SPI News.

By: Malcolm Robinson.
Date: November 1998.

As many of you may now know, I have moved down to London and have started up a sister branch to SPI entitled, SPI ENGLAND. This will complement our main society (SPI SCOTLAND). Both societies together, will advance the information that can be generated to the public, into informing them that matters pertaining to UFOs and the Paranormal are credible and sincere subjects which demand Investigation. The following information concerns some recent activities that I have been up to during my early weeks down here in London.

A s many of you will know, the town of Bonnybridge in Stirlingshire was the centre of attraction between the years 1992 to 1995 in which hundreds of UFO sightings were recorded above and around the town, (As well as a number of other local towns). Sightings of UFOs are still being recorded, but not to the levels that they were during the above particular years. The media involvement in Bonnybridge as a source of unusual 'attraction' has still not abated and I was contacted recently by a researcher who is making a programme for Granada Television about the impact of these UFO sightings over Bonnybridge. Their programme will also look at UFO sightings from other parts of the world. As usual, I supplied Granada T.V. with witnesses to talk to, Locations where they should film, and generally helped them out as much as I could in regards to providing them with information on which to use for their programme. I believe that filming is due to commence in early December where I'll be assisting them with that also. SPI SCOTLAND has also offered their assistance, but because I was the main researcher dealing with the events that transpired over Bonnybridge, Granada T.V. have leant on me due to the fact of my early research and assistance given to Councillor Billy Buchanan. I hope to have more information about this Granada T.V. show, which incidentally is called, "Watch The Skies", sometime in December, so look out for that.

M any people believe that Ron Halliday's book, "UFOs The Scottish Dimension", was the first official book dealing with UFO sightings in Scotland, it wasn't !!! Researcher John Jenkins from Pennicuik in West Lothian, had his book out, entitled, "Of No Defence Significance", just a few weeks prior to Ron's Excellent book. John's book contains information regarding a number of interesting UFO cases over Scotland including, The Andy Swan Incident, The A7O Incident, and it also refers to UFO sightings over Bonnybridge. Essentially, it is a factual look at UFO sightings over Scotland and can be had for the pricely sum of only £4:99. Send a cheque or postal order made payable to, John Jenkins, 21 Breck Terrace, Glencourse, Pennicuik, West Lothian, Scotland, EH26 ORJ. 'You know it makes sense' !

T he beginning of November was a really hectic time for me and saw me give a number of lectures at different parts of the country. My first lecture saw me talk to members of Roy Lake's London UFO Studies. This was the second time that I have lectured to Roy's group, and thankfully this time I had a slide projector that worked !! Things went really well and there was a fair sized turn out, more importantly however, I met an interesting lady at Roy's meeting who discussed with me all about her own private Spiritualist circle. Basically this was a circle which were achieving many spirit 'effects', from transfiguration, to apports, to table levitation, and a whole range of other weird and wonderful effects. I have been given permission to sit in this circle and I hope in a future SPI ENGLAND news bulletin, to let you know how I got on. Two days later, saw me giving another lecture, this time to Steve Gerrard's Southampton UFO Group. Judy and I travelled from our home in London down the motorway straight to Southampton without getting lost !! (a major achievement for us both !!). And although there were not so many people attending Steve's lecture, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, (especially Steve's wife's home cooking !! Nice one). Again I was lecturing on a number of Scottish UFO cases, and although I had a problem with the slide projector, (it eat and damaged 2 of my slides), I nonetheless had a great time.

S ix days later and I was off to lecture in the Scottish Borders. It was Friday the 13th, I got my train leaving London Euston at platform 13, and guess what ! The train was 13 minutes late !!! Thankfully that was all the problems I encountered. I arrived in the small and beautiful town of Langholm where I was put up by the lecture coordinator in a lovely guest house which was situated near the River Esk. I was also given a lovely slap up meal in the local hotel and was treated like a King, (it can only happen in Scotland). One thing I did notice, well two things actually about being back in Scotland, was that;

(1) The air is so much clearer, and
(2,) one can cross the road in seconds in Langholm, rather than minutes as I've tried down here in London.

