1986: Cedric Allingham UFO a Total Hoax?

In 1986, a contactee case from 1954 was finally laid to rest when ufologists Chris Allen and Stuart Campbell published the results of their investigation into the book Flying Saucer From Mars.

A naturalist called Cedric Allingham had claimed that while bird watching along the coast near Lossiemouth in Scotland on February 18th, he had encountered a flying saucer and a being from Mars. As the object landed he took a number of pho­tographs, which were subsequently published in his best-selling book. 

Allingham communicated with the being using sign language and sketches. After a number of reve­lations regarding the canals on Mars the craft departed. The naturalist reproduced a sworn state­ment from a Scotsman named James Duncan who had supposedly witnessed the encounter from a hilltop. 

Allen and Campbell suspected that the book was hoaxed by a well-known television personality. A computer program that compared the writing styles of two science fiction writers and flying Saucers From Mars was used in an attempt to unveil the hoaxers, but failed, mainly because the style of the book had been deliberately disguised by a journalist.  The investigators tracked down Peter Davies. He admitted his part in the affair, and said that the orig­inal author was none other than astronomer Patrick Moore. Unsurprisingly, Moore has refused to confirm his involvement. 

Confusingly, Jenny Randles was contacted by a man who claimed to have met James Duncan. Duncan apparently revealed that something had indeed happened, but that Flying Saucers From Mars had grossly exaggerated the event.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed