SPI News.
W ell here we are again, another New Year, and another year of hopeful expectations in regards to some evidence being presented which may open up and clarify those mysteries which you and I are keenly interested in. Will 1999 be the year in which 'something big' might happen ? Who knows. We always hope that with each New Year, some new discoveries may be made which will hopefully open the door even more to the mysteries which abound. Of course this is the year in which that famous seer Nostradamus predicted that the world may end, when he wrote in one Quatrain, that "in the 7th month of the year 1999, a great fire will fall from the sky and consume the world." So if you're planning any summer holidays this year, then you'd better choose June rather than July !!! I guess like all other Doomsday predictions, this one too will fall flat. I certainly hope so, because I want to be here to see Hibernian Football Club win the Scottish First Division. So on that light- hearted note, let's see what's been happening with SPI ENGLAND of late.
O n January 15th, I was kindly invited by UFOlogist Michael Joyce of the Essex UFO Group, to lecture to his society at the Friends Quaker Meeting House in Colchester, (Britain's oldest recorded town). A fair-sized turn-out came to hear all about some of Scotland's most famous UFO incidents and also some new Scottish cases that I have never publicly spoken about before. The lecture went well and a number of people kindly thanked me for my presentation. I was most surprised to learn that there were many people in the audience that night who had never heard of Scotland's famous A70 UFO abduction case, which for me was a bonus as I was educating them on the facts of that case and informing them to be open-minded about these types of events, but not to believe all they read or hear, and that they should seek answers themselves, question everything, and ultimately only believe what they feel is right to them. For without questioning these events, they wouldn't reach any answers or opinions themselves. After the lecture, members of Michael's group and I, (with my partner Judith Jaafar) headed off to a local hostelry for a drink and a chat about the developing UFO mystery. It's always nice to meet up with like-minded individuals and hear their own tales of witnessing the UFO phenomenon at close hand, and I heard a few witness accounts that night. The drive home back from Colchester to London was done in horrendous driving conditions with heavy rain and strong winds. However we did arrive safely back home in London where a welcome cup of tea was enjoyed.
My next lecture is to sixth formers at Brighton College in February, a lecture which I am really looking forward to doing, for no doubt there will be much debate with these students at question time, and this of course is an entirely new audience, and one which will either be interested in what I have to say, or will give me a hard time (!!!). Nonetheless, it is always a pleasure to reach young and enquiring minds and I hope that my talk will give them something to think about above their normal school curriculum. ! More on this talk in our next SPI Bulletin.
I have been an active member of BUFORA, (The British UFO Research Association) for many years now, (although I did resign my membership earlier this year due to BUFORA's stance on hypnosis - they feel that it should not be used on UFO abduction witnesses). However, I was approached by two BUFORA Council members and asked if I would like to 'come on board' and assist with the running of BUFORA, and essentially assist with Council Business. I was also asked by one Council member to consider being BUFORA's new lecture organiser. After due thought and much consideration, I accepted both offers, if that was acceptable, by vote, by the other BUFORA Council members themselves. I am pleased to say that that vote was in my favour on both counts and I am now back in the midst of British UFOlogy. Now, it's fair to say that there have been one or two people who are decidedly unhappy about me coming onto BUFORA council. "WHY?" Well it's due to the fact that I believed that hypnosis could be used on UFO abductees. Now, I would like to make very, very clear to the readers of this web site, and to those particular disgruntled individuals, my new position/feelings not only on being on BUFORA Council, but also my changing views on hypnosis.
1. As I have been accepted onto the BUFORA Council, I will abide by all the laws and regulations that this position holds. It would be inappropriate of me, to come onto Council and still hold and share my old beliefs. And so in this regard, I promise not to use hypnosis either on any BUFORA investigations that I do, or on any SPI ENGLAND investigations that I am involved in. And to ensure that this message gets over to the hard of understanding, I promise to give £1,000 to anyone who can prove that I have cheated on this promise. I have no intentions of ever using hypnosis on any individual either now, or in the future. BUFORA have taken me on Council in good faith, and I am not about to break their faith by contradicting myself on this matter. So let it be said again, I WILL NOT BE ADVOCATING HYPNOSIS AGAIN. THAT DOOR HAS NOW BEEN CLOSED.
