THE LUFOINREGISTER ©

Published by The Leicestershire UFO Research Society (Est. 1971)

Edited by Graham Hall & Jeff Lord

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Report Review

1978

“NIGHT OF THE UFOs”

(Part Two)

Case Reference: 51/78/101 - Date: September 12th., 1978. Geo: BC-2.

Chief Investigator: Mr. William Hayes. Assistance: Mr. P.J. Clayton, R.J. Shepherd, A. Garnett and T.J. Carver.

Conditions at the time of all the sightings: Clear twilight sky with some patchy cloud. The Moon and a few stars were visible, it was a warm evening with a slight breeze.

(See Also : Case Ref: 51/78/09-30, January 24th., 1978).

Introduction.

The night of September 12th., 1978, was quite a busy night for UAPROL. Sightings of unidentified flying objects that night can be divided into five distinct phases:

Phase 1 - 8.10 p.m. to 8.20 p.m.

Phase 2 - 8.30 p.m. to 8.35 p.m.

Phase 3 - 9.30 p.m.

Phase 4 - 10.30 p.m. to 10.50 p.m.

Phase 5 - 11.30 p.m.

It is quite a distinct possibility that in each phase the same object was sighted. On the other hand, each sighting phase could refer to up to five similar or identical objects. If the same object was observed on each of the five occasions as listed above, then one cannot help but wonder.. Where was the object and what was it doing in the ten minutes between phase 1 and 2; the fifty-five or so minutes between phase 2 and 3; and the full one hour between phase 3 and 4; and finally, the forty minutes between phase 4 and 5?

The sightings.

Sightings forming phase 1 began at 8.10 p.m. when four 13 year-old boys, Simon ‘S’, Peter ‘O’, Mark ‘S’ and David ‘D’ were crossing Soper's Bridge at Croft while returning home from a fishing trip. Peter was the first to see the object and then told his friends to look at it. Together they watched, for about 10 minutes, a ball-shaped red object which was situated to the north of their position, moving about the sky, stopping and moving off again in an apparently random fashion, also varying both it’s speed and brightness. Peter had a camera with him, after five minutes he decided to try to photograph the manoeuvring light; “But when I looked through the lens I couldn’t see the object, but I still took a photograph of it.” - When developed however, the film showed only empty sky. Obviously, this does not prove that nothing was there, only that the camera and film used in this particular instance were probably totally unsuitable for the job in hand.

The four boys, after a further ten minutes, split into pairs and headed back to their respective homes. The last Mark and Peter saw of the object was it’s rapid flight towards Leicester, where it either disappeared or flew into cloud. Simon ‘S’ and David ‘D’ are certain however, that they saw a second, similar object to the first. The boys did inform Police Constable ‘S’, who was known to them, but there was no police investigation, or conclusion.

At the same time, a young married couple who requested anonymity, observed through the lounge window of their home in Leicester, between 8.10 p.m. and 8.15 p.m. an unknown aerial object moving in a southerly direction across the eastern portion of the city.

Their joint statement concerning the event was as follows: “At first we thought it was an aeroplane, but it seemed odd as the light was not flashing as a ‘plane light does. We moved into the kitchen to look through the windows for a better view. We both looked through binoculars at the light. It seemed to have a half-circle shape of red light at the back, and a dark, shadowy front. It moved across the sky, circled, then moved away towards Wigston Magna until it moved out of range of the binoculars - The time was 8:15 p.m.”

Were the four boys and the young couple observing the same aerial object? This seems quite likely as the times coincide, but the initial locations of the object were different,. However, the boys reported that the object was moving toward the position that the married couple reported, also the reported movements made by the object are not contradictory, and give the general impression that all the witnesses at this stage were indeed viewing the same object.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the evening’s activities commenced ten minutes later when, at 8.30 p.m. Mr. ‘C’, his mother and a neighbour on Fieldhurst Avenue, Braunstone, saw a “red light, similar to a rugby ball” over the junction of Kingsway and Narborough Road, Braunstone. Mr. ‘C’ was working outside his home when his attention was drawn by the brightness of the object. After watching it for about five minutes, he decided to try and follow the object in his car. Mr. ‘C’s wife had, by now, joined the other three witnesses, and they set off in pursuit. However, the object gained on them and gradually faded away. The object, which appeared hazy in outline due to it’s brightness, appeared solid, and was seen to stop briefly before moving off again at varying speeds, towards Knighton. Mr. ‘C’ described the object’s size as being “great”.

At exactly the same time, 8.30 p.m., Miss Alison ‘S’ (17 years), and Mr. Michael ‘E’ (19 years), were apparently observing the same object, but from a greater distance. They watched the object’s manoeuvres until they saw it float downwards where it was lost to sight behind some trees. As it floated down, the object crossed paths with an aircraft. Mr. ‘C’s group of witnesses also saw the aircraft. However, Mr. ‘C’s group did not report the object as floating down. What does seem likely is that the object did float down, but from Mr. ‘C’s viewpoint, it was moving away from him, with the object’s descent appearing as an increase in acceleration.

