About 40 years ago, in December 1980, the remote Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk, UK, was the scene of one of the most famous purported UFO sightings in history. The strange events occurred just outside RAF Woodbridge (USAF base) and were carefully described and witnessed by the deputy base commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt. The weird sky phenomenon is the most famous of claimed UFO events to have happened in the United Kingdom, also known as “Britain’s Roswell.”
So what did happen?
Around 03:00 on 27 December, 1980, a security patrol near the east gate of RAF Woodbridge saw lights apparently descending into nearby Rendlesham Forest.
Servicemen initially thought it was a downed aircraft but, upon entering the forest to investigate they saw, according to Halt’s memo, what they described as a glowing object, metallic in appearance, with coloured lights.
As they attempted to approach the object, it appeared to move through the trees, and “the animals on a nearby farm went into a frenzy.” One of the servicemen, Sergeant Jim Penniston, later claimed to have encountered a “craft of unknown origin” while in the forest.
Shortly after 04:00 local police were called to the scene but reported that the only lights they could see were those from the Orford Ness lighthouse, some miles away on the coast.
After daybreak on the morning of December 27, servicemen returned to a small clearing near the eastern edge of the forest and found three small impressions on the ground in a triangular pattern, as well as burn marks and broken branches on nearby trees.
At 10:30 the local police were called out again, this time to see the impressions, which they thought could have been made by an animal.
Related book: Learn the true story about the Rendlesham Forest incident
The deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel (LC) Charles Halt, visited the site in the early hours of 29 December 1980. Accompanied by scientists, they measured a radiation level of 0.07 milliroentgens per hour in the triangle depressions. A similar ‘burst’ was also reported over half a mile away from the landing site.
During this field investigation, the team reported seeing another flashing light across the field to the east, almost in line with a farmhouse, and similar to what witnesses had reported during the first sighting.
The strange lights in the sky were confirmed by the aid of two radars:
Col. Halt: “I have confirmation that (Bentwaters radar operators)… saw the object go across their 60 miles (96km) scope in two or three seconds, thousands of miles an hour, he came back across their scope again, stopped near the water tower, they watched it and observed it go into the forest where we were.”
According to Halt’s memo attached below, three star-like lights appeared in the sky, two to the north and one to the south, about 10 degrees above the horizon. The brightest hovered for two to three hours and seemed to beam down a column of light from time to time.
Here the Halt audio tape with subtitles:
Related book: Learn the true story about the Rendlesham Forest incident
Jim Penniston: Another important witness
Another important witness is Jim Penniston. He claimed claimed to have seen a craft, which was covered in characters that resembled hieroglyphic symbols. According to the estimation of Penniston, the spaceship was about 3 meters wide and long and was fixed to legs without any apparent gears for landing.
Here some pictures showing the different symbols as described by Penniston.
Another drawing put forth by Penniston demonstrating the outlook of the craft
One of the most famous UFO sightings in history
Many of the ufologists highlighted that the occurrence of these series of UFO events in Britain is the best-acknowledged events of UFO around the world.
The Rendlesham Forest incident is placed parallel to the U.S. UFO incident of Roswell and has been dubbed the Britain’s Roswell.
The strange event made headline news in the UK which has ballooned into an industry of theories covered in books, dramas, documentaries and websites…
I am sure that with technological advancements, the secrets of the Rendlesham Forest incident will be debunked and other UFO sightings will be disclosed. What do you think?
Related book: Learn the true story about the Rendlesham Forest incident
On Nov 6,2019 , at approximately 9:00 p.m.
I was driving home from work , through old historic Odessa, De. Three ufo’s spotted.hoovering in a row. Bright white round lights were shining across the lower front of the UFO,s. ROUND CIRCLES ABOUT 6_8. Two of the Ufo,s vanished quickly .the one that stayed continued to hoover. The lights turned into
a V formation. I was driving and did not take a
Picture. I know what I witnessed. The scene is etched in my mind. Also there was a car in front of me and one behind me. Perhaps they were witnesses.
I wouldn’t be so sure that the sighting will be debunked, there was radar confirmation after all.