O h, mustn't forget that the beer is so much cheaper in Scotland. (I did a wee survey of my own !!) My talk, which was conducted in the local community Centre, was fairly well attended and also saw the presence of West Lothian researcher, John Jenkins, (of whom I've mentioned earlier). John worked the slide projector, and in-between me changing slides, gave his own impromptu lecture. Many thanks John. After my talk and on the way home, I just had to stop and do a skywatch. It was a beautiful crystal clear night, and the stars just shone brightly like diamonds in the sky, what a wonderful sight. Mind you, it was pritty cold. Apart from a number of satellites, I never saw a thing !!!

T he following day, I took the train down to Lytham St Anne's (near Blackpool) to attend the LAPIS 4th International UFO Conference. I met up with my partner and fellow UFOlogist Judith Jaafar. This conference was one of Britain's largest UFO conferences of the year and it was pleasing to see that it was well attended. The title of this year's conference was, "Saucers, Secrets, and Superpowers". Speakers for this year's conference were, Andy Roberts, Michael John Howard, Jordan Maxwell, Gloria Dixon, sadly due to circumstances, the following speakers were unable to attend, and they were, Al Bielek who was going to give a lecture about the Philadelphia Experiment which concerned a notorious series of invisibility experiments during the 1940's in which a Navy ship was said to have dematerialised and then materialised elsewhere !!!.
Tim Rifat from Brighton was unable to attend due to him being involved in a car crash, thankfully it wasn't too serious and Tim only suffered minor injuries. Tim was going to present a lecture on his remote viewing experiences. Pauline Delcour Min also couldn't attend, as was Ed Sherwood. Deputising for these speakers, were Steven Black from Dundee, and another speaker of whom I can't recall his name, and my good self. All the speakers gave excellent presentations, although Andy Roberts did have a hard time when he presented his findings into the infamous Berwyn Mountain UFO crash of North Wales. I agree with Andy that this was not a UFO crash, but a series of circumstances which probably made it look like one !!! But it certainly wasn't a UFO.
Jordan Maxwell from America discussed secret societies and their bearings on the UFO enigma. At times it was fascinating, and at times it was boring, but nonetheless, he clearly knows his subject, but whether what he is saying is accurate is anybody's guess !!! Gloria Dixon gave a wonderful talk on UFO sightings in this country, and also explained that not all accounts given, relate to true UFO incidents, ie, that many accounts are of IFO's, (Identified Flying Objects). Steve Black from Dundee gave an interesting talk about UFO channeling, given through his friend (and mine) Graham Wyllie. I followed on from Steve and discussed a number of interesting Scottish UFO cases, but as per usual, I ran out of time and couldn't get round to discussing the infamous "Fife Incident", maybe next time.

A ll in all the conference went well, and as I mentioned earlier, was well attended. The organisers of this conference, Paulette Goldstone, Sam and June Wright should be congratulated for putting on such a well organised and effective conference. (Even although someone tried to run off and nick the alien model that was situated on the stage during this two day event !!!) I have been invited back to present another lecture next year and if the conference is anything like this one, then I'm sure it will be a 'knockout'. Of course one of the good things about attending these conferences, is meeting people that you have corresponded with throughout the years, and I had the good fortune to meet up with a number of people, some of whom I have never met before, ie, Joe Dormer, Dave Sankey, Dave Pointon. Then there were the old faces, ie, Rory Lushman, Rod Howarth, and Arthur Tomlinson, Matthew Williams and a number of other interesting people. In fact whilst engaging in a discussion with Arthur Tomlinson, (and SPI members will no doubt remember his fascinating lecture that he gave to SPI in the town of Stirling last year, Arthur once more showed me a copy of the famous Ilkely Moor entity photograph. But the surprise here was, when Arthur asked me to study it more closely (a computer enhanced version). He asked if I could see anything unusual in the photograph, to which I replied that I could not. Then he shocked me with, look more closely, can't you see that this entity is holding a baby !!!!!!!! Well I couldn't, one could make absolutely anything out of the noise of this computer enhanced photograph, but to say that the entity was holding a baby, was to me, stretching the imagination way beyond the bounds of credulity. If anything, I was disappointed (!!!) The conference then, was a huge success, and the hotel in which Judy and I stayed was very enjoyable, (especially the 4 poster bed !!)