Phase 3

Two of the Phase 2 witnesses also took part in Phase 3, which began just before 9.30 p.m., when Dean ‘N’ (17 years), Owen ‘G’ (15 years), and his brother David, saw a red object with a red flashing light, or lights, from Blue Banks Avenue, Glen Parva. The boys moved to a better vantage point, where they could see the phenomenon between the two houses on Blue Banks Avenue, while David ‘G’ returned home (a few yards away), to collect his glasses.

Owen ‘G’ viewed the object through field glasses as it moved from the north-west towards the east, and would have appeared at this point to be over Leicester’s built up area, in about the same position as the object involved in Phase 2. This has been confirmed by Alison ‘S’ and Michael ‘E’, who, at 9.30 p.m., began watching the object from Needham Avenue, Glen Parva, who maintain that this object behaved identically to the object observed one hour earlier.

Phase 4

At 10.35 p.m., UAPROL investigation officer Mr. Paul Clayton, was walking along Windmill Avenue, Birstill.

On looking towards the north-east he observed a strange red object in the sky. He said: “I observed a red object moving across the sky. At first I thought it was an aircraft until it started flashing it’s red light erratically, whilst also changing it’s speed from fast to slow, then it stopped. It then started to move again, making the same movements as before. Then the object stopped and dropped out of the sky, like a stone.” Paul Clayton estimated that the object dropped on, or near, Birstill Gravel Pits.


At this point Paul ran to his nearby home and telephoned Mr. Trevor Thornton, co-ordinator of UAPROL to report that he had witnessed a possible UFO which, from all accounts, may have actually landed and that he was going to investigate the occurrence.

For the record, it has always been the intention to despatch an investigator to the scene of a sighting while the UFO is still present. Trevor Thornton also notified investigator Tim Carver, who, with Alison ‘S’ and Michael ‘E’ who was still driving, set off for the Birstill area.

Meanwhile, Paul Clayton had reached Birstill Gravel Pits. He walked up the main gravel road, and reached a wider clearer area before a pool of water. The time at this point was approximately 10.50 p.m. Paul stated: “ I was looking over the water towards the pits, the object then re-appeared from nowhere at about 50 yards from where I was standing - it was a slightly glowing, reddish/orange oval shape which was both still and silent - as I observed the object, I was in a daze, my mind went blank. I felt as though I was floating on air.”

The object, after remaining visible for an estimated duration of ten seconds, “disappeared without trace”.

Paul gives us the first good estimation of the object’s size, (assuming that the same object was seen on each occasion). He estimates the object’s width as over 20 feet, with it’s height as between 14 to 18 feet. Paul stated that it was hard to tell whether the object was actually on the ground or just above it, but he believed the latter was actually the case.

BELOW: Original drawing Of The Birstall UFO by UAPROL Investigator Paul Clayton.

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Phase 5

For Phase 5 of the sightings, we return to UAPROL investigator, Tim Carver, Alison ‘S’, and Michael ‘E’. Tim saw a red light in the sky out of the rear window of Michael ‘E’s car as they were turning the car around at 11.30 p.m. in the gateway to the Wanlip Country Club. The three occupants of the car got out and watched the object for a few minutes. The object at this point was observed to descend in a “falling leaf manner”, and then stop, before finally moving off at speed towards Birstill, where it was finally lost to sight behind a clump of trees. As far as we can ascertain, this was the last anyone was to see of the strange aerial object which, after several inquiries to various official bodies etc., remains Unidentified.

　

BELOW: Rudimentary map of area by investigator showing approximate sighting locations and times.

　

　

BELOW: Same Date Global Reports, UFODNA Data, September 12, 1978.

Sandersville, Mississippi, USA.

19:30 - Kalmar, Sweden.

19:30 - Lisboa, Portugal.

20:40 - Altai Mtn, Gorno-Altay, Russia.

21:00 - Guildford, New South Wales, Australia.

Night - Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia.

23:00 - Torbay, UK.

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© Lufors Digital Archives. The digitally re-produced material contained within the LUFOIN REGISTER, is subject to copyright and is intended for personal research use only, and all rights to it are reserved. No part of the same may be reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, or distributed for commercial gain or profit without prior permission from the Leicestershire Unidentified Flying Object Research Society. All opinions expressed and/or recorded within the LUFOIN REGISTER, are not necessarily those of LUFORS, the Leicestershire Unidentified Flying Object Investigation Network, or its members. Originally established in 1971, network members the Leicestershire Unidentified Flying Object Research Society, are a non-profit making organisation run by volunteers and funded totally by donation. All monies received are directly used towards private UFO investigation and research work conducted within the U.K. regional counties of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. The LUFOIN Register Supersedes Original Reduced Format CD-ROM Version Internally Published In Spring, 2011, as Volume One of The LUFORS Digital Database. Corrections etc. E-Mail the Editor at: Lufoin@gmail.com.

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