2. I would also like to point out, that in general 'anyway' I've had a re-think about the whole issue of hypnosis, and I have come to see it the way that Kevin McClure does, and I am indebted to him for all the literature that he has sent me over the last year or so. There are problems with hypnosis, and I am now coming to terms with these problems and accepting the points that not only Kevin McClure raises, but also Andy Roberts, Mike Wooten and a number of others. I've always said that one must look at the other side of the fence, one must look at what others are saying about hypnosis, for if you don't then you are not doing yourself any favours, you are blinkered in your ideals, and you cannot be a researcher of any worth if you don't look and listen to what the 'others' have to say. I have come to view hypnosis differently now and I would like it to be made known of my change of heart on this position.
I am not coming onto BUFORA Council to make sweeping changes, and drastically change the way it operates. I will lend it my thoughts, my opinions, and I hope that we can work together in true spirit and harmony for the better of British UFOlogy. Some may see me as a controversial researcher, a researcher who was never out of the news, but it is my aim to hopefully put BUFORA back where it once was, and assist it to be the organisation that it deserves to be, an organisation that informs the public of the reality, and not the mythology of the UFO phenomenon. Some have suggested that it is my aim to also take on board the Director of Investigations position, a position that Gloria Dixon now holds but aims to relinquish this year. I must stress, this is not my intention, I do not wish to take over this position as I have enough on my plate already with the setting up of SPI ENGLAND. I have my own thoughts on the way I wish to assist BUFORA, and one must recognise the fact that any suggestions I put forward to Council must be voted upon. I alone can't make changes, those changes have to be made with a clear-cut vote by the other Council members.
One thing's for sure, it is my aim as BUFORA's Lecture Organiser to give a platform for young and upcoming UFOlogists, individuals who run their own UFO societies and who also have a voice. Let us not forget, that we too started off young, we too progressed throughout British UFOlogy, and these new, young, aspiring UFOlogists need to be heard. Are we to deny these UFOlogists a chance to present UFO cases from Lincoln, from Swansea, or from where ever, just because no-one has heard of them ? I think not. We would be missing out on an opportunity to hear interesting cases from other parts of the British Isles. This is a free country, everyone has the right to voice their own opinions, and it is my hope that BUFORA doesn't suppress opinion or dictate whom we might or might not have as a guest speaker. UFOlogy is for everyone, and if we start suppressing people because we don't know who they are, then we are not doing ourselves or British UFOlogy any favours. I would like to hear from any serious and dedicated UFO researcher 'out there', who would like to speak at BUFORA lectures. Please contact me either through the SPI HOT MAIL system on our web site, or contact me at my home address.
It is also my aim to try and bring top speakers to London for these BUFORA lectures, although it is fair to say that sadly the BUFORA bank balance may well dictate whom we can invite from overseas. In this day and age, people must be paid for their services and put up in respectable accommodation, and if we can ensure that we can get 'bums on seats', then the money secured from these BUFORA lectures will go towards attempting to bring top class speakers over to inform us of their latest UFO research.
Now, as I mentioned a moment ago, this is a free country, and everyone has the right to be heard. It is my hope that BUFORA doesn't turn down speakers such as Budd Hopkins, John Mack, and John Carpenter, just because they use hypnosis. The members of BUFORA have a right to hear what these researchers have to say, and this would be a sad society to turn down the services of these fine researchers. I will not tolerate suppression. Each and everyone of us has a right to hear and learn from others. We went to school to learn all about the world, not just solely about the British Isles. We went to school to learn about science, humanities and world events, not just the opinions of one individual. When a society starts telling its members, "you can't have him, you can't have her", then we are on a downwards spiral. I hope to bring speakers to BUFORA who will not only discuss hypnosis, (even although I now view this differently myself), but who will also discuss matters pertaining to other strange events which might have a bearing on the complexities of the UFO phenomenon.
All in all then, my coming on council is no big deal. I have my own views and opinions and I hope to inject my enthusiasm and dedication into a society which belongs at the forefront of British UFOlogy. Britain should have a strong research body, and with the help of Council and the BUFORA members themselves, we may encourage certain individuals of this country to come on board themselves, and be part of a growing number of people who desperately want to understand what is behind this fascinating UFO phenomenon.
(As of January 23rd 1999, I am officially on BUFORA Council and undertaking their London Lecture programme after May 1999.)