T he UFO phenomenon would appear to be gaining more and more prominence, probably due to the success of the X Files T.V. show, though admittedly that is now on the wane !!! There have been a number of UFO Museums that have sprung up throughout the world which all have interesting exhibits contained therein, so it was pleasing to hear (whilst I was at the LAPIS UFO Conference), that a new UFO museum could be found at Sunny Blackpool (near Lytham). As yet I haven't had the time to visit it, but looking at the brochure that I was handed, it sure looks to have packed in quite a lot of interesting items. The first room contains items relating to the solar system, whilst in the next room there is a remake of the Roswell crash scene. There are also many previously unseen photographs of UFOs, and also information relating to UFO Abductions, Contactees and alien implants. The famous Roswell alien autopsy scene is carefully reproduced, and looking at the photograph of it on the flyer that I was handed, it certainly looks the part, (pity that the whole thing was a hoax !!). There is also an exhibit of alien beings, then the spiritual aspect of this phenomenon is looked at. There is also a full sized replica of the George Adamski saucer, plus lots of information about ancient mysteries, the pyramids and ancient sciences. This looks like a truly fascinating exhibition to visit.

A good friend of mine and Judy's, Matthew Williams, recently admitted in a circular E.mail to a number of people, that he and others hoaxed a number of crop circles. This proved not only to be a shock to me, but to many other people as well. However, having read his reasons for doing this, I must say, that I admire him and his reasons for doing so. His reasons for making crop circles are too long to go into here, suffice it to say, I am more than happy to send his statement onto any person who wishes to see a copy. Please send a stamped addressed envelope to the SPI ENGLAND address and I'll get one in the post to you straight away. It makes for interesting reading !!!!!!!!!!

I recently had a visit from 3 SPI members here to my new home in London, and it was very nice to see them to. Dean Ladds our SPI Internet whizz kid visited where we engaged in a spot of ("What's been happening in Scotland") talk, and a week later I had a visit from David Moncur. Dave is well known in Scotland for his 'interesting' views on UFOlogy and is certainly a character of whom no one will easily forget. It was nice to see them both. A few days later and we received a visit from Welsh UFOlogist and (admitted Crop Circle Hoaxer) Matthew Williams. Matthew and I engaged in a deep and thought provoking talk about his part in creating crop circles {see article above} Being based here in London, it's always nice to catch up on all the gossip although I must say that things don't appear to have changed much in Scotland !!!! Glad I'm out of it !

I was recently interviewed by one of the remaining UFO magazines in this country, the X FACTOR. Craig Glenday who is the founding member of the magazine, paid a visit to London to discuss with me aspects and cases pertaining to Scottish UFO events over the years. My new partner Judith Jaafar also got in on the act by stating a few facts after which we were both photographed in the back garden (hope it's a good one !!). The interview should be out in around a couple of months time and hopefully will prove beneficial to SPI ENGLAND. I was also asked to do book reviews and articles for the mag, where I'll find the time I don't know !!! More news when I have it.

I still receive a number of small press UFO magazines from various groups from around the country and have decided to review some of these magazines here on our web site. If you are an editor of a UFO or paranormal magazine, then please feel free to submit a copy of your magazine to the SPI ENGLAND address, I'll be more than happy to review it for you here on the SPI web site.

F rom the Hull UFO Society, comes the magazine Faster Than Light, Edited by Chris Evers and his team of Jason Lewis, Sean & Vicki, and Darren Parr, we are treated to a splendid magazine which not only has a wonderful text and layout style, but it's use of colour throughout is a joy to behold. How they manage to produce a magazine in colour is beyond me, but is a credit to their purse and ingenuity. An Abduction case from Darlington is looked at and a look back through time to those interesting Welsh UFO sightings of 1977 is also given an airing. A standard look at our solar system is also a feature, where the various planets and their characteristics are explained. Also to be found, are snippets of news from around the world and various other excellent articles. 'Faster Than Light' is a Bi monthly publication and can be obtained for £1:20 per issue. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Chris Evers, and sent to 'Faster Than Light' Chesnut House, 24 Chesnut Avenue, Queens Road, Hull, England. A year's membership to HUFOS is £10:00 (please supply two passport sized photographs). Application to the same address.

