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| The Thing |
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 UFO news, views and archives brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive The Thing World Notices 1960s Recent sightings John Cowie interview Postcards Wallpaper Links  |
It was not so much what witnesses saw, as what they heard. The phenomenon started on Christmas Eve 1964, when a loud high-pitched whine was heard. Many people were struck to the ground by the unbearable noise, and the sound was soon replaced by visual sightings. Not only were the familiar shapes of flying saucers seen, but cigar-shaped objects, amber gamblers, crimson balls of fire, mother ships and scout ships. It was assumed by many and in particular by local journalist Arthur Shuttlewood that these sightings were of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Arthur took to the cause with revolutionary zeal, expressing passionate belief in the alien manifestations of Warminster and coining the phrase "The Thing".  The UFOs and the piercing noise became colloquially known by the media and the community as the "The Thing".From the descriptions provided of The Thing in Warminster, outsiders could have assumed the town sky was a veritable firework display. Cley Hill and Cradle Hill soon became the key places to sit and wait for UFOs. Satellites were regularly spotted from these useful vantage points, and UFO spotters coming to the sites claimed they too saw UFOs. Photographs for illustration purposes only. |
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