They were not the only witnesses, but time has unfortunately removed any chance of further information from any other witnesses. However, in the world of UFO sightings, one can never be sure.

If these two people had only known more about what was going on in nearby France (and other areas of the globe) at the time, then perhaps they would not have felt so isolated and would have told the world of their sightings long before they did. As it is alas, all corroborative evidence from their fellow witnesses, and we know there was such evidence, is probably lost for all time.

The lady involved in this case was 39-years old at the time of the incident, was living in Buller Road, Leicester, with her mother, who has since passed.

Her name is Miss Zena Cresswell, a dressmaker, who states that has lived all of her life in the City of Leicester, and therefore knows the area well. She had no previous knowledge of UFOs before her sighting, and states that nothing unusual has been seen by her since, although she admits to having an interest in the subject that previous to her sighting did not exist.

On a dry, but cool, windless, clear night during the latter half of October 1954, the exact date unfortunately not recalled, Miss Cresswell, was retiring to bed at her home in Buller Road, Belgrave, Leicester when, as she was drawing her bedroom curtains at the rear of the house, she saw, to her astonishment, a very strange sight indeed. There, gliding through the night sky, was an oval-shaped object, extremely low, just above the rooftops.

Dated January 6^th., 1972, Miss Cresswell’s original and un-edited written statement concerning the event, is reproduced below.

“I do not wish to make any false statements, 1954 was a long time ago, and you will realise that it is not always easy to put things in writing. I know what I saw that night, I am unlikely to forget, but I am no judge of aircraft speed, I would say it appeared to be going at a gentle cruising speed. It was a silver/grey colour with a whitish moonlight glow inside. The windows were not portholes but square to oblong in shape, the man dressed completely in black was obviously in complete control, had dark penetrating eyes, sallow pale complexion, (lighting inside could have had some effect) slim build and intelligent looking, was touching something with his fingers, probably controls. From the other side of the house I lost him for a time, then he appeared to be walking about bending to do something, when it then disappeared over rooftops of houses opposite. I think the outstanding features were its unusual shape, like nothing I have seen before in the shape of aircraft, quite large for aircraft too - its square windows and the man in complete black outfit. Normally, one would imagine an aircraft of that size, to be crashing if so low, also it would have made rather a noise, which this did not do, as although I was a bit heard of hearing, I could hear aircraft as a rule, especially when low flying. My Mother unfortunately passed away, which makes it that I have no witness to the incident. It was quite late when I saw it, we had gone to bed, and I was drawing the curtains. Everywhere seemed in darkness outside and as we had turned our lights off, I could not tell much effect, as far as I can remember, only of course, I knew it was directly over us. I don’t think there is any more I can recall, and trust you may find it helpful in some way. I am sorry I cannot draw and judge speed and size, If I made a guess, it would probably be wrong anyway.”

Yours Truly, Zena Cresswell.

The strange craft and its occupant faded silently into the darkness, and both Miss Cresswell and her mother were left with a sleepless night in front of them as they tried to explain their sighting away as perhaps some new type of airship, but the more they went over it, the more the airship theory was rejected, and both witnesses came to the final conclusion that what they had seen must have been a “flying saucer“, i.e. an alien craft of some kind complete with its pilot.

I asked Miss Cresswell if she had heard any sound emanating from the object, her reply was not really, but maybe a “throbbing” effect could be felt as it passed almost directly above the house.

Concerning the size of the object, although Miss Cresswell found it difficult to give an accurate answer, further questioning revealed that it was quite large, with its length estimated at 30 feet, and its width gauged at about half that at its centre, i.e. approximately 15 feet, appearing oval in outline and looking like two saucers stuck together.

Colour

Regarding its main colour, this was described as silver/grey, but consideration must be given to the fact that it was dark at the time, with very little street lighting, however, the objects’ relatively low height (rooftop) also has to be taken into account here. Also both witnesses were extremely close to the object at its nearest point. The “man” was seen quite clearly, as he performed at his “controls”, and the description given of him is, in retrospect, very similar to other accounts of ‘humanoids’, seen elsewhere.

The flight direction of the object was approximately South-West to North East, and gave the witnesses a partial side elevation view. Its flight motion was described by Miss Cresswell as a “rolling” motion, and seems to indicate that the object was in fact rolling slightly from side to side whilst staying on a straight trajectory.

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On an unremembered date in mid to late October 1954, at approximately 5.50 p.m., the weather remembered as dry and warm, and still daylight, Mr. Warrington was waiting for a bus with his Mother and two friends in Fosse Road North.

Their destination was the Cathedral school rooms where they were due to play ’whist’, a popular card game at the time. Their attention was suddenly brought to an extremely large, silver saucer-shaped flying object that suddenly materialised over an old boot and shoe factory that was situated on the other side of the road.

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ADDITIONAL U.K. CASES, October, 1954.

On this date, a girl reported how she had seen a strange object alongside a park at Southend, in Essex. On her way home at night, she encountered the thing in the road near Chalkwell Park. Frightened, she ran to her house, looking back as she turned the corner. It had gone, silently.

This sighting forms one of the points on an orthotenic line discovered by researcher Aime’ Michel.

It was at a time when the great European wave was beginning to show signs of tailing off, when Mrs. Jennie Roestenberg claimed that at 4.45 p.m. on that day, she, and her two children, watched a disc-shaped object of aluminium colour as it hovered over their house. Through two transparent panels, she claimed that she could see two ‘men’, with white skins, long hair to their shoulders, and foreheads so high that all of their features seemed to be in the lower half of their faces. They were wearing transparent helmets and turquoise blue clothing, like ski suits.

The object hovered at a tilted angle, while the two occupants surveyed the scene “sternly, not in an unkindly fashion, but almost sadly, compassionately.”