Lantern - No 11

Magazine Overview

Title: LANTERN
Publisher: Borderline Science Investigation Group (BSIG)
Issue Date: Winter 1974/1975 (implied by content)
Country: England
Language: English

This issue of Lantern magazine delves into various unexplained phenomena, with a strong focus on local reports from East Anglia. The publication is a non-profit endeavor by BSIG, dedicated to investigating the paranormal.

In This Issue

The cover highlights several key topics: 'Mysterious Stones' (page 2), 'Local Curiosities' (page 4), 'Aldeby UFOs' (page 4), '19th Century Spookery' (page 7), 'Biorhythms & Psi' (page 8), and 'Book Reviews' (page 9), along with a 'News Roundup' (page 10).

Introduction

The 'Introduction' section announces the publication of the booklet 'Haunted Lowestoft' by BSIG, available for 40p. It also serves as a 'notice board' for readers, featuring requests for information on pre-Norman Conquest crosses, details about other paranormal publications like 'The Wessex UFO Record' and 'Mystic Forum', and a call for electroencephalograph/cardiograph access for dowsing experiments. Several publications from Nigel Pennick's 'Megalithic Visions Antiquarian Papers' are listed, alongside 'Watsup Journal' from the Wessex Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomena, and a publication on 'Principles of Prehistoric Sacred Geography'. The section concludes with information on 'The Ley Hunter' magazine.

Mysterious Stones

Authored by M.W. Burgess, this section details various mysterious stones found in East Anglia. It revisits the 'Ox-Foot Stone' in South Lopham, Norfolk, recounting a legend involving a cow and a spilled pail. The article then describes conglomerate stones in Suffolk, including those at Chelsworth, Drakestone Green, and Kersey. The 'Chediston Stone' in Suffolk is also detailed, noted for its stratified appearance and potential glacial origin. Legends of St. Chedd preaching from the stone are mentioned. The article also touches upon the bases of four crosses in Hemsby, Norfolk, and a boulder found in the churchyard. A 'Dragon's Stone' near Norwich Cathedral and a 'Plague Stone' near Brome are also discussed. Further examples include the 'Gull Stones' at Gorleston, the 'Witches Stone' in Westleton (now disappeared), a mounting-block at Barnby, and a large boulder at Merton. The author recounts finding numerous unusual boulders during a cycling tour of North and North-east Norfolk, including a painted granite stone at Winterton-on-Sea and others at Ingham, Dilham, Honing, Mill Briggate, Kelling, Salthouse, and Beeston Regis. These stones are suggested to have served various historical purposes, from pagan altars to milestones, and have gathered legends over time. The article also revisits the legend of two stones at Sheringham, Norfolk, said to run across the road when a cock crows, and their connection to a farmhouse and a ghost story from a previous issue. Finally, the 'Druid's Stone' in Bungay, Suffolk, is mentioned, with a ritual game associated with it.

Local Curiosities

This section presents several intriguing local oddities. A carved wooden figure from the Six Bells pub in Braintree, Essex, is described, with a superstition that it returns to the river for a drink at midnight. Four stone figures on the tower of a ruined church at Whitlingham, Norfolk, are said to walk around the tower at midnight, visible only to unmarried people. In Dilham, Norfolk, a large, deep hole known as 'Seagar-ma-hole' is traditionally believed to be the 'Fairies Bay'. The section also includes a 'Looking for Someone!' notice, seeking members for BSIG meetings and offering back issues of Lantern.

UFOs Over Aldeby

• This report focuses on UFO sightings in the Aldeby area, a small parish on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. It details several well-attested reports:
• November 1964: Mr. Wright saw a fast-spinning, featureless disc, the size of the moon but 1.5 times larger, moving slowly and silently over Aldeby.
• Autumn 1967: John Rand heard a 'heavy vibrating noise' and saw a huge saucer-shaped object with a bulge and dome hovering over an orchard.
• August 1972: An Aldeby man observed a 'telegraph pole shaped' object with 10-15 white lights moving fast and silently from Great Yarmouth to Beccles.
• February/March 1973: 10-year-old Tina Ward saw a bright, luminous disc fly noiselessly over her home, hover over a sand quarry, and then fly off swiftly.

