Story of 'British Roswell' lacks verifiable evidence
By: Aaron Sakulich
Issue date: 8/24/07 Section: Ed-Op
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:59 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:58 AM EST
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:59 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:58 AM EST
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England is an exotic land of mystery. The English eat parts of animals I'd never consider putting in my mouth. Some of their groceries are named specifically after genitalia and their secret agents are continually impregnating the women of the world. Americans prefer broken beer bottles at the bar; they prefer top hats and pistols at dawn. Yet, our two countries have something in common: UFO enthusiasts seize on the flimsiest evidence and hold it up as proof that space monsters from beyond the moon are visiting the earth.
Take, for instance the "British Roswell," wherein a handful of military policemen spotted lights coming from a forest outside an airbase. It is, apparently, one of the "premier cases" of the UFO field, and it's got some enormous holes in it.
It all began Dec. 26, 1980. Early in the morning five men guarding the Royal Air Force base at Woodbrige, bordering the Rendlesham forest, spotted lights that they originally thought belonged to a downed aircraft and went out to investigate.
There were a number of lights: red, blue and white, and they seemed to be flashing on and off. The five men went into the woods with radio equipment to stay in contact with headquarters; however, they began having problems (which the UFO enthusiast will quickly attribute to radiation from a flying saucer) so they set up a relay with one man staying at their vehicle.
So the men wander into the forest looking for a crashed light aircraft. The air was full of strange things: they could hear a sound like a woman screaming, noise from nervous farm animals and they got the impression that all the wildlife in the area was going crazy. They never got close enough to get a clear look at what it was, but one of the men, Penniston, claimed that he could see a triangular landing gear in the air above him as the object moved away. Over at the airbase, the ranking officer, Col. Halt, spotted three lights on the horizon that moved around and changed colors, as well as one that just blinked. The men were unable to determine what the object in the forest was, and the good colonel was unable to get a radar fix on the objects in the distance, so both groups chose the same course of action: they gave up and went home.
Take, for instance the "British Roswell," wherein a handful of military policemen spotted lights coming from a forest outside an airbase. It is, apparently, one of the "premier cases" of the UFO field, and it's got some enormous holes in it.
It all began Dec. 26, 1980. Early in the morning five men guarding the Royal Air Force base at Woodbrige, bordering the Rendlesham forest, spotted lights that they originally thought belonged to a downed aircraft and went out to investigate.
There were a number of lights: red, blue and white, and they seemed to be flashing on and off. The five men went into the woods with radio equipment to stay in contact with headquarters; however, they began having problems (which the UFO enthusiast will quickly attribute to radiation from a flying saucer) so they set up a relay with one man staying at their vehicle.
So the men wander into the forest looking for a crashed light aircraft. The air was full of strange things: they could hear a sound like a woman screaming, noise from nervous farm animals and they got the impression that all the wildlife in the area was going crazy. They never got close enough to get a clear look at what it was, but one of the men, Penniston, claimed that he could see a triangular landing gear in the air above him as the object moved away. Over at the airbase, the ranking officer, Col. Halt, spotted three lights on the horizon that moved around and changed colors, as well as one that just blinked. The men were unable to determine what the object in the forest was, and the good colonel was unable to get a radar fix on the objects in the distance, so both groups chose the same course of action: they gave up and went home.
Ian Ridpath
posted 8/26/07 @ 7:18 AM EST
Greetings from good ole England.
You summarize the problems with the "British Roswell" very well. Those who want to look into the case in more detail can find it here:
http://www. (Continued…)