This is taken from Mysterious and Strange Beasts and covers French mystery beasts and much more all in detail and often with rare or previously unseen images. See end of post.
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While reading through volume 10 of the UFO Encyclopaedia series Haunted Skies (1987-1988) by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway, I came across “1987 –Bigfoot Sighting West Midlands”. It got my attention. In fact, it was what made me ask myself just what was going on.
The account is quite short:
Gary Higginson met John and Dawn in 2006 and was an “avid collector of books on the UFO subject” which was a subject he had become interested in following his 1987. At that time he was working at the Sandwell Valley Archaeological Project and, living in Wednesbury, often jogged to work. Normally he would run the four plus miles and get to work by 07:30 hrs but on this particular day wanted to make the long a little longer and so made his way along a road running adjacent to the M5 motorway near to Swan Pool boating lake:
“I just happened to look to my right across the fields and saw, with shock, what looked like a ‘Bigfoot’ shambling across the field. I stopped and ran away, not knowing what to do, and then rationally thought to myself ‘What on earth am I doing?’ It must have been some sort of hallucination, so I gingerly made my way back to where I had seen it so clearly. It was approximately 6 ft 6 ins tall, with 2-3 ins of dark brown hair covering its body (longer on the head), and seemed to be heading for Swan Pool. I saw it for 2-3 secs, and admit to being frightened. My legs turned to jelly”.
That was it. I had an idea that if I could sit down with
Now, I never met
Looking at it logically, what might
Wearing the all-covering camouflage suit does make a person appear to
shamble along especially if carrying something.
The strips of material from a distance –we are not told how far from the
figure
I had heard these stories but it all seemed to be vague and lack any
real detail. The website Ghost Story gives the standard account under the title
“
Above: A British Bigfoot? In fact this is a Jack Pyke Ghillie Suit. The military uses these as do game keepers, naturalists and poachers certainly do. There are commercially available ones – this one is a good example— or some home made ones. This one is mainly shades of brown with patches of green and a poachers shambling along in the early morning could easily fall to a prone position if spotted and would appear to vanish.
“Cannock Chase is a large densely woodland area which has become known as
one the
“On April 26, 2007, the local
Stafford Post newspaper ran the following story: "A rash of sightings of a
'werewolf' type creature prowling around the outskirts of Stafford, have
prompted a respected
“West Midlands Ghost Club says
they have been contacted by a number of shocked residents who saw what they
claimed to be a `hairy wolf-type creature' walking on its hind legs around the
“The newspaper continued:
"Nick Duffy, of West Midlands Ghost Club, said the stories of werewolf
sightings in Chase area were something that he had encountered before. He said:
'the first person to contact us was a postman, who told us he had seen what he
thought was a werewolf on the
“The Post quoted Duffy as adding that: ‘I've spoke to many witnesses and I know when they are putting it on. But what struck me as strange about this was the way he told it. I'm in no doubt that he was telling the truth’.
“The creature was also apparently spotted by a scout leader walking over the forest land earlier in April. The man, who the Post stated did not want to be named, said he saw what he initially believed was a large dog prowling by the bushes. It was only when he got into his car to drive away that he realized something strange about the animal.
“He said: ‘It just looked like a huge dog. But when I slammed the door of my car it reared up on its back legs and ran into the trees. It must have been about six to seven feet tall. I know it sounds absolutely mad, but I know what I saw’.
“In recent years there have been
a high number of pet disappearances especially in the area around the
It was 2015 and I did what any investigator should do and, in all honesty it did not take long to track down Nick Duffy who had personally investigated these reports. As Nick said that it would be alright to print his response to set the record straight I have only edited out personal information. I wrote:
“Hello.
“My name is Terry Hooper and so you know about me I'll add a brief Cv but I've been looking into "odd" things for almost fifty years.
“My main interest on the UFO side of things as well as ‘cryptozoology’ (I don't call myself either -I'm a research-investigator (looks good on a passport!) are Entity/CE IIIK and creature reports. I'm currently up-dating the UK CE IIIK and Entity data base. Oddly, I have been briefly to Cannock Chase and Tipton as a Police Exotic Fauna Advisor looking at big cat reports in both areas.
“So, when I was told by John Hanson (compiling the Haunted Skies encyclopaedia) that your group was looking into accounts of "werewolves" I was interested. I wonder whether you ever put together a report on your investigation I could get (not for publication use)?
“My other question concerns a Gary Higginson, I think I remembered the name right. He saw what he described as a "Bigfoot" type creature and it seems after that he has been un-contactable -did you ever meet or speak to him or have any contact details?
