The incredible stories of 3 people who claim to have seen a UFO in Leicestershire

'It was immediately obvious to me that this was not an earthly object'

CGI images of the UFO commissioned by Colin (Image: Colin Saunders)

It was 20 years ago, but Colin Saunders can recall every detail of the experience as if it was yesterday. The 60-year-old, from Barwell, saw something that he will never forget.

He spoke to Leicestershire Live about his experience after we published a video of a bright UFO moving about in the sky over the city and part of the county.

Here is his story, and those of two other people who believe they have seen something extraterrestrial.

"It was the 31st of March, 1999," said Colin.

"We had been out for a bar meal in Warwickshire to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.

"At approximately 9.30pm, myself, my ex-wife, daughter and mother-in-law headed home.

"We turned onto the Fosse Way, near the village of Monks Kirby, and immediately noticed some bright lights ahead of us.

"The lights were half a mile away and just off the road to the left. The lights appeared deep red, with a bit of white mingled in.

"We drove down, parallel to the lights. We had slowed right down at this point.

"I stared at the four lights, which were in a row, but not level with the ground.

"It was at this moment that I noticed a fifth, smaller, spurious light off to the left hand side.

'It tilted slowly upwards like an airship'

"I stared into the end light, and could see a criss cross of lines, a bit like a traffic light lens. It seemed to pulse very rapidly.

"As I was looking at this light and the lights in general, a shape started to appear around them. The edges looked like the sky was rippling, but they, and the body, I believe, were transparent at that time.

"I could see the shape of a diamond around the lights.

"As soon as I had realised there was an object there, it tilted slowly upwards like an airship or a submarine. The object was now solid and fully materialised in a triangular shape.

"The tilt was not from the centre of the craft but from the rear. It was so low that if it had pivoted from the centre of the craft it would have struck the ground.

"I noticed the surface looked to be alive, it was like a lake of dark grey liquid similar to mercury. The liquid, although tilted quite steeply, looked as though it had waves running up and down the surface, like ripples on a lake in a breeze.

"On top of this 'lake' were silver lines running up and down the surface. They were like raised box sections, which interlocked like an old fashioned maze.

"I could see how the craft's top and bottom surfaces joined to a lighter central core, like a sandwich. No nuts and bolts, rivets or welding seams visible. 

"It was immediately obvious to me that this was not an earthly object."

CGI images of the UFO commissioned by Colin (Image: Colin Saunders) 

At this point, said Colin, who is a former aircraft designer, having been employed by Saab Aerospace in the military in Sweden, and Chevron Petroleum in New Zealand, the driver of the car pulled forward so she could reverse into a gateway off the main road.

As she pulled forward, a large hedge momentarily blocked the view of the craft. When they could once more see the spot where it the UFO had been, it had disappeared.

"We got out of the car and it was gone."

Of the object they had seen, Colin said: "We could see a large craft in the distance with strange red lights at the rear. It seemed enormous to me with a huge wingspan.

"At the end of each wing was a steady white light shining up along the top surface.

"It was very, very quiet as we stood there, no smells of any fuel having been burnt.

"During the incident we didn't hear a single noise from the craft, which was the size of a house, hovering by the car."

Since his experience, which Colin described "like meeting God" and "life changing", he has devoted much of his time researching what he saw.

Colin was 40 when it happened. He immediately went home and starting building a model of the craft he believes he saw, which he completed in 2000. He has also had a 3D printed model made of the craft, and commissioned computer-generated imagery to enable him to show at his presentations.

Colin, now aged 60, said: "The years since the encounter have been very interesting for me.

"I have given several presentations to different groups, as well as appearing on television a couple of times with my model.

"The result of this is that many people have come forward to tell me of their own experiences."

Although his story will sound hard to believe to many of us, Colin is not alone.

'I understand this sounds very weird'

In 2014, a man who lives in Earl Shilton had a similar experience in his back garden.

"I was out in the back garden having a cigarette - when I smoked - in the summer of 2014.

"It was late as it was dark. I don't remember exactly the time and date as I had put it to the back of my mind. 

"I usually look up to the stars during clear nights as it's a very nice sight. When I did, I saw a 'fluid' looking triangular craft coming from the west over Earl Shilton.

"I understand this sounds very weird hence I've not talked about it before.

"I don't think I would have noticed it if it had been at a different angle as it was 'cloaked'. I could see stars as if I was looking straight through it, but I could clearly see the triangular shape of the craft and I still remember thinking to myself that it wasn't a very good cloaking device.

"It was moving very slowly and very low with no sound and no lights whatsoever, but it was huge - the size of a football pitch.

"As it got closer visibility got worse - I'm guessing it's all about the angle of view - then I could no longer see it at all.  I managed to see what I assume would be the front right side as it was approaching, then the underneath.

