The Rendlesham forest UFO trail [Article Discussion]

[Andy]

I have two retired greyhounds, and i often walk them in Rendlesham. There is a certain part of Rendlesham forest (the top end of route 12 (now where they have often reacted strangely and out of character within. Brenda Butler (with Mason her Alsation) and others have also said the same. As a member of a retired greyhound forum we arrange monthly walks. Today was in Rendlesham. As we passed over the site i am referring to someone commented that the compass on their watch was suddenly acting strrangely? (This person has no interest in the Rendlesham UFO incident). However, it fascinated me. My dogs (and others) obviously must pick up on a disturbed magnetic field. What is the cause of this magnetic disturbance?

[schooner]

Hi Andy,

Last Year I had a similar problem with my compass watch while at Rendlesham. It happened close to the Tangham Camp Site on our return from the trail. The needle couldnt get a bearing and continued to rotate one way and then the other.

Regards

Schooner

[Andy]

That is very interesting Schooner, because that is exactly how that person's compass reacted. I've been reading up on Ley-lines, and i'm lead to believe that particular spot is a Ley-line area? Monastries etc were said to be built on Ley-lines, and Butley priory is/was in the area just beyond the farmers field. Also strange that this is the only area of Rendlesham my dogs mostly seem to react strangely in? Obviously they must be picking up in a disturbance of the earth's magnetic field? Thanks for our reply.

[Andy]

Also what i find intriguing is that apparently many UFO sightings are connected to Air bases, nuclear weapons, radars, leylines etc. The first three need no explanation with regard to Rendlesham, but the fourth i do find interesting, especially as it is in this particular area of the forest that the alleged landings took place, also within this area is the place known as 'Blair Witch' where people have claimed to experience missing time, (and also the area Burroughs et al claimed to have experienced missing time on the night in question), and as mentioned previously, the dogs reacting on various occasions for no apparent reason.

[Observer]

In Jenny Randle's book "Time Storms" she goes to great length in explaining [in her view] what and how missing time can occur. I have to be honest and say she lost me in some of the theory.

UFO activity near nuclear weapon storage or RADAR sites etc does seem more common, however, during the 60's right through to the late 80's there were quite a few other bases in East Anglia that housed nuclear weapons and some were not USAF but RAF. There was never the same amount of UFO activity reported as there was around Redlesham/Woodbridge. So is Rendlesham special or has it been blown up out of all proportion.

Has there been above average activity at Faslane where Britains strategic nuclear weapons are housed to day and have been for the last 30 years?
Has there been above average activity near Fylingdales early warning Radar station in Yorkshire?
Are there any statistics on this?

Observer

[DoRayEgon]

Have to say on my visit when using a compass (to explain a high altitude moving light sighting) i had no problems but i was at the landing site brenda Butler had taken us too, not sure where that is in relation to the areas where the compasss readings were erratic?

[Observer]

I have to aggree with you Admin, it is a strange and some would say spooky place.
The times i went shooting at night with a friend in Rendlesham forest during the late 70's i can honestly say that nothing strange ever happened and i never experienced any wierd or strange feelings.

I'm not sure that stock piles of nuclear weapons is a cause of UFO activity.
Up to the early 80's the bases mentioned below were RAF nuclear bases.
When the Navy took over the nuclear deterrent role, all RAF weapons were de commisioned and removed from these bases.

RAF Waddington and Scampton in Lincolnshire were strategic nuclear bomber bases as was RAF Marham in Norfolk. RAF Coltishall in Norfolk was a tactical nuclear bomber base as was RAF Honington in Suffolk.
RAF Kinloss in Fife was also a nuclear base.
All these bases were RAF not USAF and to my knowledge there had been no unusal UFO activity in the vicinity of these bases.

Observer

[Observer]

Thanks Admin.

Just to add further info to my last post. Post war RAF Brize Norton, Fairford and Greenham Common were all USAF Strategic nuclear bomber bases plus a few more. In more recent times the USAF occupied Upper Heyford [F-111] and Lakenheath [F-111].

With the exception of Lakenheath most of these bases to my knowledge have not had UFO activity, or at least if they did it was pretty insignificant.

USAF Chicsands in Bedfordshire was home to a Nuclear criuse missile squadron. In the 60's the RAF had a Thor ICBM site near Thetford, again no reported UFO activity.

It does seem though that UFO activity is more prevelant around USAF bases rather than RAF bases. There could be some significance to this but i'm not sure what. Is there a common denominator that we have missed?

Observer

[Observer]

In reply to your statement concerning Brenda Butler and her continual experience of wierd goings on in Rendlesham Forest. We must keep in mind that the fairer sex on a pro rata basis have always had claim to a higher rate of psychic phenomena than us men.

Far more women than men report psychic phenomena but i also think they are far more susceptible than men. I'm not being sexist as it has been well documented.

