Dear Hilary, Kenneth,
I’m emailing you to report a sighting that did not happen to me, but to my grandparents who are both now deceased. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while but never seem to get around to it. I also did not know who to report this to, but after seeing the BEAMS website it seemed like a reliable trustworthy place to contact. I’m making this story be known in honour of my grandmother, and as far as I’m aware, this is the first time it has been reported to anyone and she would have loved the fact that I am contacting someone official about it, or who at least, people who understand and are open minded on the subject.
So obviously I am not a first hand witness, I only know so much about it, but what small detail I do know makes for an interesting story with possibly a wider connection. The sighting happened on Christmas Eve 1980, and it occurred over and around Wythall in the West Midlands, England. My grandparents were both asleep and at some time during the middle of the night my grandmother woke up, although she never really knew what woke her and I do not know the time she awoke, to see a strange glow in the sky outside. For whatever reason the curtains were open, or at least ajar, so she could see outside. The strangeness of the light in the sky made her get up to investigate. As it was very cold outside the glass had condensation on it on the inside so she got up to wipe the glass for a better look. What’s she saw amazed her! It was a glowing red/orange ball in the sky and it was huge (that’s how she always described it). Although she was never able to describe the colour, it was a colour that she couldn’t easily relate to anything recognisable. And the shape was a ball, not a disc or a saucer, just a round shape. It was moving very slowly in the sky and she had absolutely no idea what it was. So she woke up my grandfather to take a look. He did so and also saw the same object hovering in the sky, so they both witnessed it together. It moved very slowly and then dropped down out of sight. It appeared to be over an area called Earlswood. Once it went down that was the last they saw of it, after a while they both went back to bed. I wish I knew more detail about it and I wish I was able to ask her more questions, but sadly that’s not possible. The important factor for me is that she was not the only witness, my grandfather also witnessed it. To give you an idea of location so you can look on a map, they lived at 161 Shawhurst Lane, and Earlswood is a mile or two in a South Easterly direction.
The next day, Christmas Day, we had a family gathering at her house to celebrate the festivities and I distinctly remember all of my family talking about what had happened during the night as my grandmother had told everyone by then. I remember asking her what had happened, but as I was only 9 at the time she told me it was “Father Christmas in his balloon” as she didn’t want to frighten me. Obviously as I grew up I came to know the real story of what happened and it was amazing, so much so that I am a firm believer in the extra terrestrial presence and have been for a while, mainly because of her. My grandfather was a different matter. Although he witnessed it, he would never openly discuss it as he was very much an ‘old school’ scientific type (he worked in a dental lab) and because he witnessed something that he could not explain, he decided he would not discuss it further with anyone, and he didn’t. But my grandmother was a different matter. She loved anything to do with UFOs from that moment onward, and became a firm believer in anything extraterrestrial. Christmas presents were always very easy as she loved anything UFO related! Her story never ever changed, it was exactly as I described to you until the day she died. I wish I was able to provide more detail but obviously it’s not possible.
In my conclusion, the interesting and intriguing aspect of this sighting for me, is that it occurred one night before the Rendlesham Forest incident, one of the most significant official UFO reports ever. So I am more than convinced that something happened in Suffolk and knowing that both of my grandparents saw something in the sky during the same time frame just firms up my belief.
Is it any coincidence that both events/sightings occurred over wooded areas? To me there has to be a connection somehow between what my grandparents both saw, to what was witnessed the next evening over Woodbridge, Suffolk.
I would love to know your thoughts on it, and I’d be interested to know if there are any other UK reports over that period.
Regards,
Mr **** ******