R eaders who regularly visit the SPI web site, will have no doubt have seen my comments on a major UFO case that occurred in Scotland back in September 1996, which I've termed the 'Fife Incident'. I won't go into all the details here again, suffice it to say, you may go back to the XXXX news where you will find the full report. I mentioned the fact that the witnesses 'might', (and I stress 'might'), have concocted the story as a joke, never foreseeing for one minute the immense consequences this joke might incur. But what would prompt that joke ? What would give them the impetus to create an elaborate hoax, (if hoax it was)? Well I would like to present a few facts here which might, or might not, as the case may be, be relevant to my deliberations on this matter. I could be entirely wrong, or I could be entirely correct, but without discussion and thought on the matter, (as is the case with most UFO incidents), we won't ever get to the truth.
In my last writings on this matter, I mentioned that the witnesses may have been aware of some of the UFO sightings that had appeared in the area and decided that they too wanted in on the action, (although admittedly they did not seek public notoriety on the issue). I was aware myself at that time of 'some' UFO sightings in that area, and local UFOlogist Sharron Coul had reliably informed me of some of them. However, it wasn't until fairly recently that I requested from Southampton UFOlogist Steve Gerrard some of his many press cuttings relating to UFO sightings from Scotland (more so from the Fife area), that I began to see that these press reports could provide the possible stimulus for the idea. I will now present some segments out of some of the local Fife newspapers which 'might' have given rise to and prompted the notion of a practical joke. Our first press report comes in fact from the Aberdeen Press & Journal Newspaper, although they had obtained this information from one of the Fife Newspapers. Remember the 'Fife Incident' occurred on the 23rd of September 1996.
A nother Fife man claims to have seen a UFO only days after a similar sighting was reported in Dundee and Glenrothes. Mark McRobbie (24) says he watched two identical triangular lights travel at an amazing speed across the sky a few weeks ago. "It was about 11pm and I was sitting at home watching T.V. with the curtains open when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye," said Mark. "There were two objects, one was over the primary school, and the other was over Clunie Woods. They both looked identical and had a white glow and made no sound. Visually they looked about 3 inches long but they were several miles away. I ran upstairs to get a better look and watched them hover for about 40 seconds. Then the one over the school darted across the sky without a sound, travelling what must have been miles in only a few seconds, and joined the other one over the woods. The last I saw of them was when they both disappeared down behind 'the trees'."
As we know from the 'Fife Incident', the witnesses claimed to have seen a large black triangular shaped object in the sky which moved very fast, plus the fact that many other strange incidents occurred in and around some woods near Newton Of Falkland in Fife.
I t's been a hot summer for tourists in Kirkcaldy this year. Initial indications suggest the 'Lang Toun' and its surrounding area proved to be a bigger tourist trap in 1996 than in previous years, and according to one worker at Kirkcaldy's Tourist Information Office, visitors reckon the area's attractions are simply "out of this world". "Some people asked where they could go to see the UFOs," said the assistant who discovered that the potential travellers had heard of recent news reports surrounding strange objects in the skies above Kirkcaldy, and she revealed, "We referred them to the Fife Free Press office and they called back to book accommodation".
The assistant explained that over a very busy summer, enquiries had come in from as far afield as Russia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
Again we can see from the above press report that UFOs were big news in the Kingdom of Fife during 1996, so much so, that news regarding them had spread far afield. It was the 'talk of the town' so to speak. Indeed, even before I became aware of the 'Fife Incident', I had investigated a very interesting UFO case which occurred near the town of Glenrothes in Fife in which 2 large,bright balls of light travelled swiftly towards and over the roof of a car in which 2 men were I driving late one evening. This culminated in strange tubular lights being witnessed by both these men above the grass verge at the road side.
O nly a day after reports of the Douglas area of Dundee being buzzed by a UFO, a man from Glenrothes came forward with his tale of a similar experience. Edward Preston was standing outside his house at around 9pm last Sunday. "I was watching the sky in the west trying to catch a glimpse of the planet Jupiter when I noticed it. The shape caught my attention first of all, a perfectly equilateral triangle. I've seen jets before and none of them are perfect triangles, the cockpit normally juts out, but this was like nothing that I've ever seen before. It wasn't matt grey, because I could make out the texture on the bottom with my binoculars. The aircraft, or whatever it was, moved from the west to the east over my house, the sighting only lasting about 8 to 10 seconds because I called my wife when it first came into view, but by the time she had got outside it was disappearing in the distance"
"Because I don't know the size of the craft I can only guess, but it would appear to have been flying at about 1000 feet. This was one of the things that struck me as strange, especially as the craft did not make a sound. It was not a case of seeing strange lights because there were no lights to be seen on the craft, the only reason I spotted it at all, was because it was a beautifully clear night and the moon was shining right on it." A spokesman from RAF Leuchars said today that they had no aircraft over Glenrothes at that time on Sunday night. This sighting was reported only a day after lights spotted over Douglas, and only a month after a strange light was reported in the sky over Arbroath, and follows numerous unexplained sightings of lights over Tayside and Fife earlier in the year.