Brenda could just be a victim of her own imagination?

Observer

[Observer]

The continual interest in Rendlesham forest by UFO researchers including myself and the almost on going reports of strange phenomena in the area by certain people in a way has brought my thoughts back to Jenny Randle's original theory. Her theory was that the whole area is a 'Portal'
and in particular, Rendlesham forest.

She claimed that man made experiments in the area such as the Cobra Mist RADAR installation on Orfordness was instrumental in creating this portal.

Much of her theory does ly in the Sci Fi area of science and we are probably never going to prove it, but its a nice thought.

Observer

[Observer]

Excellent idea admin. I remember suggesting it some time ago now.

Light beams coming down to the ground featured in several South American and US sightings.

Light balls in the sky and exploding light balls are features that many sightings round the world had.

The high percentage of sightings near military establishments. This particular area of sightings has always given me a suspician that our dear friends the Russians may be responsible. Which leads us on to the fact that we must not exclude the possiblity that for whatever reason, these sightings could be man made.

We must also not lose sight of the fact that the USA does not have exclusive ownership of high tech. All this is what i say is keeping an open mind. All senarios must be explored, other wise we would not be doing our job properly.

If i can be of any help then just ask, i'm sure other members will as well.

Observer

[Andy]

In reply to your statement concerning Brenda Butler and her continual experience of wierd goings on in Rendlesham Forest. We must keep in mind that the fairer sex on a pro rata basis have always had claim to a higher rate of psychic phenomena than us men.

Far more women than men report psychic phenomena but i also think they are far more susceptible than men. I'm not being sexist as it has been well documented.

Brenda could just be a victim of her own imagination?

Observer

It's possible, i guess... And some imaginations would appear to seemingly verge on the vivid. For example, when you meet someone for the first time, (wandering around Rendlesham strangely enough), and them hearing of your profession (trained nurse) and in front of witnesses they too claim to be a 'trained nurse' in 'learning disability' care. But then you discover one of your colleagues has actually worked with this individual in the past and knows them very well, and they WERE a nursing assistant, NOT a trained nurse, before taking up a cleaning job in a school?? Once i discover someone has seemingly blatantly lied to me, i'm afraid to say i find it very hard to believe anything else they might say, or have written, both past and present.

Aside from this though, i was interested to be in Rendlesham a few weeks ago with two friends visiting from Surrey. In the area where the strange compass activity took place, both of their mobile phones ceased to function also until we passed out of the area and both simultanously 'pinged' to life again. It interests me about the motorola radios that were used on the first night which apparently malfunctioned, and also the light-alls, which would have been in this particular area.

[Andy]

Mind you, i did enjoy reading 'Sky crash' though, but still to this day remain confused about two things. Steve Robert's map on page 41 which claims to 'direct from the road which passes Folly House and the track leading to the East Gate, and if followed, one arrives at the landing site.' ????? Perhaps i'm just thick, but have to admit, i cannot work this one out, and if anyone else can, i'd be pleased to hear from you and finally receive an explanation. However, having questioned the individual who received this information in the first place, i'm still none the wiser, as they too couldn't seemingly give me an explanation?

Also, further on in the book, breaking a car key in it's lock. To my mind no key to start the car, surely? So how can someone suddenly make a hasty escape?? I've come to my own conclusions here:

1. An expert at 'Hot-wiring.'
2. A convenient spare set of keys in the hand-bag.

[Observer]

Hi Andy

I do believe that the UFO trail has been revised [Admin has the details] and there is now more contention to the actual landing sites.

Perhaps there is a 'dead' spot in the woods re mobile reception? although this doesen't explane the airmens Motorolas and lightalls malfunctioning if they actually did!

What do you think of the Apollo training capsule being the 'culprit' to this mystery?

In Skycrash Jenney Randles does say that the landing lights were damaged by the UFO but i recon it was the Apollo capsule that caused the damage while it was suspended under the helicopter. This is why they dropped it in the woods.

Observer

[Andy]

Hi Observer, i'm intrigued to know about the apparent contention you mention, and hoping Admin will enlighten me on this?

As for the training capsule, i must say it is one of the better and more feasible explanations to date. However, i still cannot get my head round the fact that if this was the case, the men standing at East gate would surely have heard and possibly seen the helicopter involved in the alleged hoax?

Last night i was working with a colleague i've known for years about the hospital, but only recently started working with him, and the conversation happened to get onto UFO's/Rendlesham. Apparently his father was actually working on Bentwaters air base at the time of the alleged incidents! I asked him about anything his father had might had said? (however bearing in mind he is only a young guy in his very early 30's). He said his dad has not spoken about it for years, but he said he recalled his father saying everything suddenly became very 'tight-lipped' for want of a better word. He also recalled his father mentioning missiles being dropped into the forest? Interesting there is a brief mention of this in SkyCrash. He said he will speak to his father today to see if he can get any further information of his recollections at the time. If there is anything of interest, rest assured there will be feedback.

