The reference by the British Controller of Wool to experiments for the introduction of merino wool into service cloth has attracted much interest. The experiments concern the blending of merino and crossbred wools, and it is understood they have been fairly successful. Production in bulk is now being tried. Very little South African crossbred wool has yet reached Britain, and it is necessary to look for means of economising in crossbreds. It is not known whether the cloth produced from mixing is worsted or woollen fabric, but the former seems more likely. For Royal Air Force Crossbred wool was formerly used for service cloth, primarily because it makes a strong hard-wearing cloth, but the Yorkshire Observer expresses the opinion that there is no reason why certain members of the services, notably members of the Royal Air Force, should not be clad in suits which might not be as tough as the all-cross-bred kind. . Another reason for the experiments may come from the desire on the part of the wool control to release more crossbred wool for export. It is possible the experiments will result in more wool being available also for the home trade.

Air Losses. —An Air Ministry communique reports that seven British aircraft are missing from operations which include patrols and sweeps over the Ruhr, Northern France, including Brest, and the Channel. Five German aircraft were destroyed, and two more were seen to be on fire and giving out of control.