There were a number of sightings reported to the MoD on the night under discussion. Below is a summary, set out in order of the reported time of the sighting. Note that all times in this section are local, known to the military and some civilian organisations (eg civil airline authorities) as "ALPHA" or "LIMA" and often abbreviated as "(A)" or "(L)". This detail takes on some importance later, where timings were, or might have been provided as GMT which is normally used in military signals by default and designated as ZULU (Z).To further add to the confusion, British Summer Time had only come into force 2 days earlier (Sunday 28th March), meaning that the clocks should have been set 1 hour forward (later). Some people make the error of setting their clock or watch to 1 hour earlier, or neglect to reset them at all.
The list of sightings below is based on a handwritten list compiled by Sec(AS)2a, but some items on this list are missing date and/or time details. Additionally, the quality of some of the copies received from the MoD was very poor, and some details were unnecessarily obliterated. It has therefore taken considerable effort to piece together the full picture from the disorganised array of notes in the Sec(AS)2a file.
Anyone who has dealt with witness reports and followed them up on a regular basis will know that certain elements of their descriptions are sometimes inaccurate. Time, compass directions, height, dimensions, speed, and movement of the object can be particularly unreliable, even those reported by the most "expert" of witnesses. For example, reports that were later identified as a star or planet have been described as "moving jerkily at very high speed" and in some cases where a witness has been visited and asked to point out where they saw the object and the path it took, their reported directions have been significantly inaccurate. This is reflected in the MoD standard report form although it would appear that Sec(AS)2a did very little to try to corroborate these elements in most cases, and have simply accepted the witness testimony as it was presented.
Reported heading: East
Remarks: Viewed by 3 Police officers from Paul Street, Exeter.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list without any date or time information and I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation (DUFORO). Details of the sighting (including the date and time) are missing in the interim report.
Reported heading: From the North
Remarks: Large object resembling 'two concord aircraft fixed together' covered in a number of white bright lights.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list but I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation (DUFORO). The witness was an off-duty policeman with a party of Scouts.
Reported heading: None
Remarks: Bright lights flying in formation.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list but I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation (DUFORO).Details of this sighting are very scant.
Reported heading: None
Remarks: Bright lights flying in formation.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list but I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation (DUFORO).Details of this sighting are very scant.
Reported heading: Not recorded.
Remarks: Witness reported seeing a glass-bottomed object with 2 rows of bright white lights. Witness drove underneath it.
Reported heading: West to East.
Remarks: 2 bright lights, very high (estimated 40,000 feet), faint non-descript sound.
Reported heading: North.
Remarks: Triangle with central red glow.
At the bottom of the report is a cryptic handwritten note "* was 'stealth' in the area?".
Reported heading: North to South.
Remarks: 2 bright lights, large, quite low.
The witness remarked that the object crossed from one side of St. Brides Bay to the other side, estimated to be a distance of 7 or 8 miles (I would estimate closer to 10 miles) in 25 seconds. From this, Sec(AS)2a interpolated an estimated speed of 1100 miles per hour. There is no indication of how (or if) the witness measured the time, it was probably only an impression.
Reported heading: South.
Remarks: 2 bright meteor-like objects, orange and white, with a trail.
Witnessed by staff at Bristol Airport. Sec(AS)2a lists the witness as from the Meteorological office. The military signal states "Witnessed by aircrew and other staff" and indicated that the witness was "indoors, moving" - it isn't apparent in the signal whether the aircrew were airborne at the time of the sighting or not, or if this avenue of enquiry had been followed up by Sec(AS)2a.
Reported heading: Initially directly over witness's house, heading towards Hazelslade (WSW).
Remarks: 2 creamy white lights on a 200 meter diameter oval shaped object, possibly emmiting a low hum.
Witness attempted to follow it in his car. Total of 4 witnesses. Interestingly the police used a very old version of the standard report form in this case.
See also the notes for the 01:10 and 01:15 Rugeley sightings below, which are almost certainly duplicate records of this sighting.
Reported heading: Initially directly over witness's house, heading towards Hazelslade (WSW).
Remarks: 2 creamy white lights on an oval shaped object, emmiting a humming sound.
Witness thought that the object had come to earth in Hazelslade and attempted to look for it. Total of 4 witnesses. See also the notes for the 01:09 Rugeley sighting above and the 01:15 Rugeley sighting below, which are almost certainly duplicate records of this sighting.
Reported heading: South East
Remarks: 2 very bright lights, fairly high.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list but I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation (DUFORO).
Reported heading: Moving North
Remarks: 2 white, very bright lights with tails, low (100-200 metres). Witnesses were police officers.
Reported heading: East to West
Remarks: 2 bright star-like objects, low, travelling fast. A total of 4 witnesses.
Although there are some interesting differences between the typed and handwritten reports, there can be little doubt that they relate to the same group of observers. It might be that more than one of the group submitted a report.
Reported heading: From the North
Remarks: 2 very large bright white lights. Estimated height 2,000 feet, 500 feet wide with lights on either side.
