South Lincs UFO Study Group Newsletter - No 38 - 1972

Magazine Overview

This document is issue number 38 of the 'SOUTH LINCS. U.F.O. STUDY GROUP NEWSLETTER', dated February 1972. The cover features hand-drawn sketches by Mr. Dillon illustrating an object observed moving in a seemingly sideways direction, with labels for 'SIDE' and 'TOP'. The main headline on the cover is 'OBJECT MOVED IN SEEMINGLY SIDEWAYS DIRECTION.'

Ufo Over Manchester

This section details a follow-up investigation by Kevin Stevens of the Manchester Ufo Research Association into letters published in a local paper regarding UFO sightings. The report reproduces letters from J. Glanville and Mrs. E. Atkins, followed by a letter from K.J. Dillon and his drawing of the object seen.

First Letter: Manchester Evening News, 27th May 1971

J. Glanville reported seeing an object or lights in the sky at approximately 11:30 PM on Saturday, May 15th, 1971. The night was clear and starry. Glanville described the object as diamond-shaped, either surrounded by light or glowing at each corner. It moved slowly and steadily, 'almost as if floating but seemingly with a set course,' across the sky. Glanville noted it was too slow to be a plane, and its lights were not the typical green and red of an aircraft. No sound was detected. Glanville wondered if it was a balloon or another floating object and saw it from the Withington district.

Second Letter: Manchester Evening News, 1st June 1971

Mrs. E. Atkins, along with her husband and a few other people, confirmed seeing the same object on the same date and time mentioned by Glanville. They observed it very close as it moved slowly over Withington baths, heading towards Withington village. They expressed curiosity about what the object was.

Letter from Mr. Dillon: Manchester Evening News, 8th June 1971

K.J. Dillon added his testimony, stating he also saw the 'glowing object' and initially dismissed it. He was interested to hear that others had seen the UFO at approximately the same time, finding relief in not feeling alone in his experience. From a brief glimpse, Dillon described the object as glowing brilliantly and hovering about '2 o'clock high' before disappearing in the direction of Wilmslow Road. He humorously questioned if they were 'due for a visitation from the little green men?' Dillon stated the object was roughly the size of a grapefruit held at arm's length. This section is credited to Kevin Stevens/UFO NEWS.

Mystery Zeppelins

This report, compiled by UFO NEWS staff with outside help, details sightings of 'whitish pink floating objects'.

Albert C. Umbridge's Sighting

Mr. Albert C. Umbridge of Bath Road, Mitcham, Surrey, reported seeing several whitish pink floating objects twice on the evening of September 29th, 1970. His sighting was similar to those of three girls who saw much the same thing nearby two days later. Umbridge described the first sighting as two objects very high in the sky, contrasting with the 'very low' altitude of other cases. He claimed they were most probably over the local ground, clearly outlined, and not planes due to the absence of noise.

About six minutes later, while driving down Western Road, Umbridge saw four or five similar pinkish objects much lower to the ground but travelling faster, approximately at his speed of 32 mph. From his van, he noticed they were moving with a 'detectable swaying motion'. He described them as looking like rugby balls with an exaggerated pronunciation of length, reminding him of WWI Zeppelins, though not as large.

This second sighting occurred between Western Road, Bond Road, and Portland Road, while the first was further back in Western Road. The second sighting lasted roughly half a minute or a few seconds longer.

The Girls' Experience

Two of the girls who saw the objects on October 1st wrote to UFO NEWS, stating they could not get the experience out of their minds and could not sleep until their doctor prescribed stronger sleeping pills. Both Ronda Stuart and Bandra Greene, from neighbouring houses, told UFO NEWS that they had been unable to concentrate for long and suffered a 'travel sickness feeling' for the first two days after the incident.

Other Witnesses

Miss Pat Hurst, a typist, reported a headache the morning after her sighting but nothing since. Mr. Umbridge, aged 37, stated he had felt nothing unusual.

Previous Incident

Previously, Alan Goole, a 30-year-old resident of Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, told UFO NEWS that he knew of a time when two young boys reported seeing two objects in roughly the same area. While exact details were unavailable, Goole, who appeared truthful, placed the event sometime before Christmas 1966. This information was supplied by Doug French, a UFO NEWS subscriber.

Premature Landing

This report, attributed to N. Watson, discusses an event during the falling sphere program at Fort Churchill, USA. Just before lift-off, the nose cone of a rocket ejected prematurely, causing an enclosed sphere to fall to the ground. The launch crew in a blockhouse were unaware of this fact and launched the rocket, receiving and then losing signals from the sphere. Meanwhile, a member of the launch crew found the sphere outside the blockhouse. Upon its return, the launch crew received strong signals from the sphere, and were surprised to find it had been recovered.

Sky People

Also attributed to N. Watson, this section describes an encounter in Mosjoen, Norway. Two young ladies picking berries encountered a dark man with shaggy hair who emerged from bushes. They found him friendly, but he spoke rapidly in a language they could not understand, despite them understanding English. He drew pictures of flying saucers and pointed to the sky, leading them to believe he was from outer space. The story gained widespread newspaper attention. A few days later, it was discovered that this 'Martian' was a US Air Force helicopter pilot with NATO in Norway who had become lost. The reason the women did not understand him was because he was from Brooklyn.

Once In A Blue Moon

This short piece explains that a 'blue moon' can occur due to the diffraction of light through high clouds of dust or smoke, such as from volcanic eruptions or forest fires, which can change the color of the sun and moon to green or blue. Examples cited are the Krakatoa eruption in 1883 and a British Columbia forest fire in September 1950.

Deep-sea mystery is solved

This article, referencing 'Time & Tide 2-8.12.65', reports that a British oceanographer and a US counterpart have solved a deep-sea mystery. Using deep-sea cameras, they discovered that strange animal burrows and tracks on the ocean floor, some a foot in diameter, were caused by Enteropneust or Acorn Worms. The oceanographers, Professor Bruce Heezen (Columbia University) and Dr. Donald Bourne (Cambridge University), published their findings in 'Science'. A photograph taken in the South Pacific clearly showed a track and the responsible animal.

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Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter primarily focuses on UFO sightings and related phenomena, presenting witness testimonies and investigative reports. There is a clear interest in documenting and sharing accounts of unexplained aerial objects and encounters. The inclusion of diverse reports, from local sightings to international incidents and even explanations for natural phenomena like 'blue moons' and deep-sea discoveries, suggests a broad scope within the ufology and mystery reporting context. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging reader participation and presenting information without overt skepticism, though some reports are presented with a degree of factual explanation (e.g., the 'Sky People' incident). The inclusion of the 'Deep-sea mystery' and 'Once In A Blue Moon' pieces suggests an interest in broader scientific mysteries alongside UFO phenomena.