"It was all smooth or fluid with no sharp edges with no markings that I could see."

CGI images of the UFO commissioned by Colin (Image: Colin Saunders) 

Another person, who did not want to be named, said: "I have also seen triangular objects moving silently across the sky very low.

"On February 3, 2016, at 17.37, I was travelling from Stoney Stanton towards Earl Shilton. The lights seemed to be heading from Desford way, and following the Earl Shilton bypass across to Barwell.

"I wound down my window as it crossed overhead.

"The lights were very bright. I quite often stargaze and these lights stood out immediately. There didn't appear to be any other lights on it, just the three white lights in a triangle shape.

"They did not flash. The lights were around the size of helicopter’s search lights.

"I would say the height of it when it passed overhead was around 300-400 metres high. I couldn't make out the size of the craft as the street lights made it difficult.

"However, with the distance between the two rear lights and the front light, I would say it was the size of an articulated lorry and more of an isosceles triangle rather than equilateral. There was no sound as it passed over at approx 30mph."

UFO tourism gaining foothold in West Virginia county

FLATWOODS, W.Va. — When it comes to unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, Flatwoods is no Roswell, New Mexico, but the small Braxton County community is embracing its own tale of alien visitation and enjoying success as an offbeat tourist destination.

By The Associated Press  

The Flatwoods Monster legend, which dates to Sept. 12, 1952, is gaining attention again, thanks to a new History Channel TV series, a video game and documentary.

And now there is a museum in nearby Sutton that’s drawing visitors eager to learn about the bizarre event that happened on a Flatwoods hilltop.

Sixty-seven years ago, a woman and six boys saw what has become variously known as the Braxton County Monster, Flatwoods Monster or Phantom of Flatwoods. The “monster” sighting coincided with a wave of UFO reports over the Eastern part of the United States in 1952.

Fireball in the sky

The incident began when the boys, playing football at the elementary school, saw what they took to be a fireball or meteor fly over the town and then appear to land or crash on a hilltop overlooking the community.

Accompanied by Kathleen May, mother of two of the boys, the group followed a path to the hilltop, where a glowing, red object pulsated in a field. Moments later, they came face-to-face with the Flatwoods Monster.

As a way to nurture the Flatwoods legend, the Flatwoods Monster Museum opened in October 2017 at 208 Main St. in Sutton, sharing space with the Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Museum visitors can learn about the Flatwoods Monster, as described by the witnesses. Based on their descriptions, early artists’ renderings depicted the Flatwoods object as about 12 feet tall with an Ace of Spades-shaped head, glowing, red eyes and claw-like hands.

Despite the monster-like illustrations at the time, at least one eyewitness said it appeared to be mechanical in nature — a structured machine of some type — rather than a flesh-and-blood creature.

“One common thread that seems to go through the whole story is that it definitely seemed extraterrestrial in nature,” said Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Andrew Smith.

Whatever it was, it garnered national news coverage when it happened, ranking as one of the top 10 news stories in 1952.

Smith also serves as the museum’s curator and is always on the lookout for Flatwoods Monster-related items. When the CVB offices moved from the Flatwoods outlet mall to Main Street in Sutton, he realized that the roomier space would be ideal to house a museum dedicated to the area’s famous legend.

When the signs went up in the windows, the museum’s popularity took off.

“As soon as we slapped the stickers on the window, making it (the museum) official, the traffic has far outpaced our expectations, that’s for sure,” Smith said.

Out-of-town travellers as well as local residents have embraced the Flatwoods Monster Museum. Smith said many out-of-state travellers know about the museum through the internet or by using various smart phone travel apps that direct motorists to unusual roadside attractions.

“In the busy season, during the summer, it’s probably one-fourth in-state (travellers) and three-fourths out-of-state.”

Visitors from other countries have also signed the guest book.

Smith said a recent check of the guest book revealed that travellers from 27 states had visited the centre and museum. Visitors from Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland and Australia had also signed the guest book.

“And not everyone signs the guest book,” he said.

Monster media: TV shows, film and a video game

UFO enthusiasts have made pilgrimages to the museum to learn more about the 1952 occurrence and about several other similar events that happened in the same time frame. The actual site where the monster was seen is on private property and not accessible to the public, Smith said.

The legend of the Flatwoods Monster received a boost recently through a new History Channel television series titled “Project Blue Book.”

The show is a fictionalized account of astronomer J. Allen Hynek’s investigations into UFO sightings around the country as part of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book sought to explain the increasing UFO reports of the 1950s and ’60s as misidentifications of natural phenomena.

