Lantern - No 14

Magazine Overview

Introduction

The Summer 1976 issue of LANTERN, Number 14, marks a significant shift in production due to financial constraints. Editor Ivan Bunn explains that the magazine has moved to a duplicated format with a lithoed cover because they could no longer afford professional litho printing services. This issue is presented as an experiment to assess the viability of this new medium, acknowledging its limitations, particularly in terms of illustrations, but expressing hope for improvement as they master stencil drawing. Bunn expresses gratitude to supporters and his wife, Lesley, for their encouragement.

Notes & Queries

This section provides updates on various groups and publications:

• The Essex UFO Study Group (EUFOSG): A non-profit organization studying UFO phenomena, publishing a bi-monthly journal. Subscription is £2 per annum. Contact: Mrs. G. Saville, 16 Raydons Road, Dagenham, Essex.
• THE NEWS/FORTEAN TIMES: This publication has changed its name from THE NEWS. Issue No. 15 includes articles on ghosts, a mutant pony, unidentified animals, and the 'Greenwich phenomenon'. Annual subscription is £3. Contact: R.J.M. Rickard, Post Office Store, Aldermaston, Berks.
• THE KEY: Published by MYSTIC FORUM, this publication covers topics like Ritual Magic and Fortune Telling. Meetings are held alternate Wednesdays at St. Margarets Hotel, East Twickenham. Contact: Forum Secretary, 64 Brookwood Road, Hounslow, Middlesex.
• EAST SUFFOLK AND NORFOLK ANTIQUARIANS (ESNA): A new group formed in Lowestoft, dedicated to the study of folklore, tradition, legend, and local history.

The magazine states that all articles are copyright of their authors or BSIG, and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of BSIG or the Editor.

LANTERN is the quarterly journal of the Borderline Science Investigation Group (BSIG), a non-profit organisation investigating unexplained phenomena in East Anglia. Annual subscription is 75p, and single copies are 19p. All enquiries should be addressed to the Editor, Ivan Bunn, 3 Dunwich Way, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 4RZ.

CHURCHYARD CHICANERY

This article details two 'ghost watches' conducted by BSIG members in Kessingland churchyard, Suffolk, investigating rumours of a 'grey lady'.

First Watch (October 14th, 1971): Two members spent the night in the churchyard. Initially stationed near a stone wall, they patrolled the grounds, including the path to the War Memorial. Around 11 pm, concerned about rain, they decided to end the watch at 11:30 pm. During a final patrol, a metallic grating sound was heard. The narrator, initially startled and running towards the church, later attributed the sound to wind causing movement in an ornamental flower holder near the path.

Second Watch (Following day): Impressed by the previous night's events, three more BSIG members joined for a second watch. They were met by the church organist and his daughter, who had heard of their plans. The night involved further patrols and observations. The grating noise was again heard and explained by the wind moving a metal tube in a flower holder. Red streaks on gravestones were identified as juice from berries on nearby Yew trees. The watch ended at 12:30 am.

The article is compiled from an official report and written by D. Fletcher.

LOCAL CURIOSITIES

This section presents several local legends:

• Jay's Hill, Sotterly, Suffolk: A spot in the hedgerow where nothing grows, said to mark the site of a servant girl's murder.
• Hadleigh Castle, Suffolk: A phantom 'white lady' is said to dance around the ramparts nightly, seeking a partner and hurling those who displease her into the moat.
• West Walton church, Norfolk: The church tower stands 70 feet from the main building, attributed to the Devil attempting to steal it.

STONED AGAIN!

This article by M. W. Burgess updates research on unusual boulder stones in East Anglia.

• Witch's Stone, Westleton: Previously thought to be gone, it is confirmed to still exist, identified as a 14th-century tombstone near the priest's door, covered by grass. Local children used it in a ritual involving running around the church.
• Chediston Stone: Located in the gardens of Rockstone Lodge, it was once 30 feet high and marked a Druidical sacrificial site. It broke when the sand-pit it stood in collapsed, and locals took pieces for their rockeries.
• Beccles Glacial Erratic: Mistakenly placed in the churchyard wall in a previous article, it is actually on a grassy bank above Pudding-moor road. It's a large slab of pitted granite (4ft x 20ft x 10 inches).
• Sacred Stone, Wortham: This stone is still in the churchyard, not moved from near the tower as previously thought. It is a jagged, irregular length of granite (30ft x 1ft x 1ft).