The report notes similarities in these sightings, including lights and humming noises, and suggests a preference for orchards and sand-quarries among the objects. It also mentions earlier reports from 1955 of a silver, disc-shaped object over Beccles, and a sighting by Mr. Alfred Crisp and Mr. Charles Bennet in 1963 of a 'long dark object'. More recent reports from January 1974 include boys seeing a cigar-shaped object near Beccles Common and a Lowestoft family observing a 'metallic-gold' object followed by a large cigar-shaped object.

19th Century Spookery

This article recounts a detailed haunting that allegedly occurred near South Town Station at Great Yarmouth in January 1860, based on a report from the Norwich Mercury. The ghost was initially seen practicing 'gambols' and was thought to be Mrs. Bendysh. It later appeared as a 'Will o' the Wisp' and then as a large black dog with a chain. In the engine house of the East Suffolk Railway, it took the form of a white dog. The ghost also frightened cattle and was seen as a dark shadow, revealing itself to be a humble shepherd. The report details an incident where an engine cleaner named Macdonald claimed to be beaten by the ghost, which appeared in a cow skin with horns, accompanied by a friend in white. Despite Macdonald's claims, a surgeon found no marks of violence. The ghost was also seen pointing at a bleeding heart. The police were involved, and BSIG has decided not to investigate this particular case.

Biorhythms & Psi

Authored by Ron Hill, this section explores experiments investigating a potential relationship between parapsychological (Psi) phenomena and biorhythmic cycles. The article outlines three main cycles: Sensitivity (28 days), Intellectual (33 days), and Physical (23 days). 'Critical days' are identified as periods when accidents are more likely to occur, with a Japanese Air Police report cited stating 67% of 72 accidents happened on pilots' critical days. The author describes experiments where he and other BSIG members attempted to correlate biorhythmic cycles with Psi abilities. By recording daily 'predictions' and 'hunches', and comparing them with actual events, the author found a correlation between his critical biorhythmic days and the occurrence of these events. Further tests involving a secretary guessing numbers and colors also yielded significant results, including a successful prediction of a letter arriving for the secretary. The article concludes by mentioning further impromptu tests using Zener cards at a BSIG meeting, which also showed scores above chance for a member whose Intellectual and Physical cycles were critical.

Book Reviews

HAUNTED LONDON by Peter Underwood (Fontana, 60p): This paperback edition compiles classic ghost stories, including tales of Samuel Pepys haunting a house in Buckingham Street and numerous haunted theatres. It also mentions East Anglian ghosts like Anne Boleyn and Dick Turpin. The review notes historical facts about Westminster Abbey and questions the treatment of Hastings' wounded at St. Bartholomew's Hospital.

FLYING SAUCERS OVER THE WEST by A.W. Bearne (Paignton 1968): This pamphlet is praised for its focus on factual accounts of UFO sightings rather than theory. The reviewer highlights Mr. Bearne's own sighting on October 30th, 1950, and his subsequent twelve-year effort to collect UFO stories from friends, the press, and local sources, including cases from Ipswich and Cambridge. The evidence is presented plainly and is considered impressive.

News Roundup

This section reports on the formation of a three-way link-up between BUFORA, CUUFORG, and BSIG to create a 'clearing house' for UFO reports from Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and parts of South Norfolk. BSIG will act as the central point for receiving and filing reports. The network aims for comprehensive coverage and hopes to involve other UFO research groups.

GHOSTS AT FAKENHAM: BSIG's Psychical Research Section is investigating a haunting at Pudding Norton, Norfolk, involving a female figure seen by Mrs. Able and Mrs. Remington. Mrs. Able also reported an apparition of a man and experienced her hair standing on end as if being strangled by a crucifix. The flats are built on the site of a WWII Italian POW chapel, which BSIG is investigating.

(EDITORS NOTE): A full report on the Fakenham haunting is promised for the Winter edition of Lantern.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of Lantern consistently explores the unexplained, with a strong emphasis on local phenomena in East Anglia. The magazine serves as a platform for reporting UFO sightings, ghost stories, and other paranormal occurrences, often drawing from personal accounts and investigations by BSIG and affiliated groups. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting detailed reports and encouraging reader participation through 'notice board' sections and calls for information. The magazine also engages with historical accounts and folklore, linking them to contemporary unexplained events. The inclusion of book reviews and news roundups further broadens the scope of paranormal and Fortean topics covered.