SUFOG Newsletter No 036

Magazine Overview

This document is the 36th newsletter from the Southampton UFO Group, dated October 1993. It primarily functions as a compilation of media reports, specifically focusing on what the media had to say about UFOs in August 1992. The newsletter also includes sections on crop circle articles, unknown paper reports, magazine reviews, national newspaper coverage, and a detailed breakdown of the group's press cutting collection.

Media Reports from August 1992

The bulk of the newsletter is dedicated to listing newspaper articles from August 1992, categorized by regional newspapers. These reports cover a wide array of alleged sightings and phenomena:

• Regional Newspapers: Numerous entries detail sightings and incidents reported across various local papers. Examples include 'Ghostly Tales' (Bexhill on Sea News), 'Nurses' Disc in Sky' Riddle (Ormskirk Advertiser), 'Michael's Out of This World' (Oxford Journal), 'Family Reports a UFO Encounter?' (Warrington Guardian), 'Orange Lights in Sky' (Essex County Standard), and 'Mission to Track Info on Alien's Close Encounter' (Lothian Courier).
• Other reports mention 'UFO 'Sighting' Baffles Trio' (North Eastern Evening Gazette), 'Was Whirring, Illuminated Object a UFO?' (Chad, Mansfield), 'As I Was Saying' (Oldham Evening Chronicle), 'Now Tony Sees the Light!' (Ormskirk Advertiser), 'Mystery Heart on the Lawn' (North Devon Journal), and 'Getting to the Bottom of Those Strange Sightings in the Sky' (Folkestone Herald).
• Further reports include 'ET Comes Home to Roost' (Bolton Evening News), 'UFO Conference' (Sheffield Telegraph), 'Mystery That Is Just Out of This World!' (Western Evening Herald), 'Aliens 'Took Me From My Car'!' (Wolverhampton Express & Star), 'No Title' (Yorkshire Evening Press), and 'Secret 'ET' Papers on Show at Weekend UFO Conference' (Yorkshire Post).
• Additional regional coverage features 'E.T Was Here!' (Glasgow Daily Record), 'Flying Saucer Summit' (Bristol Journal), and 'The Earthly Reason for Flying Saucers' (Bradford Telegraph & Argus).

The newsletter continues to list media reports from mid-to-late August 1992, including 'Space Doubt' (Yorkshire Sunday Post), 'Ball of Fire Sets Off UFO Alert' (Wolverhampton Express & Star), 'Take Six: What Do You Think About UFO's?' (Edinburgh Evening News), and 'UFO Sighting: I Swear I Saw a Strange Light' (Lincolnshire Daily Echo).

Reports also mention 'Scientists Study Reports of UFO' (Western Mail), 'Dairy: Ominous' (Western Mail), 'Laser Clue to the UFO Riddle' (Western Mail), 'Meteor Showers Caused Flood of UFO Reports' (Liverpool Daily Post), 'Mystery Lights Create Alarm on the East Coast' (Aberdeen Press & Journal), and 'Meteorite Has UFO Sighting Lines Buzzing' (Western Mail).

Further regional articles include 'Heavenly Firework Display' (Holyhead & Anglesey Mail), 'Langwith UFO Could Have Been Experimental Airship' (Chad, Mansfield), 'Spotlight on Night Sky Mystery!' (Ormskirk Advertiser), 'Mystery of the 'Misty' Light' (Ormskirk Advertiser), 'Strange Sights in City's Night Sky' (Lincoln Target), 'UFO Flew at Terrific Speed' (Ammanford, Dyfed), 'Strange Blue Light Sparks UFO Theory' (North Wales Weekly News), 'A UFO or a 'Huge Rock Flying Through the Sky at Night'?' (Pembrokeshire County Echo and County Echo), 'Saucers Spotted Over City' (Bristol Journal), 'Was It a Meteorite?' (Craven Herald), and 'UFO May Have Been Meteorite' (Dudley & District Chronicle).

More sightings are documented: 'Eerie Light Seen Over Pollington' (Goole Times), ''UFO' Sparks Alert' (Lancashire Evening Post), 'UFO Expert Looks Into Sighting' (Macclesfield Messenger), 'Just a Cloud - Or Aliens?' (Westmorland Gazette), 'Casting Light on 70s UFO Mystery' (Westmorland Gazette), 'UFO Was a Wave Cloud' (Westmorland Gazette), and 'Superb Example' (Westmorland Gazette). The Peterborough Evening Telegraph published 'Paranormal Will Soon Be the Normal'.

