1978 Paighton School UFO Sighting

 AOPB/30102018/Devon1978

Sadly, not a great deal to this one. Simon L contacted me after seeing a news appeal for three youngsters involved in a UFO sighting in 1978 (Buckfastleigh). He wrote:

“I was in Primary School ( Hayes Rd, Paignton) late 70’s when three of us saw an object fly past the window...

“Afraid of getting into trouble none of us said anything until after lesson...

“Nobody believed us so they all got us to draw the object...

“We all drew the same thing... as we were all sat together again they thought that we just copied each other...

“We didn’t. We could have been in different rooms and the same picture would have come out...

“It was put in the Herald but quickly swept under the carpet...

“One of the other chaps was called Robert T who is on FaceBook and I am sure the third was a lad called Brian M…. If it wasn’t Brian I am sure that Robert would know who it was…”

I contacted Simon and asked whether he could send me a copy of the drawing that he still had. He sent the image along with the message:

“The picture you have to remember was drawn by an 11 year old…. I’m not sure but the wings could possibly be artistic licence…. but I do remember how slowly it moved across the sky…”

Drawing by Simon L

It was then a case of tracking down Rob T and it took a while but I asked if he would mind my asking what he had seen. He was, in fact, able to add to Simon’s account:

“Hi Terry, it would have been 1978.. I remember it very well. I recall that it was very low, just above the tree tops. We were to scared to tell the teacher at the time as she was reading something out to us and she was a bit of an oger lol.. it was reported in the Torbay news (not the Hearld). There was also a couple of gentlemen who came to the school to talk to us but weren't allowed to, I remember the headmaster telling us off about that!.. Simon is correct, it was Brian M. Hope this helps.”

I asked whether he could draw the object he had seen all those years ago and he said he would try. I then received this:

“Terry, apologies for the delay and the child like drawing!.. art was never my forte!.. I've included the bungalow and trees to try and show how low and close it was. It was a rusty coulor, with no lights. Sorry again, hope this helps a little.”

Rob’s drawing. It may well be crude but gives some extra information. Namely, we now know the object moved over a bungalow and some trees. I did not let Rob see Simon’s drawing as that might have influenced him.

Brian M does not appear to use Face Book and I can find no contact details for him so have drawn a blank there. Without a date it is hard to track down the newspaper issue that covered the story.

I do recall that Bob Boyd from the Plymouth UFO Research Group (PUFORG) mentioned this incident at the time and I can remember being slightly shocked when he told me that he went with another PUFORG member to the school unannounced but never got a good reception.

Appeals Still Open -any info welcome

Appeals made to newspapers that received no responses (rather like the Buckfastleigh appeal!)

Oxfordshire 1974

I am hoping that one of your readers may be able to help me get information on an uninvestigated UFO report from 1974. If one of the witnesses involved, who would now be in their 50's, or even one of the MoD Policemen who were one duty reads this I hope they might consider -in confidence- coming forward with their side of the account:

I am an author but also researcher and I have no interest in embarrassing or publicly naming witnesses.  My main aim is to determine exactly what happened that evening and that is all.

On the evening of the 9^th October, 1974, two 13 year old boys entered the station office of the Ministry of Defence Police at the Central Ordnance Depot, Bicester, Oxfordshire.  Both were described as appearing to be in a state of fright.  It seems that a “thing”, resembling a large, hunched man, had followed them along the Ploughly Road from the village of Ambrosden towards Lower Arncott; a distance of a quarter mile (0.8 km).

   This “thing” was accompanied by a light in the sky; neither the object nor the entity made any noise.  The boys were so shocked that they had to be treated by the MoD police officers; a dog and handler were sent to check around but saw nothing. A doctor later diagnosed one of the boys as suffering from severe shock.

Bardney  1976

  I am hoping that one of your readers may have been or know someone who was a witness to some UFO sightings in Woodall Spa and Bardney back in the summer of 1976.  I believe that one or more of those involved moved to your area at some point. One wrote to a UFO investigator at the time:

'On Sunday afternoon boys are allowed to go to Bardney. In the summer term, 1976, about mid-June, we saw a "stick man" jolting along. It was black with a round head, not making any noise. It was about 15O yards away from us, and it was quite hard to see’.

  At the time the sightings were all dismissed simply because the witnesses were youngsters.  No attempt was made to look for any other reports in the areas and that was it.
   I would like to hear from any of the boys -especially regarding the Bardney sighting- in strict confidence. I am a researcher and my interest is in finding out what actually happened and to hope that one or more witnesses will come forward so that the record can be corrected and their accounts included in records.

Nottinghamshire 1979

On the 23rd September, 1979,  six or seven primary school children went for an early evening walk in Wollaton Park in Nottingham, when they were approached by what they described as "gnomes in small cars” .  This has become known as "The Woollaton Park Gnomes case".

At the time the children spoke to their headmaster who recorded what they claimed happened.  Those children would now be adults in their late 40's.  There was never any thorough investigation since "They are just kids" was the standard response but I would be very interested in hearing from any of those involved in confidence.  I am an author and researcher but my prime interest is really in getting to the facts and what happened.

Was it just a game the kids thought up or are they still willing to state that this really happened? As I said, all in complete confidence as I can imagine they might feel a little embarrassed (either way) but I would be very interested in actually hearing from one of those there at the time rather than read the constant inaccurate rehashing on web sites.

And, of course, Buckfastleigh

On the 3^rd October, 1978, three teenagers left a youth club in Buckfastleigh, Devon. The trio were given pseudonyms at the time of Shirley, Mark and Paul.

Investigation procedures at the time as well as protocol on dealing with witnesses were not what they are today. 

We know that the trio observed a number of unidentified objects in the sky above the village and some unidentified figures on three occasions.  We might normally be cautious but a retired gentleman named Harry observed the objects himself after the nervous trio knocked on his door –his cats also behaved oddly.

The teens were traumatised and the girl identified as Shirley was said to have been most affected.

1978 seems a very long time ago now but I am trying to locate the teens and gather as much information about observations that evening as I can.  If they read this, or any family members do, then please get in touch. I cannot over-emphasise that I deal with witnesses in the strictest confidence and have done so for over 40 years.  My interest is purely for research and so I hope that the trio will consider getting in touch with me.

I can be contacted via email at aopbureau@yahoo.co.uk or blackto@hotmail.com or via Face Book Messenger –Anomalous Observational Phenomena page.

If anyone out there reads this and THEY were one of the witnesses PLEASE get in touch.  If anyone knows the witnesses please pass this along.  We have lost so much real data that these reports deserve to be looked into.

Face Book Page

The AOP Face Book page gets a few items posted that don't make it here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/467983846696626/?fref=nf