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1967 British flying saucer hoax

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The1967 British flying saucer hoax[1]was originally thought to be the unidentified landing of six 'spaceships' that occurred acrossSouthern Englandon Monday, 4 September 1967.[2]

A major police and army response followed the discovery of the 'spacecraft', which were 54 inches (1.4 m) long, 30 inches (0.76 m) wide and 20 inches (0.51 m) deep, weighed 100 pounds (45 kg) and emitted an electronic noise. The six craft were located along the 51st line of latitude from theThames Estuaryto theBristol Channel,roughly equidistant from each another; one each at a new housing estate nearQueenboroughon theIsle of Sheppey,Bromleygolf course in south London, a horse paddock in Winkfield village (nearAscot), the village ofWelford(near Newbury), in Berkshire,Chippenhamin Wiltshire and on Dial Hill inClevedonin Somerset.[1]

The hoax was undertaken by aircraft engineering apprentices from theRoyal Aircraft Establishment(RAE) atFarnborough.[2]

Planning and building the 'spacecraft'

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The idea behind the hoax was planned in January 1967 as part of Farnborough college's upcomingRag Week.The apprentices created their flying saucers infibreglasshalves and then covered them in metal with no aerials or portholes visible. Inside each saucer was placed electronic equipment that would make an eerie sound when the saucer was flipped over. Each saucer was also filled with a mixture of flour and water.[3]

Groups of two or three then drove to the selected locations in the dead of night and carried the saucers into fields. Here they flipped the saucers over causing them to emit the electronic sound. They then left the field and headed back to Farnborough. None of the teams was detected.

Response from the authorities

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When each of the saucers was later reported to the police each was cordoned off. The British army's southern command, several police forces, army bomb disposal units, RAF helicopters were all mobilised.[2]The Ministry of Defence was informed and the army blew up the saucer found at Chippenham. The one on the Isle of Sheppey was removed by helicopter. Another was sent to theAtomic Weapons EstablishmentatAldermastonand one to the guided weapons division of theBritish Aircraft Corporation.When one of the saucers was drilled into, the mixture inside exploded, covering police officers in foul-smelling slime.[1]

Revealing the hoax

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The pranksters responsible were Christopher Southall and Roger Palmer, both aged just 21. The idea behind the hoax was to raise funds during the college's Rag Week. The hoax garnered extensive media attention - both in Britain and abroad. The apprentices did not think the hoax would create such a media storm but several were later interviewed on television. They revealed the hoax the same day as the saucers were found. No action was taken against the hoaxers and they raised £2,000 for charity.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcd"The great saucer invasion: The day six 'spaceships' landed in England".BBC.3 September 2017.Retrieved3 September2017.
  2. ^abc"Alien invasion hoax fooled MoD, archive papers reveal".The Guardian.3 March 2011.Retrieved3 September2017.
  3. ^"Farnborough pranksters behind UFO hoax relive memories 50 years on".GetSurrey. 27 August 2017.Retrieved3 September2017.
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