“It would be interesting to see whether the werewolves are in any way connected to Higginson's "Bigfoot"!
“Anyway, long email out of the blue but I would be interested in hearing about your investigations!
Regards
Terry”
I waited and then came the response and I would ask the Reader to pay very close attention to what Nick wrote:
“Hi Terry,
“Thank you very much for your recent note... and my apologies for a slight delay in responding. (I'm afraid things have generally been a little hectic of late, so I'm currently running behind on most concerns, it seems. Rolls eyes!)
“With regards to your Chase Werewolf inquiry: I'm afraid that there is, basically, nothing at all for me to share with you... as we've never really looked into this subject to any real depth at all. (Personally speaking - on this particular front - I don't believe for one second that there IS actually any truth to such tales, etc).
“The entire subject has been something of a 'running joke' where I'm concerned, as - over the past decade or so - tales re. 'our' association with the subject has appeared in numerous places on the net, in newspaper reports, books and so on... but I assure you we've NEVER actually been involved with ANY research on the subject whatsoever, Terry! Laugh!
“The whole matter initially began a number of years back, during a (purely light-hearted) telephone conversation between myself and a Staffordshire newspaper reporter. In the process of chatting about some of the funnier matters we'd come across, I happened to mention that we had been contacted by someone who claimed to have seen a 'werewolf-like figure' many years earlier, while riding across the Chase on a motorbike. The reporter concerned thought that this might make a jolly 'filler-piece' for her newspaper... and this entire topic simply snowballed from there!
“Contrary to what has subsequently been reported, we were only ever contacted by that one, solitary source where reports and potential experiences are concerned. This initial newspaper story (which, in itself was somewhat inaccurately reported, from the get-go) was instantly pounced upon by other examples of the local press and, within a very short period of time, the W.M.G.C. had seemingly been 'inundated' (purely according to the media concerned, I hasten to add) with reports from people who had been 'seeing werewolves on the Chase'....!?
“When these stories first started spreading, I did actually make an effort to seek out and correct this erroneous reporting - wherever I could - but, as the tales spread ever further, I eventually gave up on this fruitless task and just allowed the matter to run its course!
“The topic wasn't helped any when the Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe contacted us
some years after the initial reports, wanting to use the topic as part of an
advertising campaign that he was then embarking on. I explained to him that there was nothing to
the matter to report on and presumed that would be the end of it. (Come the
release of the report concerned and the Chase had suddenly been named as one of
the
“This 'fresh' reporting served to give the subject new impetus and, to a
fair extent, the shenanigans began anew.
Over recent years, we've received many inquiries from numerous media
sources (2 from French TV,
“Concerning the chap you mention - Gary Higginson - is he one of the witnesses supposedly attached to the Cannock Chase 'Bigfoot' sightings Terry? I'm afraid I don't recall the name at all, off-hand?
“I must stress that I'm always happy to receive contact from 'serious' researchers - there aren't many around these days, it seems - and I'm only sorry that I haven't been able to add anything 'positive' to your research, I'm afraid. I've only managed to grab a very quick glance at your blog, but shall 'give it a good going-over' as soon as I get the chance! (I did spot something on 'Spring Heeled Jack' - which interests me greatly - so I look forward to reading through that!)
“Thanks again for your recent correspondence Terry... and my very best wishes to you!
Regards,
Nick”
There was one vague report that, let’s be honest, could very well have been of a poacher in a Ghillie Suit. That was it. Not investigated. So now ask yourself who all these fictional witnesses ere to the fictional sightings that, we are told in detail that certain ‘cryptozoologists / paranormal investigators spoke to and got more information from? Yes, it was all made up and yet people are selling books based on something that never happened and adding to them –despite the “man on the spot” actually explaining everything to them.
The dead deer could be what was left after poachers finished with them or even be natural deaths and badgers, birds and foxes make a good meal out of such things. Or, it could be a deer killed by a large non-native cat because they are reported moving in and out of the area and as I pointed out to Nick, I had been to the area as a police wildlife consultant. I also stumbled on poaching which curtailed my work after threats since West Midlands Police told me that if I had to roam around the area I would need a police escort “for safety”.
I did mention this matter to a well known British cryptozoologist but he responded with: “If you can make a few quid from a story all is well!” And people wonder why I have no real respect for cryptozoologists.
There are no British Bigfoot /
Woodwose and there are certainly no
werewolves wandering about Cannock Chase but it is interesting that people,
having read the story, are starting to report encounters or ask whether it was
“the Cannock Chase werewolf” that they saw.
Well, so long as it was all made up -yes.
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