Rendlesham Forest Incident
Background
The Rendlesham Forest Incident refers to a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and alleged landing of a craft or multiple craft of unknown origin in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, in late December 1980, just outside RAF Woodbridge, which was used at the time by the United States Air Force (USAF).
The strange events occurred on the night of December 26, 1980, when a team of servicemen at RAF Woodbridge went to investigate strange lights that had been witnessed descending into the trees. Sergeant Jim Penniston and his team ventured into the forest and reported seeing a strange craft with hieroglyphic-like markings, which Penniston touched and claimed to have received a telepathic message from. Later that night, Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, the deputy base commander, led a team to investigate the sightings and witnessed unusual lights and beams of light that appeared to move through the trees.
The events have been a subject of controversy, with some people convinced that it was a genuine sighting of multiple unidentified objects, while others are not so sure. The incident has been widely considered as Britain's most extraordinary encounter, and it involved at least a dozen civilians from villages surrounding Rendlesham Forest, a large pine wood in southeast Suffolk.
The incident has been the subject of numerous investigations, including by the UK Ministry of Defense and the United States Air Force. While some explanations have been put forward, no definitive explanation for the Rendlesham Forest Incident has been established to date. The case remains one of the most famous purported UFO sightings in history.
Timeline
Late December 1980
Series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of a craft or multiple craft of unknown origin in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, just outside RAF Woodbridge, which was used at the time by the United States Air Force (USAF).
December 26, 1980
Two USAF security patrolmen, John Burroughs and Jim Penniston, noticed strange lights descending into the forest over the east gate of RAF Woodbridge.
Same night: Deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, led a team to investigate the sightings and witnessed unusual lights and beams of light that appeared to move through the trees.
December 27, 1980
Penniston and his team ventured into the forest and reported seeing a strange craft with hieroglyphic-like markings, which Penniston touched and claimed to have received a telepathic message from.
Sighting continued over the next two nights.
Locations
Rendlesham Forest - The site of the reported sightings, owned by the Forestry Commission [4]
RAF Woodbridge - The nearby United States Air Force base where the sightings were reported just outside of [1]3]
RAF Bentwaters - Another nearby United States Air Force base in Suffolk County where military personnel were stationed at the time of the sightings [9]
Eye Witnesses & Directly Involved
Public Witnesses
Corroborative Witnesses
Official Witnesses
Lt. Col. Charles Halt, Deputy Base Commander of the RAF Woodbridge
Staff Sergeant Jim Penniston, USAF security patrolman
Airman First Class John Burroughs, USAF security patrolman
Airman Edward N. Cabansag, USAF security patrolman
Master-Sergeant J.D. Chandler, 81st Security Police Squadron[3]
Fred A. Buran, 81st Security Police Squadron[3]
George Peddle, former radar operator[10]
Multiple unnamed radar operators at RAF Bentwaters and Wattisham airfield, according to Col. Charles Halt[4]
Longero, Steve
broke his 36-year silence in 2016 to speak publicly about the incident. Longero was a former United States Air Force security officer who was on duty at the twin bases of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge when the incident occurred. He claims to have witnessed a UFO and was told by his superiors to remain quiet about the incident
Speculative Involvement
Barrowclough, Lt. Colonel Robert
Executive Officer of Roswell Army Air Field, Roswell, New Mexico. Post Event Research
Stanton Friedman was an American nuclear physicist and professional ufologist, born on July 29, 1934, and died on May 13, 2019. He was based in Fredericton, Canada, with his wife and daughter, and was considered the leading authority on UFOs and alien abductions, earning him the nickname "father of Roswell".
Investigation
Maps of the area
Mind Map with timeline and associated people