So, dear reader, were these UFO press reports (and others), the stimulus which gave the idea to the witnesses in the 'Fife Incident' to concoct a story ?? Well like I've said before, I guess we'll never really know for sure as the witnesses have refused to become any further involved with their case. Admittedly, and I must say it again, they did not seek publicity, but their story leaked out and eventually found its way to me. Of course we can look at it another way here. The above press reports (and others) may only serve to confirm the witnesses' claims of UFO activity in their area, and so 'enhances' their claim that what in fact they saw, other people were seeing as well. Let us not forget this fact.
At the end of the day, as a researcher, I must present all the facts, no matter how uncomfortable those facts may be. I must see fit to present all and any facts of a case to you, the enquiring individual, and not present only those facts which would benefit and fuel your enquiring mind. I come in for a lot of stick in regards to my own thoughts and writings on UFOlogy, but I only do it for the betterment of the subject. We have to look at all UFO cases from ALL angles, and not the angles that may suit our own needs and desires. The 'Fife Incident' then is a case in which we must leave the back door open in regards to other ideas and opinions. Is it a hoax ?? At the moment the jury is out. I ask you to weigh up all those options and question things yourself, for without an open and enquiring mind we may never uncover what is behind this elusive phenomenon.
(My thanks to Steve Gerrard for sending on those Scottish UFO press reports).
B ack in December, Judith Jaafar and I headed off to see UFOlogist Richard Conway at his home in Suffolk. Whilst there, we met up with members of the Essex UFO group in a local pub, where we heard some incredible tales from some of these members in regards to what they had seen and experienced on their skywatches in Rendlesham Forest. As seasoned UFOlogists will know, the Rendlesham Forest case is now infamous in British UFO lore, as one of the most puzzling UFO incidents. A number of books have been written about the events of 1980, one of which, Left At East Gate written by Larry Warren and Peter Robbins, graphically illustrates the events. Did a UFO crash land in this forest back in December 1980, or was it a secret spy satellite that crashed and a UFO cover story used to protect what it actually was ?? The Rendlesham case is still the subject of much controversy and debate, but one thing's for sure, the events did not stop after 1980. Strange lights in the sky are still being seen above the forest, and there are many people who will openly discuss what they saw. For now though, I'd like to discuss what I was told by some members of the Essex UFO society before I begin to discuss the skywatch in the forest that both Judy and I took part in.
F irstly I must stress that these people are active members of the Essex UFO group, they are not 'arm-chair UFOlogists.' They believe in getting right in the thick of things, and visiting locations where UFO activity has been recorded, and as such, they have visited Rendlesham Forest on many occasions and had the good fortune to experience some weird and wonderful events of which the following are just some.
We were told of numerous strange balls of amber light which would flit around the tops of the trees. These lights would also move and twist in and around the tops of the trees then move up into the sky and be gone in seconds.
On one particular night, some strange-looking jellyfish-shaped "things" were seen to drape themselves over the tops of the trees. They were fluid and sinuous in their movements and seemed to be made entirely of light. They had wings which rippled and curled, for all the world like giant manta rays. No heads or facial features were visible, and they left the scene by undulating and curling the tips of their wings and gently gliding skywards before vanishing in the night sky. The only things that the witnesses (and there were several) could liken these strange manifestations to were the transparent, light-filled creatures from the film, "The Abyss."
We were also told by one member that Ron West, who ran the Essex UFO group, and who has since sadly passed away, was one evening with members of his group in the woods and stated that he could see 'things/shapes' in the trees. Suddenly he collapsed and lay prone on the ground and could not speak. It was if he was in a coma. When eventually he did recover, he mentioned seeing some strange 'things' in the tops of the trees, 'things' that he was extremely terrified off.
During one nocturnal visit to the forest, the intrepid researchers encountered an amber-coloured triangular shape with a red pulsating light on top. It gave the impression of being a structured craft, flitted through the trees just above ground level, and showed amazing manoeuvrability. Those of you who have read any books on the Woodbridge/Bentwaters incident will find this description somewhat familiar.
