1993 UFO Sighting Wave over Devon and Cornwall

Devon and Cornwall don't have what you'd call a strong, or long, association with UFO phenonemon, so the 1993 UFO sighting wave of Devon and Cornwall is worth looking at and maybe you can visit some of the sites for yourself. Foten written as some of the most compelling cases of multiple UFO sightings, they occurred on just two nights, 30th and 31st March 1993. There were more than 30 sightings reported to the MoD over a six-hour period by 70 police and military witnesses.

With large areas of almost unpopulated areas, wide expanses of open Ocean and small towns and hamlets it was even surprising that they were seen.

See here where the 1993 UFO sightings manifested themselves just 20 years ago.

More than 70 people, including police and military personnel, reported witnessing the object which was seen in the skies above Devon, Cornwall (as well as South Wales and Shropshire) on the nights of 30th and 31st March 1993.

1993 was before the current era of mobile phones and webcams, CCTV cameras and the plethora of cameras and tracking devices we have today. Now all we have are the statements of witnesses taken at the time - many of them trained observers, such as MoD staff and police patrols.

Files released by the National Archives in August 2009 indicated that what these UFO-spotters might have seen was either an American spy plane or a Russian rocket that was re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. Others might have seen the police helicopters that were sent to investigate the earlier 'UFO' sightings.

The MOD coined the name "The Cosford Incident" and opened two X-Files The Sec(AS) file that covers the events was released by The National Archives as DEFE 24/2086/1 in August 2009. this was compiled by Nick Pope who copied his work to his opposite number in DI55, a branch of the defence intelligence staff.

Most of the 30 March 1993 UFO sightings were from 01.10 to 01.15, which coincided with the Russian rocket's return and breakup over Ireland that night.

Others, who have cross-compared the witness reports from the National Archives, with Pope's original report, however, find inconsistencies. Perhaps you'd like to carry out your own investigation at some point. This article is a brief look at some of the reports, conflicting and agreeing, at the time. Nick Pope, who wrote and still promotes a book about UFO sightings even said once that the 1993 UFO sightings in Devon and Cornwall can be put down to the Russian rocket.

So the truth is out there - if you care to delve.

Resources available for investigation include:

• Pope's original reports
• Archives of newspapers of the time
• Pope's new report of 2005
• The 2009 National Archive original witness reports, including original witness letters, statements and forms completed.
• Pope's book, published in 1996, Open Skies Closed Minds, which you can 'see inside' on Amazon.
  

Devon and Cornwall are two adjoining counties in the South West of England, the two in the far bottom left hand side of the map, the "leg and foot" shape.

Both counties are bounded by the sea on both sides and have vast areas of open, unpopulated, moorland.

These UFO sightings sent ripples of shock through the security services as they didn't show up on radar.

Nick Pope was working for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the time and was tasked with looking into the UFO sightings on that night. Even now Nick Pope claims that there is "no satisfactory explanation".

One of the expert witnesses was an MOD police patrol officer at RAF Cosford, in Staffordshire. He saw the lights and was so clear that what he had just witnessed was a UFO that he phoned ahead to RAF Shrewsbury so they could keep a look out for it as it was headed their way. As an MOD police patrol, based at an RAF base, this man was very used to seeing military aircraft. His description of the UFO was:

“a vast triangular shaped craft flying at about 200ft.”

This UFO made a low frequency humming noise and fired a narrow beam of light which swept the ground

“as if it was looking for something.”

At midnight on 3/4 August 1993, there were reports from Camborne, Cornwall, where a police patrol of two officers reported seeing:a bluey-white light/circular shape seen in cloud, that then descended rapidly towards the ground.

The reports were recorded by staff from RAF St Mawgan personnel, just outside Newquay. In the report, the police officer isn't named; he said he was out on a two-man patrol near Camborne when the unidentified object was seen. The report said:

"It appeared against a dark background of low cloud, descended rapidly to near ground level at an angle of 70 per cent to the ground, then disappeared."

