The tow ropes would be dropped in a designated area away from the LZ after the glider had cast off. Tugs like the Halifax, Stirling, Albermarle, Whitley, Wellington, Lancaster, York, Hastings and Valletta all had a simple mechanisim at the rear to which the tow was attached and released as required by the pilot. The Majority of Dakotas were the same but a few were fitted with snatch gear which comprised a hook (rather like a long arrestor hook) and a winch. The aircarft flew at low altitude past the glider on the ground and caught the glider's tow line which was suspended from two poles. The winch had a slipping clutch (think fishing reel) that allowed the cable to pay out instead of snapping as the glider accelerated up to flying speed. Once everything had settled dwn the excess cable was winched back in so that the glidert the normal distance (300ft) from the tug.
The tug and glider tow points were manufactured by R Malcolm Ltd Slough who's other contributions to WW2 included the bubble canopy on the early Mustangs and the fuselage and tailfeathers for the Haffner Rotabuggy flying Jeep.