Crop Circle Articles

This section compiles reports specifically on crop circles:

• 'Flying Saucers or an Elaborate Prank?' (Mourane Observer).
• 'Children Listen to Crop Circles' (Warminster Journal).
• 'A Strange Feeling of Deja Vu?' (Southampton Evening Echo).
• 'Mystery Crop Circle Baffles Passer-By' (Caernarvan & Denbigh Herald).
• 'Hedgehogs Cleared of Corn-Circle Demenia' (The Guardian).
• 'Mystery Uncoils' (Sussex Express).
• 'Run Around in Circles' (Southampton Evening Echo).
• 'Rolling Their Own' (Independent Magazine).

Paper Unknown

This section lists articles from sources not explicitly identified:

• 'What, No Green Men From Mars After All?' (13.8.92).
• 'Sky-Watchers Puzzled by Mystery of 'Fiery' UFO' (21.8.92).
• 'Huge Ball of Fire Light in Sky Spark ET Invaders Fear' (22.8.92).

Magazine Articles

• 'Are We Alone' featured in TIME Magazine (31.8.92).

National Newspapers

• 'Ufologists 'To Reveal' Spaceship Cover-Up' (The Guardian, 1.8.92).
• 'A Close Encounter of the Vanishing Kind' (Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, 9.8.92).
• 'Move Over ET, The Real Alien Is Here...' (The People, 9.8.92).
• 'UFO Fans Target 1947 Aliens' (Daily Telegraph, 15.8.92).
• 'U.S Tabloids' (Daily Telegraph, 22.8.92).

Press Cutting Collection

Steve Gerrard details his monthly running total of press cuttings, amounting to 6244 in total. The collection is broken down by category:

• Crop Circles: 741
• UK Nationals: 888
• UK Regionals: 2520
• Hampshire Articles: 88
• Newspaper Unknown: 623
• Magazine Articles: 230
• Rest of the World: 56
• Southampton Echo: 388
• Times (The): 136
• American Newspapers: 537
• Bermuda Triangle: 2
• Bigfoot: 4
• Philadelphia Experiment: 1
• Cattle Mutilations: 13
• Stealth Fighter/Bomber: 3
• Faces on Mars: 3
• Mystery Cats: 4
• Aurora Project: 3
• Search for ET: 2
• Loch Ness Monster: 2

General Information

Useful addresses are provided for BUFORA (Ireland) and its branch. Information is also available on approximately 300 slides from Quest International.

Press/TV/Radio Matters (15.9.93 - 15.10.93)

• GMTV (28 September): An interview with Bob Oeschler by Eamon Holmes. The editor missed the first part and found the second part not particularly enjoyable, but recommended it for Oeschler followers.
• BBC Radio 1 (7 October): An interview with Bob Oeschler. The editor missed this and requested a copy from readers.

Magazine Review

• ENIGMAS (August-September 93): Praised as a great magazine by Malcolm Robinson, covering the Japanese visit to Bonnybridge, a UFO conference in Sheffield, ghosts, and the Loch Ness monster.
• UFO (No. 12, July 93): Described as a great-looking magazine, but in Italian with no English transcription. Articles included Roswell and Russian sightings.
• UFO MAGAZINE (July/August 93, Vol. 12 No.3): Considered well-produced and presented, recommended for keeping up with ufology.
• COSMOLOGY NEWSLINK (Winter 1993): Recommended for keeping up with cosmology and space news, covering creation theories, ghosts, and dinosaurs.
• EAST MIDLANDS UFO RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (Ufo Case File 92/93): Enjoyed and recommended for its great UFO cases.
• CROP WATCHER (No. 18 July/August 93): Found to be a good magazine, but disappointing as it focused heavily on Doug Bower & Ken Brown, with little on the 1993 circle season.
• CENAP REPORT (NR30): An interesting magazine, but entirely in German. It appears to cover UFO news, sightings, and information.
• SOUTHERN PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS (SPI) (First issue): Found to be very good, covering a sky watch, UFO sightings, ghost reports, and earth lights.

