"The Thing"  - A UFO Flap in the 1960s wasn't anything from outer space not from nearby military bases... this was instead John Searl's amazing Levity Disc.

Below is a summary of the Warminster situation -  you can find accounts such as this speckled throughout the UK UFO literiture -  there's even whole books on the topic [its author Kevin Goodman got in touch in the comments section below] but a study of Searl's activity at this time will reveal one possible element of what was being seen at the time.

This video gives some indication of the public reaction in the 1960s in that are of England

There was testimony from local residents of 'whirring sounds' and the 'rooftops vibrating' as well as the infamous sight of pigeons falling to the ground as they came near to the energy field of this object. All the points John Searl himself has mentioned as 'side effects' associated with his levity disc flights at that time.

For more see our article and audio interview with Bradley Lockerman and the introductory article on J.R.R.S.

John Searl pictured during one of his many test launches in the 1960s after he received a degree of funding by 'a group of pensioners'. This article raises the issue we discussed with film-maker Bradley Lockerman - how come there was significant coverage by the media and other witnesses to John's launches during this period but little is found in the archives now. Did the authorities prefer the media and public  confusion of an 'alien' UFO flap to the more down-to-earth reality of Searl's levity discs?!?

The Warminster THING! - Summary account from UFOEncounters UK

One of the most memorable episodes in the British UFO experience centred on Warminster in Wiltshire. A town with a strong military presence thanks to the nearby Salisbury Plain army training grounds, in the mid 1960s it found itself at the centre of strange events.

The first sign that something unusual was afoot came in 1963 when, on several separate occasions, some householders reported hearing a horrendous noise in the sky at night. Often, they recalled fearing that The Thing, as it came to be called, was having some physical impact on their homes, shredding the roof tiles for example. Whenever they went outside to take a look afterwards, however, they would tend to find no sign of anything amiss. Sometimes, they would even ask their neighbours whether they had heard anything, only to be told that they had not.