According to ufologist Doug Cooper the police witnesses involved did file an official report. This sighting appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list but I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that Sec(AS)2a took it from Cooper's interim report. On the Sec(AS)2a list this sighting appears as Ilfracombe, though if this is the report which the listing refers to, the sighting took place near Lynton, about 12 miles to the East of Ilfracombe. Click for map.
Reported heading: Northwest to Southeast
Remarks: 2 bright white lights in parallel, one slightly behind the other, very high and fast. Larger and brighter than Jupiter.
Reported heading: Not specific
Remarks: Uncertain what details apply to this specific sighting.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list of sightings as Taunton, 1:10/1:17 AM. This seems to have been extracted from ufologist Doug Cooper's (DUFORO) interim report which was submitted by him to Sec(AS)2a. There were no real details in the reference.
Reported heading: Not specific
Remarks: Uncertain what details apply to this specific sighting.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list of sightings as Minehead, 1:10/1:17 AM. This seems to have been extracted from ufologist Doug Cooper's (DUFORO) interim report which was submitted by him to Sec(AS)2a. There were no real details in the reference.
Reported heading: North to South
Remarks: 2 white lights, and 3rd unlit object on parallel course leaving vapour trails
Although the time on the military signal indicates 01:10(Z), Sec(AS)2a has recorded this as 01:10(A). This
would tally with police statements which were among the reports in the Sec(AS)2a file, so it would appear
that the time indicated on the signal is incorrect.
Reported heading: Southeast
Remarks: 2 bright white lights, estimated height 2,000 feet ascending to 10,000.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list without any date or
time information and I can find no official report in the files. It seems likely that it was taken from an
interim report filed with Sec(AS)2a by ufologist Doug Cooper of the Devon UFO Research Organisation
(DUFORO). This sighting is distinct from the other sighting by police from the Moorswater area of
Liskeard, since it was made from a point to the South East of Liskeard, whereas the other report was from
the West side of Liskeard.
Reported heading: North to South
Remarks: 2 white lights, 50 feet apart, 3-400 feet above the ground, high speed.
Although the time on the military signal indicates 01:15(Z), Sec(AS)2a has recorded this as 01:15(A).
There is no indication in the file that he confirmed there was an error on the signal, though it would
seem to be a reasonable assumption given the description of the object.
Reported heading: Towards the South-East.
Remarks: 2 Bright lights, 1000 feet above the ground, fast. Witnesses were a 2-man RAF police patrol from RAF Cosford, and this is the incident from which this series of sightings draws its name.
Reported heading: Initially directly over witness's house, heading towards Hazelslade (WSW).
Remarks: This sighting is probably the same as those registered at 01:09 and 01:10 from Rugeley. The descriptions of the object in both reports are very similar. The reference in the file was part of an RAF police statement relating to the RAF Cosford 01:15 report. This stated that a party of 5 witnesses at Rugeley saw the same object witnessed by the RAF police and at least one of them followed the object in their car, thinking it had come to earth in a place called Hazelslade nearby. The statement mentions that the witness also reported the sighting to Staffordshire police, who visited the witness.
In Sec(AS)2a's record of the 01:09 Rugeley sighting, there is no mention of the sighting being reported to the local constabulary, but the 01:10 report does record this fact.
Reported heading: North to South-East.
Remarks: 2 ball-shaped bright lights with vapour trails. Faster than an aircraft. No sound.
Reported heading: South-East (towards Sheffield).
Remarks: Bright lights in the sky.
This report was attached to the 21:30 Penistone sighting from the 30/3/93, though there is nothing to suggest that they are related other than the location. The two witnesses to this sighting were policemen at different stations. Details are very vague.
Reported heading: From the South.
Remarks: 3 large, very bright lights, appeared to land. Witnesses included police officers.
Reported heading: None.
Remarks: 2 very bright lights flying parallel to each other, very high.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list of sightings and seems to have been extracted from ufologist Doug Cooper's (DUFORO) interim report which was submitted by him to Sec(AS)2a, since there is no sign of any official report in the files.
Reported heading: None.
Remarks: Described as appearing like a large Catamaran (twin-hulled boat). Estimated at a height of 800 feet and joined together by a structure 400-500 feet in size. It carried 2 bright white lights and projected a beam of light from the rear.
This appears on Sec(AS)2a's handwritten list of sightings and seems to have been extracted from ufologist Doug Cooper's (DUFORO) interim report which was submitted by him to Sec(AS)2a, since there is no sign of any official report in the files. The witnesses were fishing for Elver eels on the river Parrot.
Reported heading: South.
Remarks: Object varied between 400-4000 feet high. It had 2 red lights side by side, and a larger third red light flashing slightly behind these. The object is reported to have made a number of manouvres, including shining a laser-like beam of light towards the ground as if searching for something. It was estimated to be about the size of between that of a C130 and a Boeing 747. The witness was the station Meteorological officer at RAF Shawbury.
I can find no MoD signal alluding to this report, but it is mentioned in the police report for the 01:15 Rugeley sighting, and the RAF police log. More detail is also included in handwritten notes, presumably written by Nick Pope (the only person in Sec(AS)2a involved with handling UFO reports at the time).
View extract from RAF Police report