Canadian UFO Landing

This section discusses a piece of film footage of an alleged UFO landing in Canada, sent to several people by someone calling themselves 'THE GUARDIAN'. The film, allegedly shot in 1991 and sent in June 1992, shows a landed saucer-shaped object with a bright light. A short section was shown at the Sheffield UFO Congress in 1993. The editor has a copy of a longer version (10 minutes) featured on an American news item called 'Hard Copy'. The footage shows what appears to be a landed saucer-shaped object with a bright light underneath and a very bright light on top that blinked. To the left, there appear to be burning bushes or trees, possibly flares marking a landing site. The American news item suggested it might be a film set. The editor is seeking updates on this footage.

UFO Film Footage Shot Over Bristol

The editor received a 3-hour video of UFO footage filmed over the Bristol area. The editor is convinced it shows the planet Venus due to its consistent appearance in the same part of the sky over a 3-hour period.

SKYNET (British Network Of Ufo Investigation and Public Information)

Following a conversation with Lee Winterson, the Bristol UFO group has changed its name to SKYNET. The network has groups in Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Mid Glamorgan, Bath, and Bristol, with area representatives. Associated groups include London UFO Studies Group and Southampton UFO Group. To join, members must share information like case reports and sightings. SKYNET plans to produce a 'SKYNET CASE BOOK' (approx. 40 pages, £2 per issue) and membership is £10 per year, including a monthly newsletter (the Case Book is extra).

UFO REPORTS (Supplied by Lee Winterson of Skynet)

• 1 Sept: South Wales: Object moved towards Caerphilly Mountain, silver with small holes emitting white light and other colours.
• 4 Sept: Dundry, Bristol: An upright cigar shape intercepted by six military jets.
• 4 Sept: Over Bristol: Pencil-shaped UFO, mistaken by some for the Virgin balloon.
• 4 Sept: A37: UFO followed a car, zig-zagged across the road, witnessed by an MOD employee.
• 16 October: Bristol: A white, star-like object appeared, stopped dead in the sky, and remained until sunrise.
• 17 October: Bristol: Numerous UFO reports.
• 18 October: Chepstow: A big military helicopter chased a large light in the sky, witnessed by an ex-RAF man.
• 19 October: Whitchurch area of Bristol: UFO with spokes observed.
• 19 October: A glowing object flew over the channel from England to Wales, seen as two white lights jumping in Swansea.

During this period, there was also an unusual amount of helicopter activity.

Crop Formations

Following the end of the crop circle season, two formations are reported:

1. July: Blansby Park, Pickering, North Yorkshire: Formation in a wheat crop, 137ft 2" long.
2. End of August: Arras Hill, Market Weighton, East Yorkshire: A Star of David formation, outer circle 51ft 6" across, star 32ft 6" wide, in a wheat field.

Editorial Notes

The editor apologizes for the late October newsletter, enclosing it with edition No. 37, due to personal reasons. The aim is to return to the usual publication date of around the 15th of the month.

NASA Accused of Wrecking £650m Space Probe

This article from THE SUN (7 October 1993) reports that 'space boffins' from a group called Mars Mission accused NASA of sabotaging the Mars Observer spacecraft to cover up evidence of past life on Mars, including an alleged city called Cydonia and pyramids. Richard Hoagland, founder of Mars Mission, believes the 'face' on Mars photographed by Viking in 1976 is artificial. NASA maintains it is a mountain.

Lost: £142m Satellite

This article from the DAILY EXPRESS (26 August 1993) reports that the Landsat 6 weather satellite, costing £142 million, was lost shortly after its launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base, California. It is the third spacecraft from the Martin Marietta Astro Space Division to disappear this year.

Is This the Wild Durham Puma?

This article from the DAILY EXPRESS (25 September 1993) features a photograph of a furry animal carrying a rabbit, taken by Philip Nixon near St John's Chapel, Co. Durham. It supports claims of a 'Durham Puma' roaming the county and savaging sheep. Mr Nixon described the animal as reddish-brown, larger than a cat, but not the size of a lion.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently focuses on UFO sightings, crop circles, and related phenomena as reported in the media. The editorial stance appears to be one of active investigation and information gathering, encouraging readers to share data and report sightings. There is a clear interest in debunking or analyzing media reports, as seen in the analysis of the Canadian UFO landing film and the Bristol footage. The inclusion of magazine reviews and the extensive press cutting collection highlights a commitment to documenting and disseminating information within the ufology community. The editor's personal notes and requests for information suggest an engaged and participatory approach to the subject matter.