Winchester Close Encounter 1976

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johne1618

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What is the explanation for this UFO Close Encounter outside Winchester, England in 1976?


 
As they were turning left, and as the geezer was saying how terrible that corner is, the first thing that went through my mind was what a terribly unsafe driver she is. The next thing she recounts is something like "and then we ran off the right of the road onto the grass".

Shall we just say that I think she's overlooking some possibly entirely mundane explanations for what happened.

I bet the first time she tried to pull away, but was stopped by a mystical force, what actually happened was that she floored it and span her wheels on the grass (a misty atmosphere was mentioned, could there have been mist and dew, perhaps?) in a bit of a fluster. The same fluster that might have made her just prior to this knock her headlights into full beam, perhaps? (And her seeing her own headlights so brightly supports the same misty weather guess as before too.)

I'd like to see what a breathalyser would say.
 
What is the claimed evidence?
Many people would be impressed by their testimony alone. They seem sane, honest, ordinary people who had an extraordinary shared experience that deserves an explanation. Does their testimony count for nothing?
 
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Many people would be impressed by their testimony alone. They seem sane, honest, ordinary people who had an extraordinary shared experience that deserves an explanation. Does their testimony count for nothing?
Maybe, but your post doesn't quote that testimony. The information that there were ordinary people near Winchester in 1976 doesn't answer my question, it's not evidence of a UFO.
See https://www.metabunk.org/threads/metabunks-link-policy.5158/ .
 
Driving back from the pub by any chance?
As I understand it Joyce Bowles was picking up her son who was visiting his girlfriend in nearby Chilcomb. Her friend Ted Pratt was coming along to keep her company. They’d have to be seriously alcohol-dependent to hallucinate a close encounter with a UFO and one of its occupants!
 
I wondered about the original source of the video. From the claims in the video the interview with the 'witnesses' must have been taken around 1977. That's nearly 50 years ago. It looks like it was originally on British TV (either the BBC or ITV, the only alternative at that time), but IMDB has no record of any British TV series with that title from the 1970s.

However, on looking at one of the other videos in the series posted on YouTube I found the following statement by the uploader:

This BBC Documentary was originally broadcast in 1977. My copy dates from a repeat showing in 1984. The beginning and end titles were taped over but most of it has survived. It's an interesting historical film on Ufology.

I'm slightly surprised if it was on the BBC. Someone may have said to themselves 'it's a British TV documentary from the 1970s, therefore it must be from the BBC', but not necessarily so! The BBC did have a series of that title in the 1990s, but that was completely unconnected.

As for the content, I can only note that the aliens seem to have been keen to disguise themselves as 1970s humans, complete with beards and sideboards [= US sideburns], but must have slipped up with the piercing pink eyes.
 
What is the explanation for this UFO Close Encounter outside Winchester, England in 1976?
Mrs. Bowles had a mini stroke an episode. which is why Mr. Pratt asked after the alien and ship disappeared (ie. Mrs Bowles opened her eyes), "can i drive?" :)

Mr. Pratt fancies Mrs. Bowles.
 
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Article:
equest 1 Copy of the file relating to a UFO report by Mrs J Bowles and Mr E Pratt near Winchester, Hampshire, on 14 November 1976. File AIR 2/18977 identified. Recalled from the PRO. It contained 11 UFO reports made to the MOD between 5th and 301 h November 1976. There were no reports for the 14th November and none from Mrs Bowles or Mr Pratt. Dr Clarke informed in my letter of31 October 2002.
 
What is the explanation for this UFO Close Encounter outside Winchester, England in 1976?
I swear I'm not trying to be snarky, but maybe she somehow viewed an episode of 'Ark 2'?
Cigar-shaped craft, bearded man in a suit that might look silver-ish in the right light, & first broadcast in 1976.
Seems strangely coincidental.

1629303733562.png
 
I wondered about the original source of the video. From the claims in the video the interview with the 'witnesses' must have been taken around 1977. That's nearly 50 years ago. It looks like it was originally on British TV (either the BBC or ITV, the only alternative at that time), but IMDB has no record of any British TV series with that title from the 1970s.

However, on looking at one of the other videos in the series posted on YouTube I found the following statement by the uploader:



I'm slightly surprised if it was on the BBC. Someone may have said to themselves 'it's a British TV documentary from the 1970s, therefore it must be from the BBC', but not necessarily so! The BBC did have a series of that title in the 1990s, but that was completely unconnected.