"The range was estimated at a half to three quarters of a mile to the east over Camborne. No noise or aircraft navigation lights."

"Both police constables are aware that it was a strange occurrence, but can think of no logical explanation."

There were two separate reports from this area. One, the official report - and a second, undated report.

On 31 March 1993 a police Sergeant, with over 14 years' experience, reported seeing two “silvery white” stars hovering and then moving off in parallel.

The Sergeant said he was driving on the A38 at Looe Mills, just past Liskeard heading towards Dobwalls. The official MoD report calls this Moorswater. Moorswater is where the Trago Mills, Liskeard, site is.

The Sergeant said he sighted two lights at about his 2 o'clock position The two lights started moving towards him, appearing to ascend in angular elevation because they were headed to come straight overhead. As they did he noticed they had moved to about the 1 o'clock position and at this point he saw luminous trails being left behind. He stoppedhis car at this point and got out.

The Sergeant then observed the UFO "curving overhead and heading south" He then watched as "they passed directly overhead at '12 o'clock high.'" He also observed that there was a third object as he could see a vapour trail. They were travelling on a "dead straight North South course"

After this the Sergeant indicated that the UFO disappeared behind the Lantoom Quarry.

2nd Liskeard Report:

The second UFO report from this area was to the Southeast of Liskeard and is undated/not official. The observer reported:

"2 bright white lights, estimated height 2,000 feet ascending to 10,000"

There is no interview, it simply appears on a list of all sightings from that night and is part of the MoD released file set.

Later that same year, on 29 October 1993, in St Austell, a midshipman in the Royal Navy reported a UFO to police. He described it as being:

"30ft long, 15 ft high with bright lights:"

Reports at the time also noted that he heard voices in his head telling him:

“Hello. Do not be alarmed, we will not harm you.”

This even happened near the midshipman's home in St Austell and he reported seeing the UFO floating over Mount Charles School in St Austell.

This full report is part of the dossier of UFO reports that the MoD released to the National Archives in 2009, so can be accessed online.

• The coordinates for Brown Willy are 50.5897° N, 4.6036° W
• If you type 50.590321,-4.602613 into Google maps you can locate this landmark precisely. Brown Willy is the highest point in Cornwall.

UFO Seen by Hundreds of People

The UFO that flew over Wadebridge on 30 March 1993 and was described as "two Concordes flying side by side and joined together", with others describing them it as "a triangular shaped series of lights moving at an incredible velocity". This was travelling from East to West.

Although this UFO was seen across the United Kingdom that night, it was believed that Wadebridge was the epicentre of UFO activity.

The original letter, written and sent a day after the event, said:

"...two bright lights in the west which at first I took to be stars. These however were soon seen to be roving, one rather higher than the other giving the impression of an aircraft banking."

"The objects were at a considerable height (40,000ft. perhaps) and passed ahead of me flying due East in the direction of Brown Willy near Camelford"

" ... flying due East in the direction of Brown Willy near Camelford"

The document is part of the MoD/National Archives collection, but you can read a full transcript of the letter here: 1993 Wadebridge UFO Letter

The sightings over Wadebridge, on 30 March 1993, have been described by filmmakers, who are now making a documentary about the UFOs over Wadebridge, as some of the most important of the past 50 years.

"We believe that sightings in and around Wadebridge will prove to be some of the most important evidence we can gather about this remarkable incident," Robert Strange, Executive Producer.

The new series is being made for a series to be shown in the US.

The National Archives have compiled a list of some of their UFO reports that they hold and these are available, for purchase, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos/existing-files.htm

Files released by the National Archives the include reports from the UFO Sightings over Cornwall:

If you consign UFO sightings to the section of myths and legends, Cornwall has a long-standing history of strange and unusual events.

Giants, piskies, knockers and fairies are all to be discovered - and Cornwall even has its own Loch Ness Monster, called Morgawr. Discover more ancient stories of unusual events passed from father to son down through the centuries: