1998 BUFORA Summer News

8 Pages·1998·2.2 MB·English

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EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
suddenly become hot news.
In BIIFORA BIII I,ETIN This year seems to be EDITORIAL................................. l
number 2, John Spencer somewhat different. The press
TRUST NOBODY!......................2
presented tbe Council's view are still carrying sto es about
on the way forward for UFOS but the silly season is IN'I'ESTIGATIONS
BUFORA. In that he said much quieter than usual. DEPARTMENT NOTES.............. 3
BUFORA should get out a
If sHoRT ITEMS............................3
publication every six weeks. And this summer we see the
you divide sili into 52 (tlre release of the X-Files film.
BOB',S NEW JOB.........................,1
number of weeks in the year) You wouid have thought that
you get an answer of eight with would have increased the call MOD FIGURES............................4
four weeks left over! fo. UFO and paranonnal
stories. Over recent years BARLEY BELIIEVABLE!..........5
The Council intends to issue joumalists have tried to cash in wHATS ON..................................6
eight editions of the new series on interest in the X-Files.
BUFORA Bulletin each year. How many times have we seen EARLY UFO REPORTS.............7
The Summer Newsletter is stories where the investigator
designed to be a ninth has been described as the local BUFORA L8CTURES................. 8
communication
from answer to Mulder or Scully. Published by The British UFO
BI.IFORA and cover the odd Better still if the journalist Research Association (BUFORA Lld).
four weeks. could find a case investigated BUFORA is limiled by euaranlec.
by a male and a female Registered office l6 Sourhlva).
The summer period is usually investigator as they can have Burgess Hill, Sussex, RH15 9ST.
Registered in landon 01234924.
silly season for the newspapers both Scully and Mulder.
and the other media. During Views expressed in submi@d
this period with most of our still, if rhe X-Files bubble has conFibutions do nol represent the
politicians on holiday, the finally burst perhaps we can views or policies of BUFORA or lhe
media need to find get back to serious research Editor, except where specifically
identified as such. BUFORA Summer
somebodyelse to make fun of, and investigation. Maybe the Newsletter is copyright BUFORA
and UFologists are often end of the silly season this year 1998 and Inay not be duplicated
p me candidates. All the will be the end of this silly without express wr'tten consent of the
slo es that people have tried nonsense. publisher.
for months to get published
the scene it is supposed to Kingdom govemment is any
TRUST NOBODY! show. Ho.,v many times have better. One of the major
you heard some dis-believer pieces of evidence lor the
Jim Smith say thal this or that UFO Rendlesham Forest incident is
photograph must be a fake and a memo written by US Air
see the hoaxers didnt even get Force officer Colonel Charles
"Trust Nobody" is frequently the lighting right? Haut. This was obtained by
the advice given to people who investigators from the US Air
watch the TV programme "The There are wider implications Forcet copy- The MOD
X Files". I know that the X of this. What do we know seemed to deny knowing
Files is just fiction but maybe about any events in the world? anything about this case.
it is good advice anyway. About most events what we
know is what we read in the The MOD say they only
About a year ago David PercY newspapers or hear on radio or investigate UFO reports for
stirred up a great deal of TV. But what is the source of defence implications. And
with an
confioversy article much of this information? The they imply that they have never
published in Fortean Times source of this information is found any with defence
which questioned weather the the very same buthorities' that implications. In that case why
Americans had actually gone are often accused of covering do they not make the reports
to the Moon. I think the up UFO incidents. they have available to civilian
balance of probabilities is that UFO groups?
the Apollo Moon landings did I do not normally subsc be to
take place and that Percy's conspiracy theories as the only In October 1996 there were
basic hypothesis is wrong, but evidence there is for most of many repofis of sttange fast
either intentionally or bY them is the absence of moving lights seen over East
accidenL he does raise a evidence. But the above starts Anglia and moving up the east
number of interesting you wondering if there is some coast- Some of the press
questions. truth behind some of these rcports flientiored that ihe
theories after all. objects might have been
The points that Percy raises tracked on radar. A few days
about the Moon landings are The US Air Force gave later the MOD came back with
morc or less the same points explanations for many LIFO the explanation that the lights
that the disbelievers raise when reports from the 1950s and had been meteorc and the radar
talking about LIFOS. The first 1960s that were plainly stupid image had been of a church
point to raise is that we only and bore no resemblance to tower at Boston. A church
have the word of the astronauts what had been lepofied. Iast tower that moves at several
and the US Government that year the CIA published a hurdred miles per hour and
the landings took place. repon saying that many of meteors that change and
Where are their independent these UFO reports with stupid reveNe direction? Yet most
witnesses? Unless, of course, explanations were actually people will accept the official
there were any real aliens early test flights of US spy explanation.
present. planes. If they were telling lies
then, and managed to cover That is just one case where the
Percyt main evidence is that them up for forty years, how govemment has been found
there are what he believes to do we know that we aje being out. How many other cases are
be Taults'or inaccuracies in the told the tluth now? there where they have got
moon landing Photogmphs away with it? There have been
The best way to summarise So far the incidents I have several reports over the years
this is that he thinks in a quoted have all been in the where people say that a UFO
of
number photographs the United States, but it would be has crashed. Any time some
lighting is not consistent with wrong to think that the United investigator has asked the
MOD about these cases they SHORT ITEMS
have denied knowing anything INVESTIGATIONS
it.
about So who is mistaken, DEPARTMENT NOTES WATCH TIIIS SPACE
the witnesses on the ground or
the men from the ministry? NATIONAL On the night before the iast
The men from the ministry IN\tsSTIGATIONS two BUFORA Council
who said they knew nothing COMMITTEE MEETING Meetings in June and July the
about the Rendlesham Forest UK has witnessed spectacular
case and who think church Saturday 10th October 1998 Bolides. These have both
towe$ move at 250 plus miles Time 2pm - 6pm generated a number of UFO
per hour? Venue : repofts. The next Council
University of westminster, meeting will be on l2'h
The real fiouble has come 35 Marylebone Road, September - will there be
I
hecause now hwahvea cto me to London NWI 5LS another Bolide on the 1 lrh?
disbelieve the
government tells me about Please infom me if you are I{OVERING OBJECTS
UFOS I have also staned to able to attend and I look
question everything else that forward to seeing as many On Sunday, July 12, 1998. at
as
the govenment tells me. How investigators possible. 7:10 p.m., a man driving on
many times have you seen on There are several items on the the ,{505 approaching its
the news that this road or that Agenda for discussion at this junction with the Al0
at
road is closed because of stage, but should any Royston, Hertfordshire
flooding or an arca is cotdoned investigator feel there is reported "eight to ten UFOS'
off because a light aircraft has anything they would like as an hovering over a field. He saw
crashed. We only have their additional item please feel free these objects, which appeared
word for it, how do we know to contact me- to be hovering over the peak of
they are not 'up to something'? Gloria Dixon a hill, for about 2 minutes.
Director of Investigation
And when NASA says that This is close to the Harston
they have taken new The Postal Training Course
photographs of the Face on (PTC) is compulsory for area where a number of strange
lights have been reported over
Mars that show that it is just a members requesting to become a numbea of Yea$. These
group of rocks - well we only an investigator for BUFORA. reports are pan of an on-going
have their word for it! All enquiries pertaining to the study by the Cambridge UFO
Postal T.aining Course should
Group.
be addressed to
Thanks to Roy Hale of
David Pointon, ELUFON who posted lhe
UFO Books 5 Chapel Street, original story to
UFO
Mount Pleasant,
or UPDATES
Magazines Mow Cop,
required Stoke.on-Trent, WELL WISIIES
Staffs., ST7 4NP
Former Council member Sue
Best Prices Paid (No personal visits)
Mantle has been suffering
from poor health recently. We
M Hudson Phone [phone]
send her get well wishes and
P0 Box 471 email:
hope for a speedy recovery.
Canterbury
[email protected]
CT3 IGU
The wide ranging subject The cufient edition (Numbet
Bob's new iob..... matter of Quest magazine 1l) is available from Lionel
includes UFOs but embraces Beer at Spacelink Books, ll5
Ancient civilisations, lost Hollybush lrne, Hampton,
BUFORA Treasurer Bob knowledge and all the stuff of Middlesex, TW12 2QY for f3
Digby has been appointed to Indiana Jones Films. Bob says including post and packing.
the Editors job at that he is keen to expand the
Quest
Magazine. The magazine is
published by Top Events and
MOD FIGURES
Publications Ltd., based in
Chester. Clearly ali the
training he received whilst Our friends at the MOD
working on various BUFORA produce figr-rres of the number
publications has paid off. of UFO reports they deal with
each year.
Quest was originally known as
Amateur Astronomy and Earth For 1996 they received 609
Sciences. wllen the magazine reports, in 1997 reports fell to
started it carried a UFO page 425. Latest indications are that
written by James Hockney who so far this year the number of
was a member of my local reports is down further.
group in Cambridge. It
regularly carried plugs for However, if you look at the
CUFOG and for BUFORA (I scope of material that the figures they have published in
hope this something the new magazine covefs. For rhe pasr - rhroughout the 1980s
editor won't want to change!). example, the cufient edition and early 1990s they received
caFies items on Astrology, about 250 to 300 repons per
A new Editorial office has Remote Viewing, Ecology, year. So last year's figure of
been set up in Beaconsfield Spaceflight and Pre Columbus 425 is still substantially up on
and this is where potentjal history to name a few- the figures in the previous
contributors would send their decade-
material. Bob says he cannot believe he
gets paid for doing what he This downward trend io
The new Quest Editorial likes. But what happens if the reporls rcceived by the MOD
address will apply from the publisher cannot believe he has may be due to the general fall
I 2th August 1998:- to pay Bob ? (He could have off in interest in the
had a job here at BUFORA paranormal that has also seen
Quesr Editorial Office, Newsletter where he definitely many of the popular LIFO
P.O. Box 633, wouldn't be embarrassed by magazines disappear from
REACONSFIELD. being paid) newsagents shelves.
HP9 2GL
There is also a new deputy On the other hand perhaps
However, Bob commented that editor - BUFORA Vice- both investigators and the
in the modem age of President Lionel Beer ! The public have woken up to the
communications he expects cufent issue also contains fact that all you get out of the
most of his coFesPondence to material from both Richard MOD is 'we only investigate
be done via e-mail which Conway and Steve Gamble - for defence implications and
makes things very much more so it looks like Bufora is taking the nature of our enquiries is
quick and efficient. over, such that we cannot tell you
the outcome.
The length of the 'train' was French windows, when he sees
estimated at about 100 feet. 4 three close-set rows of bright
BARLEY The 'windows' were regularly white lights come in quickly
BELIEVABLE! spaced and weae comparatively from the right, which stop
large, taking up most of the suddenly above and beyond
height of the 'carriage'. It some trees at the bottom of the
Robert Bull
moved slowly, seemingly at garden.
about 30 mph.
He awakens his wife, and they
(The village of Harston is on The duration of the sighting both move to the French
A10 just south of Cambridge.
was about one minute. The windows. The lights, which
Over a number of yea$ there
Bradfords had pulled over and now seem to incorporate six or
have been many UFO reports
had got out of their car to get so red ones, hover motionless,
ftom the area. Further south an unintefiupted view. Two partially hidden by the trees,
along the A10 lies Royston,
or three cars passed at speed, which are being lashed by a
site of another recent rcport
seemingly without noticing or strong wind.
in
mentioned elsewhere this
caring about what was in view.
issue. Almost due south of
After about a minute the ljghts
Harston and east of Royston is The investigator's, Norman get smaller and smaller,
the small village of Barley. Oliver, written report of this moving directly away, but
Baa rlecy ohuasp bleee no tfh e location of sighting puts the Bradfords without changing height, and
interesting 'about a mile beyond Flint are soon lost to sight. No
;ncidents. Are they related to Cross' whici would put the sound is heard.
the UFO activity
around
object as passing along the
Harston? RRoIbCen Bull, path of the Icknield way The lights move of in the
BIIFORA for historic road IIFOS and direction of three tall radio
Cambridgeshire examines ancient sites? Spooky! masts, situated on high ground
these cases.) (Further examination of the near nearby Barkway. This is
I original report, and Michael RAF Barkway, the base of the
October 1979. Michael
Bradford's own OS map grid 10'h Communications
Bradford, landlord of the old reference, puts the sighting Squadron. Spooky! This case
English Gentleman public ahout a mile further to the is still under investigation.
house at Ha6ton, and his wife south of this feature though,
Gwen, are driving down the almost exactly on
the EDITORS NOTES:
B i368 from Flint Cross south
Cambridgeshire/ Henfordshire This article originally appeared
to Barley, Hertfordshire. It is in the CUFOG
border.) News,
about 8:15 pm. newsletter of the Cambridge
Michael Bradford went on to UFO Group.
About Ya mile ahead and become one of the principal
slightly to the dghl they see witnesses to a spectacular John Ryder of CUFOG has
what appea$ to be a two-coach series of UFO events a few found some evidence which
train - but no railway is (or
miles to the north in and near suggests that at least sorne of
ever has been) in the area. The Harston, jater the same year. the incidents in the area could
'train' passed in front of them
be caused by mirages- This
as though crossing a bridge 9 October 1997, l8 years later, theory is being further
over the road. It continued on almost to the day. Mrs D's researched
for a while, then was lost to husband is having a restless
view as if it had passed behind Mr
night at thei! cottage in Barley. Unfortunately Bradford
an embankment- There \\as no It is about 5 am. He lies died several years ago, before
sound-
awake, looking out at the stars the present study began.
through their cufiainless
WHATS ON
A brief look at some forrhcomrng evenls.
September
Saturday 5th 2pm I-ondon
BUFORA, please see back page for details.
September 8pm
Friday I lth Cambridge
Cambridge UFO Group, Family Room, Unicom Public House, Church Lane, Trumpington, Cambridge
"Close Encounter Postscript"
Admission !2
September l:30pm
Saturday 19th Northampton
Nofthampton UFO Research Centre, Friends Meeting House, Wellington Street, Northampton
"Fishing For UFOs" Robin Lindsey discusses recent repofts of rod shaped UFOS from New Mexico
Admission !1-50
September
Sat/Sun l9th/20th Various locations
Skywatch, see Bulletin 5 for details
October 2p
Saturday 3rd London
BUFORA, please see back page for details.
October 8p-
Friday 9th Cambridge
Cambridge UFO Groupjoint meeting with BUFORA (details as CTIFOG above)
Speaker : John Spencer
October 1r30pm
Saturday lTth Northampton
Northampton UFO Research Centre (details as above)
:
Speaker tba
October
Saturday 31st Liverpool
Merseyside UFO and Paranormal Conference
For details contact: MARA, 52 Hawthor.e Avenue, Halewood, Live.pool, L26 9XD.
November zpm
Saturday 7th London
BUFORA, please see back page for details.
November 8pn
Friday 13th Camb dge
Cambridge UFO Group ( details as above)
Research Evening including look at Rod Shaped UFOS.
November
Satsun 14th/15th Blackpool
"Saucers, Secrets & Superpowe$" conference
For details contact: LAPIS, l5 Knaresborough Avenue, Blackpool, Lancs. FY3 9QW
November
Saturday 21st l:30pm Northampton
Northampton UFO Research Centre (as above)
AGM and Members Reports
Denizens of Another World" the anchor. The villagers
(David and Charles). This was attempted to capture the man.
Early UFO Reports supposedly based upon a but the bishop forbade this and
manuscript written by William the man escaped back up the
Steve Gamble Robert l-oosley and describes rope.
his penonal
expe ences.
Date:
BUFORA has been conducting l,oosley supposedly lived near 1254 January I
a project to collect pre-1895 Wycombe between 1838 and Location: St Albans
UFO reports. 1893 and had a couple of UFO Monks saw a 'kind of large
expedences. Later it was ship, elegantly shaped. and
If we look at current reports, revealed that the whole thing well equipped and of
around 4070 of all IIFO repofts was a work of fiction by marvellous colour'.
are explained with varying Langford.
degrees of certainty as being Date: l29O
aircraft. Add to that the small I have taken 1895. when the Location:Byland Abbey,
percentages of reports that are age of the great airships began, Yorkshire
man made satellites, rockets as being the cut-off point. Monks recorded that a large
and balloons and we soon find Some authors hold that a silver disk flew slowlv over
that half of all UFO reports number of events described in them.
turn out to be man-made the Bible would nowadays be
rubbish. And that is before recorded as UFO incidents. I Date: l32O
things such as lights on have tried to avoid using Location: Durham
transmitter aerials and car religious texts, apart from the After the abbot of Durham
lights are included. potential for conffoversy, many Abbey died and was buried, a
of these have
been strange light was seen to
lf we look at earlier eras most reinterprcted over the years. descend from the sky and
oi
these man made sources move about over his grave.
js
will be eliminated and a purer The project on-going
sample of UFO phenomena Before closing lets look at Date: 1520
will be obtained- However one some of these earlier cases. focation: Erfurt, Prussia
of the drawbacks at looking at Two buming suns were
Date:
older reports is that often they 120'7 observed. The repon saYs that
contain less information than Location: Tilbu.y a great buming beam then
more modern cases. As John Gervase of Tilbury writes iz landed, took off again and then
in
Spencer states The UFO Otio Imperialia about an aerial became circular in shape.
Enq,clopaedia (tefenlng to the ship which caughi its anchor
Ampleforth manuscript, which on a pile of stones. An Date: 1561 ApriJ 14
contains the Byland Abbey occupant came down from the f,ocation: Nuremberg.
rePort) '...the apparent nature ship and managed to free it, Germany
of the event at a time however he was asphyxiated A number of cyJindricai
considerably before man- by the atmosphe.e. The objects were seen in the early
powered flight, these reports similarity to the Cloera story moming sky. Red, orange,
must be regarded as thought from 1211 is striking. black and blue-white spheres
provoking, to say the least'. and disks emerged from these
Date: l2l1
cylindels.
Of course, even amongst these Location: Cloera. Ireland
older cases there are mistakes Strange object in the sky Date: 1566 August 7
and hoaxes. Science fiction dropped an anchor which Location: Basel, Switzerland
author David Langford in 1979 caught on a church roof. Many black spheres were seen
wrote a book called "An Witnesses desc be a man moving th.ough the sky at
Account of a Meeting With descending the rope to cut frce great speed at around sunrise.
A witness saw a Iong bright
Date:
1619 object flying along a lake.
Location: Fluelan-
Switzerland
BUFORA LECTURES
Meetings are held at the University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, lnndon NWl 5IJ starting
at 2pm and lasting until approximately 5pm. There is a short break in the middle of the aftemoon.
Please address all enquiries to BUFORA at the address below.
Admission charge is t1-50 for BUFORA members, t3-50 for non-members.
SATURDAY 5th SEPTEMBER 1998
:
SPEAKER Philip Walton
TITLE :
Is Seeing Believing?
Philip is a member of the BUFORA Research team, a former BUFORA Council member and head of
research for ASSAP. Any scientific study, be it of UFOS or any other subject, relies upon having
access to reliable data. Philip has caried out extensive studies in methods to obtain reliable data of
UFO and other paranormal events. He will share some of the results of his recent studies.
SATURDAY 3rd OCTOBER 1998
SPEAKER: Tony Eccles
TIILE :
Merseyside UFOs
Tony is a BUFORA accredited investigator and a member of the BUFORA Council. He is also a
leading member of MARA- He will discuss some of the reports he has investigated on Merseyside.
SATURDAY 7th NOVEMBER 1998
SPEAKER: Bob Digby
TITLE :
to be advised
Bob Digby is a member of BUFORA's research team and a past Chairman of BUFORA. More
recently he has become editor of Quest magazine. He promises to open an Aladdin's Cave of strange
events.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst it is not anticipated that meetings will have to be changed or cancelled
without prior notice, BUFORA reserves the right to do so. In event of any change, BUFORA will give
as much notice as possible.
For information about other events, please see page 6.
Publishedby:
BUFORA, 16 Southwa!, Burgess Hill, Sussex, RH15 9ST