§ 102. Sir J. Mellorasked the Secretary of State for Air what has been the result of his investigations into the physical and chemical properties of the numerous blocks of ice discovered on 9th November upon Exmoor and of a block falling upon a building at Wandsworth on 24th November; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. A. HendersonThe blocks of ice which fell on Exmoor on 9th November were not preserved and there was no opportunity for examination by experts. Part of the block which fell at Wandsworth was examined on the following day at Putney police station by an officer from the Meteorological Office. His conclusion was that the block was not hail, and its shape and texture suggested that it had probably been formed against a smooth and relatively flat object. The meteorological conditions prevailing at the times of both the Exmoor and Wandsworth incidents were not such that hail could have been formed, and in these circumstances it is possible that the ice in question came from an aircraft. Investigations are continuing on this aspect.