We were also told that one evening a few years ago, two members of Ron's group were leaving the area in their car, just at the end of the Woodbridge runway (near East Gate), when they both saw out of the car's front windscreen, a giant insect-like creature dart across the road. They said that it had long arms and legs and a spindly body and moved in a very peculiar and unnatural way. It was quickly lost in the darkened forest, and although they stopped to look for it, they never saw it again.
These are but some of the many fascinating tales we were told that evening just prior to our own skywatch, and served to fuel our enthusiasm even more for visiting Rendlesham Forest. For me, this was to be my first visit to the forest, but Judith had already visited the forest on a number of other occasions, some with Larry Warren, who was one of the main players in the events of that December night, (see Left At East Gate). Thankfully the night was dry, but very windy, as around 8 of us piled into our cars and sped off in the direction of the forest. We arrived a short time later and parked at the end of the Woodbridge runway (near East Gate). The sky was beautiful, and a myriad of stars filled the heavens. The wind however, had picked up even more, to such a degree that it was cutting into our ears. Thankfully the members of the Essex UFO group had appropriate clothing - some had Army camouflage gear which included balaclava masks and head gear and it all looked very professional if not somewhat SAS in appearance (!!). I quickly donned a protective balaclava mask and marveled at how warm and cozy it was as it kept out the by now biting wind. A strange whistling sound could be heard coming from the many lights which were placed at the end of the Woodbridge runway as the wind whipped through them. At the time of the initial Rendlesham Incident, these runway lights were on wooden posts, but were destroyed as the alleged UFO crashed into them shearing them off at the top.
Soon we were all geared up and kitted out in protective clothing and made our way by flashlight into the heart of the Forest. The forest has changed over the years due partly to a severe storm in 1987 and also some tree felling during the course of the intervening years. The mood was eerie, and the feeling as we walked carefully along the forest path towards the scene of the alleged incident had to be felt to be believed, it really was something else. For my own part, I was constantly gazing skywards in hopes of seeing something strange, but all this served to do was to make me constantly lose my footing and bump into tree stumps and grass verges. My eyes were on the skies, and not where I was going. Soon we were at the actual scene of the incident, but being dark, it was very hard to pick out any features. However I knew that I would be back the following day in the daylight, so at least I would see it in its true glory then. Some minutes later and we all headed back into the heart of Rendelsham Forest where we weaved our way along one of the many tracks that lead you into and away from the Forest. We stopped at one point where allegedly Penniston and Burroughs, two American Air Force personnel who were also part of the witnesses to the actual UFO incident of 1980, had allegedly hidden. They had been terrified of what they had seen, and had taken refuge for several hours at this location. I wondered to myself what sight had scared them so much that they had to run away and hide themselves at this point in the forest.
It was also at this point, that my partner Judith Jaafar felt most peculiar, and stated that she felt that she had to leave this area, that it just didn't feel right. For Judith this was something strange, for she rarely experiences this type of feeling, but what she felt there was unpleasant and we quickly left the area. We were later told that this particular spot was the grave of several fliers who had been shot down during W.W.II, and that the copse of birch trees in which we stood had been planted as a mark of respect, and to mark the spot. Some few hundred yards further along, we were shown where some Satanists had allegedly conducted a ceremony, (for what purposes we don't know). But members of the Essex group had found a pentagram on the ground and evidence of a small fire nearby, along with some feathers and animal bones. With each and every step I took I surveyed the scene around me, the denseness of the forest was overwhelming. Suddenly, one of the members of the group called out that he had seen a white light in the woods, and that there were no roads or tracks at that particular location. I gazed in the direction of his pointed finger, and sure enough a white light was bobbing around in the woods. For some strange reason I didn't think too much of it, and expected it to be someone else out walking or perhaps a light in the distance. Incredibly we all moved on, not thinking too much of it, it's only now that I think back in regards to this light and how we should at the very least have moved towards it just to check it out. Some minutes later, Judith and some other members of the group claimed to have seen a burst of white light suddenly appear from behind them. I, however, was looking in a different direction and so therefore missed it (typical !!).
