"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.
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?!?
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.
At this stage, no one had ever seen The Thing. It was an entirely
auditory phenomenon. Word of the incidents soon spread till the
existence of The Thing became common knowledge in Wiltshire. Journalist
Arthur Shuttlewood wrote about The Thing in the local newspaper, The
Warminster Journal. Increasingly, he became a focal point for the
strange goings-on in the town. People who had experienced anything out
of the ordinary would contact him to tell about it; and any outsiders
who wanted to hear the latest buzz would make their way to him.
Initially, no connection was made between The Thing and UFOs. It was
regarded as nothing more than a weird phenomenon which had not yet been
explained. After the first sightings of The Thing in late 1964,
however, the UFO interpretation became dominant.
Most eye witnesses described seeing a seething ball of light in the
sky, often surrounded by some kind of smoke or cloud, and emitting
something like sparks of crackling light. One, a man named Gordon
Faulkner, even claimed to have photographed it. This amazing image,
showing what appears to be a circular craft or a saucer-shaped craft
flying on its side, was published in the national press and helped draw
attention to what was going on in the town. Debate continues about
whether or not this famous photograph is authentic. In the 1990s, one
man claimed to have helped Faulkner fake it. Faulkner denied this,
however, and said he did not know the man.
Word of the strange events in Warminster spread nationwide and soon it
became a place of pilgrimage for seekers after truth. There were
nightly vigils on Cradle Hill, where strangers would stand, scouring
the skies for saucers, listening to the voice of Arthur Shuttlewood as
he guided the visitors’ interpretations of what they saw. Many of these
people claimed to have seen UFOs for themselves during these
sky-watching sessions.
Events in Warminster seemed to mesh perfectly with the dominant flower
power ethic of the time. Here were the Space Brothers, perhaps
preparing to make open contact for the first time and usher in a New
Age for humanity. Warminster continued to be a focal point for UFO
reports until the mid 1970s. Although some still claim to see UFOs
there today, sightings are nothing like as common as they were before.
The Warminster UFO Experience in Perspective
Other than alien vehicles, the most obvious explanations for the
strange events in Warminster relate to the military. Salisbury Plain is
the largest military training ground in the UK. It is used almost daily
for live fire exercises including artillery barrages and aircraft
bombing runs. Perhaps these accounted for some of the strange sounds or
curious lights in the sky. Yet the area had been used for military
training since the 19th century. The local population must have grown
used to this. Why, then, should they become so alarmed by the sights
and sounds only in the mid 1960s?
Those seeking paranormal explanations point to the prevalence of
ancient monuments and mystical sites in the area surrounding
Warminster. Even the army training area contains several ancient
barrows (or burial grounds). Could modern UFO activity in some way
relate to these ancient sites? Some believe that UFOs or their
occupants were worshipped as gods by primitive peoples. Perhaps
Warminster has been a centre of strange activities for centuries.
Conclusion
Unlike many UFO encounters which today are more celebrated, the
Warminster flap was sustained for almost ten years and involved
thousands of witnesses in total. It deserves to be remembered as one of
the most fascinating chapters in the history of British ufology.
» 7 Comments
7"Admin" at Wednesday, 08 July 2009 17:50by davID
There will be a recorded audio session on the Warminster issue and its links to John R Searl when we talk to researcher Kevin Goodman in the coming weeks.
6"Interview" at Monday, 29 June 2009 07:07by Kevin Goodman
Hi. Yes, will do. Please contact me via the website link if you wish to go ahead. All the best,
Kevin
5"Admin" at Sunday, 28 June 2009 23:13by davID
Do you want to do a recorded session discussing the Warminster issue Kevin?
Afraid I have not read your book but I knew it was out there.
4"Warminster" at Saturday, 27 June 2009 19:28by Kevin Goodman
Please visit the UFO Warminster website at www.ufo-warminster.co.uk for a detailed [but by far not complete] overview of the phenomeon. You may also like to visit www.mystical-county.org.uk for details of the forthcoming "weird '09" event to be held in Warminster
3Comment at Tuesday, 09 June 2009 15:11by davID
Can you explain a bit more than that Rod?
Are you saying there was BOTH going on?
davID
2"2 comment" at Tuesday, 09 June 2009 14:58by rod
go to amazon and get the books by ARTHUR SHUTTLEWOOD ...its much more complicated than that...
1"flap" at Friday, 05 June 2009 20:43by Mark t
I think when you look into this you'll find there is additional evidence of sightings/objects as well as what Searl was supposedly launching in the area at the time.
A whole book has been written on this - by a UK researcher - I'll dig out his name and post it back here.
mark
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