Hynek famously labeled a Michigan sighting as “swamp gas,” but as the bearded astronomer continued to investigate cases for the Air Force, he became convinced that a small percentage of the UFO reports could not be explained away as any type of earthly phenomena.

The second episode of Project Blue Book dealt with the Flatwoods incident, and although there were some embellishments for dramatic effect, Smith said the episode stayed true to the basic core of the story.

“The writers and producers of that show really seemed like they dug in to pull everything they could out of that story,” Smith said.

Museum visitors have also learned of the Flatwoods Monster from a recent documentary film about the incident produced by a company called Small Town Monsters. The film, “The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear,” premiered last spring at the Elk Theater in Sutton.

Additionally, the video game Fallout ’76 features the Flatwoods Monster prominently. The game takes place in West Virginia and features a lot of Mountain State folklore.

“The monster is one of the characters you can battle in the video game,” he said, adding that Point Pleasant’s Mothman and the Grafton Monster are also featured in the game.

Tourist attraction

During peak travel season in the summer, Smith said museum visitors tend to be younger, but all ages are drawn to the Flatwoods Monster Museum.

“Anybody that’s interested in anything strange or paranormal, they come; whether that’s kids who convince their parents to get off the Interstate, or retired folks who are driving around the country in their RVs.”

The Flatwoods Monster Museum is self-guided, but Smith is happy to answer visitors’ questions. The museum part of the visitors’ centre also has a monitor on which a continuous loop of videos help to explain the Flatwoods Monster legend.

The museum includes vintage newspaper articles, drawings, photos and large illustrations of the Flatwoods Monster. There’s even a Flatwoods Monster costume on display that Smith wears to special events.

Smith has appeared as the Flatwoods Monster during the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant.

Soon after the museum opened, Smith realized that visitors like to buy souvenirs. There are plenty from which to choose, including T-shirts, shot glasses, monster lanterns, patches, postcards and bumper stickers, to name just a few.

The ceramic monster lanterns are among the museum’s bestsellers. The first monster lanterns were produced in the 1960s, when Sutton resident John Gibson came up with the idea as a fundraiser for the Braxton County Jaycees organization.

“We wanted to do something for the county, so we got some (monster) moulds made and started producing the lanterns,” Gibson said.

The 81-year-old Gibson grew up in the Sutton-Flatwoods area and was good friends with Neil Nunley, who was among the group who saw the monster.

Gibson described Nunley, who is deceased, as a popular student at the local high school, where they were both freshmen in 1952. He believes Nunley and the others did see something extraordinary.

Gibson said that in stark contrast to Nunley’s usual talkative self, he would “clam up” and get serious whenever any of his classmates tried to ask him questions about what he saw on the ridgetop.

“If you asked him about it, he would turn around and walk away,” Gibson said.

As a way to celebrate the Flatwoods Monster legend, the CVB, in partnership with area towns and businesses, has installed throughout the community a series of colorful, 10-foot-tall “Monster Chairs” in the shape of the monster. The chairs provide popular photo opportunities for travellers.

Visitors who have their pictures taken at all five of the monster chairs are eligible for a “Free Braxxie” sticker. Visit http://www.BraxtonWV.org/Braxxie for details.

The Flatwoods Monster legend and the museum are gaining traction among UFO enthusiasts, but Roswell, New Mexico, site of a supposed UFO crash in July 1947, is arguably the most famous UFO event to take place in America. Each year, Roswell has an annual UFO festival that draws thousands.

Smith said a Flatwoods Monster-themed festival has been tried a few times in the past, but it never caught on with the public.

However, a local gaming group puts on an event every year and has adopted the Flatwoods Monster as its mascot. The group sponsors an annual convention called Bonus Round each September at the Days Inn at Flatwoods. This year’s Bonus Round Convention is scheduled for Sept. 7-8.

“It’s tabletop and role-playing games,” he said. “Every year they have an element of the event that’s Flatwoods Monster related. They use it on all their branding and event T-shirts.”

Smith said having the Flatwoods Monster Museum inside the CVB’s visitors centre helps draw tourists’ attention to some of the other activities available in Braxton County.

Travellers will browse through the museum and then take notice of the visitor centre’s extensive collection of brochures that tout Braxton County’s proximity to such attractions as Sutton and Burnsville lakes, the Elk River, the West Virginia Wildlife Center, shopping and local restaurants.

For more information about the Flatwoods Monster Museum, visit http://www.BraxtonWV.org or call 304-765-6533.

For an in-depth investigation into the Flatwoods Monster incident, author and UFO investigator Frank C. Feschino Jr. has written an updated and revised edition of his 2004 book “The Braxton County Monster: The Cover-Up of the Flatwoods Monster Revealed.”

To leaern more, visit http://www.flatwoodsmonster.com