As for the content, I can only note that the aliens seem to have been keen to disguise themselves as 1970s humans, complete with beards and sideboards [= US sideburns], but must have slipped up with the piercing pink eyes.


very detailed story on this page link
Article:
Mrs Bowles told us, “ Mr Pratt phoned
the BBC on our arrival home, mainly to
find out if anyone else phoned in.” The
outcome of this was that they appeared
together on BBC Southern Television
the next day, and it was also mentioned
on the radio in London. On Wed¬
nesday, three days later, they appeared
together on national television at peak
viewing time, on BBC’s Nationwide
programme. Before viewers saw them
Mrs Bates, an attractive long-haired
lady, told of how she had seen a man
in a silvery suit bounding along the
side of the A46 Bath Road the previous
day. Subsequent information, how¬
ever, suggests that this was a hoax per¬
petrated by students at Britsol Uni¬
versity.




also from same link


Article:
The next piece of information will
probably cause at least a few readers to
draw emotive conclusions. I learnt
early on in my investigation, from a
Winchester reporter, that Mrs Bowles
had come into the public eye in recent
years as a result of poltergeist activity
in her house. At least one of her sons
would have been of a coincidental age.
Exorcism had been performed by a
local rector. She is also known locally
as a ‘ psychic healer ’ and ‘ natural
medium.’ When I heard this I hes¬
itated before investigating further, but
realised that impartial investigation
normally precedes value judgements.
 
oh look, they had a second encounter when together initiated by Mr. Pratt. I wont speculate as to why Mr. Pratt keeps leaving his wife to accompany Mrs. Bowles on minor driving excursions.

Article:
Encounter Two

On the evening of Thursday, 30 Dec¬
ember at about 6.30 p.m., Mrs Bowles
decided she would fill up the petrol
tank of her Mini in preparation for an
early start for work the next morning
and Mr Pratt—who, with his wife, is a
very close friend of the Bowles family
—accompanied her.
 
Many people would be impressed by their testimony alone. They seem sane, honest, ordinary people who had an extraordinary shared experience that deserves an explanation. Does their testimony count for nothing?
So there we go @johne1618, I think @deirdre has just blown your impression of them right out of the water. As a stand-alone incident, its bizarre and it is Joyce doing all the talking as Ted can hardly get a word in edgeways. But having ’previous’ with other paranormal incidents actually makes this story even less credible and old Ted, well, he just went along for the ride (if you know what I mean).
 
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Having ’previous’ with the paranormal actually

i could live with her boys pranking her with ghosts, but the exorcism is what makes me go "uh....."

add: i should note, that was the era of Valium that doctors prescribed women for every little thing (probably to shut us up). Side effects of long term valium that mimic "not sane" are not the fault of the user.
 
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Thanks for the research @deirdre! It’s a pity that the fact that Mrs Bowles had other experiences is inevitably taken to undermine her credibility. As for the similarity of their description with Ark II - I would be surprised if the series was broadcast in the UK especially at the same time as the US broadcast.
 
Thanks for the research @deidre! It’s a pity that the fact that Mrs Bowles had other experiences is inevitably taken to undermine her credibility. As for the similarity of their description with Ark II - I would be surprised if the series was broadcast in the UK especially at the same time as the US broadcast.
She could have visited the US. I visited the UK with my parents in the early 80's and became an instant Dangermouse fan.

You don't have the slightest suspicion of Joyce's sincerity after Deidre's post?
Sometimes people are just looking to get attention. It's even easier to do so now.
 
It’s a pity that the fact that Mrs Bowles had other experiences is inevitably taken to undermine her credibility.

the link i gave in post #14 is a pretty thorough look into the sightings. it was so long in fact i didnt read it all the way through but they mentioned discrepancies in Mr. Pratt and Mrs. Bowles stories, as well as ordinary things that could explain some of the observations. I probably will read in full at some point as its kinda interesting. for instance, when they went to the site with Mrs. Bowles they heard a whistling sound too which Mrs. Bowles didnt seem to notice that day, even though she mentioned it in the alien encounter.

it was a new car so explains alot of the car stuff to me.
Seems like such a rural area in your video, but apparently there were all sorts of things nearby that could explain the orange light, including specifically orange lights ant the round about they recently went by. (although Mr. Pratt says the ufo lights were a bit mroe red than the roundabout lights) etc.

I think it can be discussed from the viewpoint of actual investigation, i just havent it read it through yet.
 
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She could have visited the US.
i wonder what the hippies in the Uk looked like. if it was America i would say maybe it was a VW bus filled with pot smoking hippies using lighters to flame their bongs (hence the red eyes) and when she nearly crashed her car one of the hippies (in America he'd be wearing a Tophat, not a bowler) walked over and looked in her car to make sure they were ok.
 
She could have visited the US. I visited the UK with my parents in the early 80's and became an instant Dangermouse fan.