The only other things we saw that night were many shooting stars, hundreds of them (and that is no understatement !!). The sky was full of them. Some burned up gloriously in the night sky as they fell earthwards. We visited East Gate itself, where I pondered on the 1980 December night's activity and wished how I could have been there that evening. All in all then, our visit to Rendlesham Forest had been productive, and had given me the chance to visit one of Britain's most infamous UFO locations. We might not have seen anything strange, but it served to leave a lasting impression on my mind. The following day, Judith and I, accompanied by Richard Conway, once more visited the woods, where this time we walked on the actual landing site at Capel Green where I took numerous cam corder clips of the area. This is what UFOlogy is all about, getting out there and visiting these places. I never have been an 'armchair UFOlogist', never will be, and if you the reader ever get the chance to visit Rendlesham Forest, then please take it, it certainly is a moving and thought provoking experience.
I am pleased to announce that SPI ENGLAND membership forms are now available, and you can now join our society. Please send a S.A.E. to;
Malcolm Robinson at
41 Castlebar Road,
Ealing, London,
England, W5 2DJ.
Membership is for one year and costs £10:00, this can either be a postal order or cheque.
Please don't send cash through the post as this has a nasty habit of getting inadvertently lost !!
Becoming a member of SPI ENGLAND entitles you to;
(a) Half price entry into all SPI Meetings and Lectures.
(b) A copy of the monthly SPI Internet News.
(c) Notice of any SPI skywatches and events.
(d) Your own SPI ENGLAND membership card.
(e) Access to the SPI book and video library, {copy of the list sent to you on request}
(f) An SPI ENGLAND membership certificate.
(g) Our SPI ENGLAND Mission Statement.
I look forward to hearing from anyone wishing to become a member of SPI ENGLAND.
We are also on the look out for regional researchers to assist with UFO & paranormal investigation.
If you would like to be considered for such a post, then please notify
Malcolm Robinson at the afore-mentioned address.
T he infamous 'Tent Footage' (not the Roswell Alien Autopsy Footage) which allegedly shows an alien body from the Roswell UFO Crash of 1947 and which was bandied about as genuine by some, has now been labeled a total and utter hoax. The newspaper the 'Mail On Sunday', ran a two page spread on Sunday January 17th written by Nick Fielding detailing the fact that two men, Keith Bateman and Andy Price Watts whose company A&K Music is based in Milton Keynes England, hoaxed this video as a prank just to see how far it would go. They were both staggered by the response of the public when their video eventually leaked out. They filmed it in a barn and used Andy Price Watt's 12 year old son as the alien, on top of whose head they placed a carefully altered wig-maker's dummy. They used a Sony video camera on a tripod and kept jogging it to give the impression that it was being hand-held.The film, shot in colour, was edited down to six minutes then processed to black and white. Animators in a studio drew scratch lines on a computer and overlaid it onto the film giving the impression of age. They transferred it a few times from one system to another making it as grainy as possible.
They took the film to Ray Santilli as they had heard he was on the look-out for this type of 'stuff'. Santilli allegedly saw through this guise and asked the men not to put their film out to the public as he already had his own autopsy footage ready for use. However, both men managed to get their 'Tent Footage' out onto a British UFO video called 'Penetrating The Web'. The two page spread in the Mail On Sunday makes for interesting reading, and clearly shows that we should not believe all we read. Many people, (with the desire to believe) were too easily fooled by this film, and it serves to show how easy it is to be fooled by videos of this nature. Don't believe all you read or see, question everything.
A s mentioned earlier, I will shortly be organising the BUFORA lecture programme for 1999. However, some BUFORA lectures have already been organised and are detailed below. please note the following and do try to come along. They are:
1. Saturday 6th February, A UFO video afternoon by Robin Lindsey.
2. Saturday 6th March, "The Motifs Of Abduction", by John Spencer.
3. Saturday 3rd April, AGM followed by "Chasing Moonbeams - Where Do We Go From Here?", by Gloria Dixon.
4. Saturday 1st May, Crop Circles, by Brian James.
All lectures will be held at the University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, Central London, NW1 5LS (opposite Madame Tussauds). Admission price is £1:50 members, £3:50 non members. 2.00- 5.30pm
Do please try and come along and bring a friend. Let's start supporting British UFOlogy.