Burgess notes that several catalogued stones have disappeared, including the Groaning Stone (Stony Lane), a boulder near Bacton/Haughley, one on Rumburgh Common, one on Rush Green, and a 'Plague Stone' near Brome Hall (which locals deny knowledge of).

• Swaffham Boulder: In response to a previous remark about a large stone in Swaffham, Mr. Ben Ripper suggests it might be the original settlement stone of the town. It may have been moved to make way for the Market Cross and was nearly removed during district reorganisation, but Ripper successfully argued for its preservation.
• Geldeston Stone: Located in Geldeston, Suffolk, it supposedly gave the village its name. It was moved to Lodge gardens by boys and garlanded with flowers for pagan dances. One tale links it to landowners receiving taxes, another to 'Danegeld'.
• Merton Stone, Norfolk: The vicar confirmed the stone's existence, buried in a 'pit-hole' near Threxton. His grandfather, the 5th Lord Walsingham, attempted to move it with ropes, resulting in an 'erotic debauch'. A similar incident occurred with a glacial granite lump in Hartest village green, Suffolk.

Burgess speculates if these stones were part of pagan fertility rituals and might still hold power.

Editor's Note: Michael is completing a book on the Mysterious Stones of East Anglia.

Extract from Norwich Mercury (July 13th, 1872): Reports a rumour of a 'ghostly object' in Great Yarmouth churchyard, which attracted a large crowd but yielded no sighting.

The editor welcomes press cuttings and personal experiences with the unexplained.

U.F.O. REPORT

"Like a Diamond in the Sky..."

This account by Mr. L. Burrell describes a UFO sighting during his National Service in the RAF.

• Setting: The sighting occurred in mid-July 1951 at an RAF station near Church Lawford, Rugby. The main camp and 'The School' were separated by a country road. The School area included nissen huts and administrative buildings, surrounded by rural scenery.
• The Sighting: While on guard duty, Burrell observed a bright, flashing light in the clear blue sky, brighter than the sun. The light appeared to be a tiny pin-point, flashing on and off at one-second intervals. It descended slowly, appearing to turn and flash as sunlight reflected off its angled sides. The object hovered over trees behind the School buildings.
• Bird Reaction: Birds that had been singing and flying around the trees suddenly flew towards the UFO, then rapidly away, screeching. The area became silent until the object disappeared.
• Object Characteristics: The object descended to about 500 feet, at a distance of 200-300 yards. It was estimated to be between 5 and 10 feet long and 3 to 6 feet wide in the middle. It looked silver and metallic with a high gloss, possibly like a diamond cutter's work.
• Ascent and Duration: The UFO ascended slowly, still turning and flashing, and disappeared out of sight after about 25 minutes. The last sign was a tiny speck of light.
• Explanations: Burrell ruled out balloons, as they do not spin and flash regularly. A check with the nearest RAF weather station provided no explanation. He felt that reporting the sighting took courage due to the unusual nature of UFOs at the time.
• Coincidence: About 10 years prior to writing, Burrell read about a similar diamond-shaped object sighting by a USAF member in 1951, described as possibly a remote-controlled camera device.
• Possible Connection: Burrell speculates that the object might have been attracted to the airfield because the perimeter tracks were used to store earth-moving plant and equipment recovered from the 'Ground Nut Scheme', a governmental project. He suggests a similar shadow pattern from the air could have attracted attention from extraterrestrials, and wonders if a US base used for mothballed WWII aircraft might have presented a similar pattern.
• Current Status: The airfield is now encroached upon by a motorway and new houses, making further UFO visits improbable.

