I had been invited
to speak at the recent Rendlesham Incident UFO conference at Woodbridge Hall,
Suffolk, England in September 2011.
Having attended
the previous 30th anniversary with the main joint presentation focused around
James Penniston and John Burroughs, two key security police witnesses who were involved in parts of the major sequence of events in 1980. Having joined
the party at the now famous East Gate checkpoint at the now de-militarised
base at night time after the conference to listen to their further accounts
after the conference, I realised that it was time to visit the area
during daylight.
Matt Lyons at East Gate
My mother
accompanied me on the journey early enough to view the Rendlesham forest area
before going onto the Woodbridge conference to listen and then speak later in
the evening. We arrived at the Rendlesham Forest visitor centre in the
mid-afternoon and set out on the UFO marked trail path route.
We proceeded along
the marked pathway that lead along the logging and cleared path ways towards
the East Gate. This was my first time to see the UFO sighting areas during
daylight.
It was an overcast
day but with good illumination from a slowly clearing sky to the south, which
brightened the area up with breaks the cloud and the slightest drizzle
intermittent on few occasions.
We explored the
path that leads to the marked area where the first nights UFO occurred,
documented by James Penniston and the accompanying John Burroughs on this
first encounter sequence of events. I was aware that the forest now bore
little resemblance to the original tree lines, since countless tree felling
and the 1987 hurricane had all significantly changed the landscape and
surroundings. However, the pine forest still retains much of its density,
with new areas growing to the original tree heights in some areas.
After some camera
shots were taken of the East Gate and then the landing site, we had
progressed to the small clearing which opened out into the large field, which
offered a wide view of the other widely known field, part of the second
nights incidents and focus of Larry Warrens main incident point as described
in his account, ‘Left at East Gate’ (co-written with Peter Robbins, revised
edition in print).
On looking
directly towards the lone farmhouse, central as a marking in the field in the
mid-distance, we noted no birds or typically identifiable flying craft of any
description. My mother noted the quiet stillness with no whirr of
micro-lites, helicopter or any type of aircraft noise.
We were interested
to observe the soon to be decommissioned Orford Ness lighthouse but it was
slightly misty in respect of longer distance vision towards the horizon
line.
After 2 minutes of
observance and looking across the opening, we noticed a small blip in the
distance to the airfield direction of the field at a left bearing. By pure
good fortune, it happened to be just when my mother happened to be taking
some pictures with camera already poised across the wide rural field
panorama.
I had recommend
her to focus on this area and one shot was taken and I asked her to pause as
the object disappeared a few seconds after the picture was taken of the UFO.
We waited to see
if this object would make reappearance in any way, perhaps making some
manoeuvres which might reveal more conventional angles of a typical object we
get to investigate and are so often able to identify.
After five minutes, some additional pictures were taken whilst scanning the skies left to
right across the field expanse. No other objects were seen, with no birds in
flight or other aerial objects.
The rest of the
UFO trail was completed and was mostly a tracking back to the forest visitor
centre. We had to wait until the following day to get a closer look at the
object captured on this afternoon’s encounter, as my mother’s camera did not
have a substantial LED review window pane on this particular camera design
she owned.
On attendance and
speaking at the conference at Woodbridge, I decided to refrain from
mentioning this at the time, as I was certain we had both seen something
which would later be explained as a typical object. The following day, the
camera card was downloaded and we were both surprised to see that the object
retained a high degree of strangeness, even after many phases of
magnification.
The object can be
seen to be of a rounded disc shape with some light distortions on the outer
edges. This can be seen clearly before the pixels go to the extreme. There
are hints of feint lines on the upper top centre of this daylight disc but
they are so slight as to not give any further clues.
With the scope for
all sorts of new drone technology and perhaps even advanced light reactive
fuselages, this could offer a possible explanation for the object.
Our photographic
expert Mark Easen comments further on this object after an extensive study and
a possible theory:
“The chameleon
active camouflage has certainly been in development (and perhaps use) for
many years now. I remember seeing a demonstration of it working on tanks on
'tomorrow’s world' or similar many years ago. Miniature cameras detect
whatever is 'behind' the object then 'project' this image onto the 'front'
face (easy with 'flat screen TV technology'), making the object literally
'disappear' from view at will.
If they can do
that I'm sure they can play about with the colouring i.e. the other report I
found on the internet of an exact same shape object as this, but in orange
not silver. It could easily have been done electronically and autonomously
from within the UAV or remotely by a distant controller. I maintain that
whilst this possible theory is robust and could easily be found to be
correct, I do agree that it cannot be definitively proven and thus the object
must still remain UFO- not IFO.”
We all agree to
remain open on this but it is difficult to attribute this to an insect and we
checked the camera functions. The lens was free of dust and anything that
could cause a distortion. The second shot taken about 2 minutes afterwards
towards the right of the field did not reproduce any repeat of any possible
lens problem. We also checked the whole sequence of shots leading up to and
after the sighting and no image featured in any of the complete sequence that
would indicate a consistent camera fault or repeat image related to the
photography.
I would have been
quite content to spend a whole lifetime without having the opportunity to
capture an object considered as a candidate for the UFO category. To have a
photograph taken anywhere of a UFO is an uncommon event but for this to be
right in the line of sight of the second nights activity at the Rendlesham
UFO case of 1980 was highly unexpected. For case to occur three hours before
a UFO conference anywhere was surprising, more so exactly over the location
of one of the areas involved in what has become the most famous U.K. case.
Your further
thoughts on an explanation for this object are welcome and I count myself one
of the lucky few to have personally photographed an anomalous object, having
been in just the right place and right time.
Thanks to Mark
Easen and Heather Dixon for their views and thoughts on this photograph,
especially for looking into possible causes such as micro-light flights,
kites and other possible causes. For now, this will remain as a sighting at
the location of the Rendlesham Forest UFO incident, 30 years after the
original events unfolded.
The forest is
known for many strange events preceding the 1980’s and right through the
decades until most recent times, including reports of aircraft
instrumentation problems, radar images that defy normal plane movements and
host of other anomalous reports.
As far the famous
incident is concerned, we have just learned of a new witness who was a taxi
driver. He had been transporting personnel from private dwelling to
Bentwaters air base and both car occupants witnessed a large object, just a
few hours before the second nights incidents had begun to unfold in the early
hours the following morning.
If fixed cameras
were employed around the area in the same way they have been used in project
Hessdalen in Norway, what may further be captured of interest in a forest and
area well known for its disproportionate high strangeness events?
For now this new
sighting photograph remains in the UFO category.
Matt Lyons
Chairman
With kind
assistance of Heather Dixon and Mark Easen, Investigation Coordinators
October 2011 |