A pilot noticed a balloon which seemed to be making for a Royal Air Force
Station nearby. He informed the station at once, but no one there was able to
explain the mystery. The officer in the control tower was very angry when he
heard the news, because balloons can be a great danger to aircraft. He said
that someone might be spying on the station and the pilot was ordered to keep
track of the strange object. The pilot managed to circle the balloon for some
time. He could make out three men in a basket under it and one of them was
holding a pair of binoculars. When the balloon was over the station, the pilot
saw one of the men taking photographs. Soon afterwards, the balloon began to
descend and it landed near an airfield. The police were called in, but they
could not arrest anyone, for the basket contained two Members of Parliament
and the Commanding Officer of the station! As the Commanding Officer explained
later, one half of the station did not know what the other half was doing!&