D own To Earth is the publication of the Essex and London UFO Network and is Edited by the confident hand of Roy Hale. This is yet another magazine which uses colour to it's advantage which is a big bonus as far as presentation goes. Of course it's the content which really matters, and contained within are many excellent articles dealing with a strange UFO incident that occurred near the town of Swindon when a large cigar shaped object was seen approaching some startled witnesses. This object was then seen to emit a number of small coloured balls of light which descended towards the ground, An article by Chris Martin on channelling is also presented and Chris states that just because some of these people may appear not 'quite right', we have a duty to listen to them and what they have to say, (I'd certainly agree with that Chris). The infamous Sheffield Incident of March 24th 1997 is also looked at. Investigator Max Burns presents his case on the Investigation that he undertook, and no matter what your persuasion, it makes for interesting reading. There are also many other articles and items dealing with UFO sightings from the U.K. and overseas, as well as interesting book reviews. This is an excellent magazine and one in which I would strongly recommend.

Down To Earth: Subscriptions are £15:00 per year. This includes 6 issues of the magazine, plus a continuous update of the group's activities. Access to regular skywatches, and use of their extensive book and video library. Alternatively, a single issue of Down To Earth, may be had for £2:95. Send your cheques or postal orders made payable to Roy Hale, and send them to 21 Sparrow Green Bull Lane, Dagenham, Essex, England, RH10 7EU.

T his is Britain's oldest UFO magazine which thankfully is still going, (but only just !!) Edited By seasoned UFOlogist Gordon Creighton. It's crammed full of interesting items relating to UFO sightings from around the world. This issue see's an interesting UFO photograph taken over Lake Tagish in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Jorge Martin has an article on the 'Chupacabras' which also goes into an interesting tale of a former U.S. Army unit which apparently specialised in recovering UFOs and captured 'aliens' !!!!!!! Omar Fowler can also be found discussing his favourite subject, Black Triangles flying over Yorkshire. There is also an intriguing article written by Dr Richard F. Haines regarding the U.S. Air Force who saw UFOs during the Korean War. All this and much more can be found within the pages of this fascinating magazine.

T his publication is edited by a good friend of mine, Roy Lake. This issue see's an interesting interview with Bob Dean, we have a remote viewing article by Daryl Smith. An item on the Box Hill Tunnell by Rory Lushman, of whom I had the good fortune to meet at the recent LAPIS UFO Conference. There is also an article on hypnotherapy by Jane West, plus numerous other interesting items. What I like about this mag is their UFO sightings section. This contains all the latest UFO reports Investigated by Roy's team, and it's clear to see that we still have an active phenomenon occurring in our skies. My article, 'Respecting Opinions' is also published. (This has been published in numerous UFO magazines in this country and refers to the society I founded, Strange Phenomena Investigations, being critisised by fellow UFOlogists up in Scotland. This article can also be found here on the SPI ENGLAND site. All in all, SKYLINK is an excellent mag and well worth the money.

A s I mentioned earlier, if you are the Editor of a UFO or paranormal magazine and wish to see it reviewed on the SPI ENGLAND web page, then please send a copy to Malcolm Robinson at the SPI ENGLAND address.

If you have had any UFO or paranormal experiences, or if you just wish to get in touch with SPI ENGLAND, then please see our home page where you can E.mail Malcolm Robinson, through our SPI Hotmail System.
Look forward to hearing from you.

P lease keep visiting our SPI web site as it is regularly updated each month with all the latest news, views, and reviews. If you have experienced anything strange and unusual of a UFO or paranormal variety, and would like to share these experiences, then please mail either Billy Devlin or myself through our mail system on the SPI home page. All communications will be treated in confidence. Tell your friends about the SPI web site.

SPI news for November 1998 compiled by founder Malcolm Robinson and ammended by Judith Jaafar. Web site placements by Dean Ladds.

© Malcolm Robinson, SPI ENGLAND 1998. Contact Malcolm at,
Mail Malcolm at SPI England.

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