Northern UFO News - No 33

Magazine Overview

Title: NORTHERN UFO NEWS
Issue: 33
Date: February 1977
Publisher: NUFON (Northern UFO Network)
Country: UK
Language: English

This issue of Northern UFO News delves into the organizational structure and future direction of British ufology, alongside detailed reports of recent sightings and encounters. The cover story, an editorial titled "Divide to unite," addresses the challenges faced by organizations like BUFORA and NUFON, advocating for specialization and a more focused approach to public relations and investigation.

Editorial: "Divide to unite"

The editorial reflects on a BUFORA public relations event held on January 8th, which was poorly attended and failed to achieve its objectives. The author, Jenny Randles, apologizes to those who did attend and suggests that BUFORA has been too broadly based. She proposes that BUFORA should concentrate on its strengths: public relations, seminars, lectures, press liaison, and publishing a high-quality journal. Randles also advocates for a network system for investigations, with NUFON controlling 99% of the work in the north and cooperating with BUFORA. A key proposal is the establishment of a "UK Investigators Agency" comprising experienced investigators to handle high-grade cases, producing detailed reports for scientific recognition. This agency's work, combined with the existing network system, would feed into a scientific institute. The author argues that specialization is essential for better performance and that this proposed scheme would lead to unification rather than division within British ufology.

News and Updates

The "NEWS" section reports that several affiliated groups have not renewed their subscriptions for 1977, with some thought to be defunct. Copies of the current issue will only be sent to groups that have contributed materially. Efforts are being made to upgrade the presentation of NUFON's data for international distribution. Sadly, the north Lincolnshire group SUFORS is reported as defunct, though Nigel Watson will continue as an individual investigator in the area. Watson is selling a 3M Dry Photo-Copier (£35) and a JANIK 4½" Reflector telescope (£40).

Upcoming events include MUFORA open meetings in Manchester and a UFOSIS public exhibition in Birmingham. A NUFON representative meeting is scheduled for February 12th, 1977, at the Imperial Hotel, Birmingham, with agenda items including the NUFON 1977 Conference, the 'UK Investigators Agency,' contingency plans for a projected Autumn 1977 'flap,' and citizens band radio.

The "OVERSEAS PUBLICATIONS LIBRARY" lists materials available from various international UFO organizations, including publications from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and the USA. The librarian, Bryan Hartley, is seeking contributions.

People, Communication & Names

Nigel Watson discusses the administration of British ufology by three amateur organizations: BUFORA, CONTACT, and NUFON, supported by local groups and general membership. He reflects on NUFON's formation in 1974 to improve communication and data sharing in the north. Watson criticizes the bureaucratic nature of some organizations, suggesting that simplicity should be employed over "impressive, chaotic, bureaucratic, ineffective administration." He defends NUFON's policy of making files available for loan or photocopy, emphasizing that material should not be hidden. Watson also notes that NUFON has never had five-hour meetings, contrary to a comment made elsewhere.

An editor's comment (ED) questions Watson's assertion that NUFON has changed for the worse and defends the availability of files. The editor hopes Watson will elaborate at the Birmingham meeting.

Previously Reported Cases

Report 76/107 is followed up, detailing a sighting by a former army officer who observed a silver circular object. The object moved slowly, then shot away at high speed. The sighting lasted three minutes and was equivalent in size to a 12" circle at 300mm.

• Current Sighting Reports:
• Report 7119 (January 1971): Mrs. Harris in Ranton, Staffs, reported a disc-shaped object hovering outside her bedroom, displaying colored lights before accelerating away.
• Series of LITS Reports from WUFOS (Merseyside and West Cheshire): Several brief reports from Runcorn, Bebbington, Eastham, St Helens, and Bromborough describe various lights and objects, including white stars, flashing stars, metallic cigar shapes, and green balls.

Detailed Reports: The Staffordshire Flap

This section details a series of reports from December 1976 in the North Midlands, termed a 'flap.'

• Report 76/116 (December 9th, 1976): Two women in Wetley Rocks saw a mass of lights hovering over a field, described as a rectangular formation of flashing orange, white, and blue lights.
• Report 76/117 (December 13th, 1976): A woman in Dunkirk observed a hovering oval object with two tiers of bright lights and a yellow/orange glow.
• Report 76/118 (December 13th, 1976): A witness in Kidsgrove saw a brilliant white light illuminating a greyish, oyster-shell shaped object with a beam of light pointing upwards, hovering near an electricity sub-station.
• Report 76/119 (December 14th, 1976): Mrs. Bebbington in Alsager saw a brown/gold semicircular object with two tiers of white lights, hovering over rooftops, with a greyish vapour-like cloud at its base.
• Report 76/120 (December 15th, 1976): A light was observed hovering and moving slowly away near Bignall End.
• Report 76/121 (December 21st, 1976): An engineer at Bignall End reported seeing a silvery sphere that dulled to orange, fragmented, and disappeared.
• Report 76/122 (December 25th, 1976): An elderly lady in Hanley saw a halo of light above three green lights moving slowly.
• Report 76/123 (December 28th, 1976): Darryl Smith saw a strange red light that appeared to hover, split into two, and then rejoin. He later saw it descending into a field, described as bullet-shaped, red on top and white below.

The report highlights the similarity of some incidents to those in 1975 and notes the involvement of electricity pylons or sub-stations in several cases.

The Fencehouses Occupant Encounter

• Report 7699 (September 3rd, 1976): Investigated by John Rouse (CONTACT).

An elderly lady (Mrs. A) and an 18-year-old witness (Miss B) reported seeing a strange object on a mound of earth in Fencehouses, County Durham. The object was described as oval, approximately 5' long and 3-3' high, with a large glass compartment and a bright orange dome, resting on sledge-like runners. During the encounter, the wind stopped, trees stopped swaying, and traffic noise disappeared. The witnesses' watches stopped.

Suddenly, two entities appeared by the object. They were doll-sized, humanoid in shape, with long white hair, large eyes, and claw-like fingers. They appeared frightened and put their hands to their faces. The object then took off at great speed with a humming noise.

Mrs. A experienced a subsequent physiological effect, finding it difficult to plug a vacuum cleaner into a socket the next day, as if an unseen force was pushing her hands back. Samples of soil and vegetation were to be analyzed for radiation.

The report notes the similarity to other 'psychic contactee' cases and suggests that the phenomenon may have the ability to make observers see what it wants them to see or what they want to see. The trance-like condition and time suspension are familiar aspects of close encounters, though the small size of the entities is unusual.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue strongly emphasizes the need for organization, specialization, and clear communication within the ufology community in the UK. The editorial stance is critical of bureaucratic inefficiencies and advocates for a more scientific and data-driven approach to UFO investigation. The magazine highlights the importance of detailed case studies and the potential for scientific recognition of the field. There is a recurring theme of comparing current events with past incidents, particularly from 1975, suggesting cyclical patterns in UFO activity ('flaps'). The publication also serves as a vital communication channel for various regional UFO groups, disseminating news, reports, and event information.