[Observer]

Hi Andy

I seem to remember that the UFO trail has been slightly revised not that long ago which puts an even greyer tinge on the actual landing sites. Admin can possibly clarify this.

If we take the senario for a moment that it was missiles that had been dropped/jettisoned into the forest, it beggers the question from what? There was no operational flying from either base at the time of the incident. Perhaps an F-117 did make an unscheduled visit to Woodbridge and had a problem, but i doubt very much that it would be carrying missiles.
They didn't realy get into service untill about 1982/3.
It could have been a trial flight and what best time to do it than when most bases would have the minimum of staff on the ground plus at night!
The UFO story could be just a smoke screen.

The USAF would need a forward base in Europe to deploy the F-117 as its range was not that good. Yes, stealth was top secret and as said would have been an un announced blow to the Russians in the event of war.
Its interesting to note that the Russians now claim that they can detect stealth intrusion into their air space. However, the British have unofficially said they can as well which is why i think the US is working on the next generation of stealth. Aurora?

Another interesting theory is that it was a Russian aircraft that had defected to the West and Woodbridge was the designated landing site.
The Apollo theory still hold more credence though than most other theories to date.
I wonder if it was deliberately deployed in the forest as the smoke screen?

Observer

[Andy]

My colleague spoke with his father, (who as previously mentioned was working on one of the bases at the time), and here's what he had to say.

What was amusing is that although it was supposed to be 'hush-hush' everyone was talking about it on base. The word going around was that some men had seen some lights in the forest, but on going to have a look, found nothing. For the first couple of days the area seemed to have relatively low security, with the SP's (security police) travelling into the forest in their vehicles to guard the area. However, it was still possible to wander into the forest at that time (and apparently a number of curious people did, to have have a look, including colleague's father). They did this by entering the area opposite where the vehicles were parked, and being discreet to avoid detection, could view the area which was in a clearing in the forest. My colleague said his father sounded almost apologetic because there was little to say about it, because there was little to see. However, what he did see were three round scorched areas about five to six feet apart from each other, appearing, as he likened, 'to the remains of a bonfire, but without the ash.' It did not appear like a crash incident area, but apparently more like something had purposefully landed, in order to make those sort of marks.

Now this is what really intrigued me.
Apparently after the first couple of days security suddenly became much more heightened (? After Halt's excursion into the forest?) and NO-ONE could enter the forest. This would also seem to tie in with my own father's experience passing by the area in the days following whilst going on a fishing trip, and seeing SP's guarding the edge of the forest. Apparently the site was then surrounded by fencing and bulldozed to the ground and ploughed. (We know that area of forest was apparently due for felling, but i was interested to hear that only in that area was it immediately ploughed whereas in other areas tree stumps were left in the ground).

[Andy]

What i have done now is drawn a rough map of the forest, and asked for his father to try and pin-point, if he can remember, what route he took into the forest, and to mark roughly whereabouts the area in question was, on said map.

[Observer]

Hi Andy

Very interesting what your colleagues father recalled. I was a 'Brit' member of the Bentwaters Rod & Gun club around that time and they were all making jokes about the incident, mostly in accusations of 'Must have been the drugs' or too much Christmas booze.

I know that RAF Guterslow [not sure of spelling] in Germany were plagued with alleged East German spyes loitering in the adjacent woods at night watching RAF Lightnings and Phantoms doing night ops. We would go into a standard off base procedure to sweep the forest and arrest any body especially if they had cameras who were then handed over to the German civil Police. I guess the Woodbridge security Police had a similar procedure for any thing strange going on adjacent to their base. It was the cold war and there were procedures in place.

Its interesting to note that Lt Col Halt who has said many times on TV interviews about the 3 indentations in the forest floor and how they were equally spaced never said they were scorch marked, or to my knowledge he didn't. Yes, some witnesses mentioned scorch marks on the trees but not on the footprints. Also has any body else mentioned a landing area being ploughed up and fenced off. Perhaps Admin can help.

Observer

[Andy]

I must admit, i cannot recall Halt ever mentioning it either. However, one of my colleagues (one of the one's who saw the orange balls of light hovering over the forest, at that time), although she did not witness it herself, did say that various other collagues in the hospital had gone into the forest and reported seeing scorched areas also. Also, wasn't there some mention of it in Bruni's book? (I've no longer got my copy to refer to) where Vince Thurkettle had gone to look some six weeks later after being told by fellow foresters of scorched areas, although did not see any himself?

(Regarding the Bruni book - if anyone has a copy they could sell me, it would be appreciated as it's out of print at the moment).