I was contacted by Philip Mantle recently and asked to assist in regards to a video taken by a London gentlemen in the early hours of Monday the 18th of January which he claimed showed a UFO in the night sky. The gentleman had approached BBC South East News in London, and Philip asked if I could contact the BBC and offer my assistance. This I did, and I spoke with a Nicola Stanbridge who asked that I come over to the BBC Elstree Studios and offer my thoughts. A taxi was sent to my home in Ealing and half an hour later I was sat in the foyer of the BBC studio where I met up with the chap who took the video. We then went into one of the BBC rooms where they played the Sony 8mm cam-corder footage for me. What I saw didn't surprise me, it was like many other UFO video sequences taken at night that I've seen over the years. It was a small circular point of light in the night sky, and once the video camera zoomed in, the flare effect was observed, making the object look far more unusual than it really was. This of course was not coming from the object, but was a direct result of the video camera trying to focus on a bright white light source.
The object appeared stationary, although the witness did say that when he filmed it, it was moving around in the night sky doing circular movements. I saw no flashing lights (navigation lights) on this object, and I could only think that it was either a bright star or a planet (possibly Venus). The BBC were keen do a filmed piece on this incident both with the witness and myself, but I suggested to them that they should wait until we had checked with the airports, police, Met Office, Ministry of Defence, and also astronomy experts to obtain their advice and help. That was agreed upon and so those checks were made. As I was working later that day, my partner Judith Jaafar phoned around various people in order to check on the astronomical possibilities, and my thanks go to Gloria Dixon, Robert Bull, and Dave Newton for their help.
We ascertained that Saturn had set at 10:30pm, Jupiter had set at 9:30pm and Venus had set at 5:30pm. The planet Mars was just visible above the horizon in an East/south/east position, but of low magnitude (the witness was looking south west). However Sirius, the brightest star, was visible quite low in the sky in the south, south west. This information was relayed by Judith back to the BBC who then felt that they wouldn't run with the story as the object may well be just an astronomical body, filmed honestly but mistakenly by the witness. I should also point out that the witness had also gone to ITN, CNN and the Fortean Times with his video. Some might see this as someone trying to obtain monetary gain, whilst others would say, "But he was only trying to get someone to tell him what the object was". It's one of these situations !! Is he looking for attention, or was he only trying to get to the bottom of it ? At the end of the day, the object depicted on film, although interesting, wasn't anything spectacular, and if I was pressed for an opinion, I would have to say that I feel that it was indeed an astronomical body. The witness however categorically states that this was not the case, and he knows the difference between a star, planet, and what he was filming.
UFOlogy is awash with these types of cases, but it still serves to keep one on one's toes. At least I saw Susan Tully the actress who played Michelle Fowler in the BBC show Eastenders whilst I was at the Elstree Studios !!!
P lans are still afoot for a demonstration to be held by UFOlogists outside 10 Downing Street sometime soon. This is in connection with Councillor Billy Buchanan's and my plans to get the British Government to look into the UFO sightings over Bonnybridge. As you may know, we have repeatedly asked not only John Major when he was in office, but Tony Blair as well, to send someone to Bonnybridge, look at the information we have and try and assist with our investigations into 'what's going on'. We have been snubbed at every turn, and we will shortly be making steps to demonstrate our concerns outside Downing Street. Billy has already been in touch with certain media people, and I hope to report on this situation in a further SPI ENGLAND web site bulletin, so stay tuned for that one.
I had a phone call recently from German UFOlogist Michael Hesseman, (Co-Author with Philip Mantle on the book 'BEYOND ROSWELL') Michael requested from me a copy of the Polmont Reservoir UFO photograph which depicts the underside of a large sphere-shaped object captured in the night sky as it descended upon 2 startled witnesses as they were preparing to take photographs of the B.P. Petroleum plant at Grangemouth, Central Scotland (Near Bonnybridge). This photograph will appear in Michael's next book which aims to display many UFO photographs taken from all parts of the world and which have rarely been seen before. He was impressed by the Polmont UFO case, and feels that it is strong enough to be placed within his new book. Thankfully he has agreed to also place the SPI ENGLAND and SCOTLAND details in this book, which will hopefully attract more individuals to join us, (here's hoping anyway).
W ell that brings us to the close of another month's SPI information and I hope you have found the above of interest. If you wish to comment on what you have read, or indeed wish to tell me of your own UFO or paranormal experience, then do please contact me either through my home address, or by phone, or indeed by e-mailing me at spi_spi@hotmail.com.
SPI ENGLAND NEWS by Malcolm Robinson, amended by Judith Jaafar, web placements by Dean Ladds © SPI ENGLAND. Editors of UFO & Paranormal magazines may use any or all of the above information for their own publications, so long as they quote our web site address and Head Office address.
© Malcolm Robinson, SPI ENGLAND 1999. Contact Malcolm at,
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