BOOK REVIEW

WEEKEND BOOK OF GHOSTS (Published by Associated Newspapers Group):

This paperback contains over 40 'stranger-than-fiction stories' gleaned from WEEKEND magazine. Presented in a potted form, they are described as authentic accounts of the inexplicable, covering ghosts, witchcraft, and precognition. The book is well-illustrated with photographs, some claimed to be of genuine apparitions. It is considered entertaining, thought-provoking, and good value for 60p.

BE ALINGS BELLS AND OTHERS

This article by W. C. Chambers recounts historical cases of paranormal bell-ringing.

• Great Bealings, Suffolk (1834): Major Edward Moor reported his dining room bell ringing three times. Later, five kitchen bells rang in peals for over two hours. These rings continued violently for 54 days, with no explanation found despite efforts to tamper with the wires.
• Greenwich Hospital (September 30th, 1834): Lieutenant William Rivers R.N. reported bells in his apartments ringing at intervals for several days. The wires were cut, and clappers tied, but the bells continued to shake violently. The ringing ceased on October 3rd, 1834.
• Comberiand, Suffolk (July 1836): Mrs. Castle reported a sitting room bell ringing loudly for half an hour, followed by similar occurrences with nearly all bells in the house. The bells rang even more violently when a bell-hanger was present. Disconnected wires continued to shake during the night.

Major Moor published a book on his experiences. The cases are also detailed in Lt. Commander Rupert T. Gould's book 'Enigmas!'.

Postscript: Peter Underwood's 'A Gazetteer of British Ghosts' (1971) states the bells at Bealings House are still hanging but disconnected. A 1974 trip by the Editor and two BSIG members to Great Bealings was unsuccessful in gaining access to photograph the bells due to restoration work.

Future Issue Teaser: The Autumn edition will include a pamphlet from 1647 titled 'A SIGNE FROM HEAVEN: OR A REAREFULL AND TERRIBLE NOISE HEARD IN THE AYRE AT ALDBOROW IN THE COUNTER OF SUFFOLK'.

NEWS ROUND-UP

• Further Investigations at Anchor Hotel, Lowestoft: Following an all-night vigil in the hotel cellars (reported in Lantern 13), BSIG members attempted to recreate mysterious footsteps heard. While they could not replicate footsteps from the street above, they could distinguish footsteps from people walking on the wooden floor behind the bar. This is suggested as a possible explanation, except that the bar was securely locked at the time of the original hearing.
• Off to Borley!: The Psychical Research Section of BSIG is planning a visit to Borley church and the Rectory site in July. They hope to set up equipment and spend the night in the church. This will be a joint venture with the Lowestoft and Cambridge branches.
• First Chairman of BSIG Appointed: At a meeting on May 14th, BSIG underwent internal reorganisation and appointed Dr. P.O. Johnson as its first Chairman. Other appointments included R. Goldsmith (Membership Secretary), Maurice Owen (UFO Research Liaison Officer), Robert Gooch (Psychical Research Liaison Officer), Ivan Bunn and Nigel Pennick (Branch Secretaries).
• Expanding: These appointments reflect the BSIG's rapid expansion over the past year. Michael Burgess announced his resignation from BSIG to form ESNA, but ESNA was affiliated to BSIG.

Publications Mentioned:

• Megalithic Visions Antiquarian Papers:
• Nr. II, THE GEOMANCY OF GLASTONBURY ABBEY (25p)
• Nr. 12, NEW ENGLAND WITCHCRAFT (30p)
• INSTITUTE OF GEOMANTIC RESEARCH:
• Nr. 3 CENTRAL EUROPEAN GEOFANCY (75p)
• Nr. 4 W.H. BLACK PIONEER OF GEOMANTIC RESEARCH (40p)

These are available from Fenris Wolf/IGR, 142 Pheasant Rise, Bar Hill, Cambs. CB3 8SD.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of LANTERN are UFO sightings, ghost investigations, local folklore, and historical accounts of unexplained phenomena. The editorial stance, as indicated by the content and the editor's introduction, is one of open inquiry into the unexplained, with a practical approach to investigation and a willingness to explore diverse aspects of the paranormal and mysterious. The magazine aims to document and share these findings with its readers, encouraging participation and contributions.