You don't have the slightest suspicion of Joyce's sincerity after Deidre's post?
Sometimes people are just looking to get attention. It's even easier to do so now.
If you doubt Joyce then what do you think about Ted? I don’t believe he was looking for attention.
 
I don’t believe he was looking for attention.
you don't think it's possible he was very pleasantly taken aback when pretty, young, flighty Joyce flung her arms around him and clung to him? Now that i thought about hippies, all i can picture is Ted making eye contact with the "alien" and frantically waving him away from the car so as not to distract Joyce from her clinging. And the hippy giving him a thumbs up. :)
 
If you doubt Joyce then what do you think about Ted? I don’t believe he was looking for attention.
On something this improbable? With a record of more improbable scenarios?
No way. But I am a cynic after hearing these same themes for decades without a single shred of actual proof.
 
you don't think it's possible he was very pleasantly taken aback when pretty, young, flighty Joyce flung her arms around him and clung to him? Now that i thought about hippies, all i can picture is Ted making eye contact with the "alien" and frantically waving him away from the car so as not to distract Joyce from her clinging. And the hippy giving him a thumbs up. :)
I certainly think Joyce had a “soft spot“ for Ted! And I could believe that Ted felt the same way.
 
I see you've deleted your original reply to my post #6, which I in no way found offensive.
Do you now have an alternative response to it? [*]
I genuinely found her presentation of her story to be *packed full* of tells. (I might be more sensitive to such things, being an English native.) I do believe she may have run off the road, and got in a fluster, but that's about all.

[* Edit: the context being as per @JarJar's "On something this improbable?" - why would the *default* be to think such an eye-witness report was reliable? (c.f. @Mauro's post #5) She was describing things that defy every law of physics. This isn't a case of trust-but-verify, this is a case of don't-trust, IMHO, you need to earn trust.]
 
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Let’s draw a line under this. An interesting story, but ultimately flawed by a key witness who was open to suggestion to any angle on the paranormal and a collaborator who only had eyes for the key witness. NEXT............
 
Seems like such a rural area in your video, but apparently there were all sorts of things nearby that could explain the orange light

There are a lot of military and naval facilities within about 30 miles of Winchester: Farnborough (air force research), Aldershot (army), Portsmouth (naval dockyard), Salisbury Plain (army exercises), Andover (army and RAF), Porton Down (chemical and biological warfare research), and Warminster (army; also a notorious UFO hotspot).
 
I see you've deleted your original reply to my post #6, which I in no way found offensive.
Do you now have an alternative response to it? [*]
I genuinely found her presentation of her story to be *packed full* of tells. (I might be more sensitive to such things, being an English native.) I do believe she may have run off the road, and got in a fluster, but that's about all.

[* Edit: the context being as per @JarJar's "On something this improbable?" - why would the *default* be to think such an eye-witness report was reliable? (c.f. @Mauro's post #5) She was describing things that defy every law of physics. This isn't a case of trust-but-verify, this is a case of don't-trust, IMHO, you need to earn trust.]
Ok, maybe I didn't need to delete my reply. I just though I was being too provocative when I implied that a truly consistent hardline-skeptic employer would have to consider firing them from their jobs for either being insane or dishonest based on that interview.

I'm an English native too but I tend to think she is honest. As for her driving she seemed a perfectly competent and confident driver to me. I also think Ted Pratt seemed honest to me. I guess it's because I'm open to the idea of alien visitation with science/technology beyond our present understanding.

I must admit the number of her repeat experiences are astonishing. After her experience with Mr Pratt on 14 Nov 1976 they had a second experience together on 30 Dec 1976 when they claim that the whole car was abducted by the aliens! She also had a third experience in the car with a Mrs Strickland when an alien stopped her and gave her a message of a religious nature which it seems that she never divulged to anyone!

It would be interesting to find out what happened to Joyce Bowles and Ted Pratt - I guess they have passed away by now. Also I wonder what became of Joyce's 1976 Mini Clubman Estate car. I checked the plate SAA 749P and it seems that the road tax ran out in Nov 1986.
 
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As for her driving she seemed a perfectly competent and confident driver to me.
i dont think you can judge that by a filmed car ride. 1. because we would all drive better if a film crew was recording us. 2. we tend to drive slower when we are pointing things out to people 3. she wasn't distracted by the UFO (or cell phone) she was busy trying to look at. 4. it was daylight vs night.
 
Hi, newbie here.

I first watched this video some years ago and found it fascinating. One aspect of their experience rang a bell a few years later when I had to study the 2005 Buncefield fuel depot fire for a degree module (I was a mature student).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10266706 (link to Buncefield article)

One factor about the Buncefield incident was that before the explosion, the leaking fuel vapour made the engines of passing cars 'run fast' as fuel vapour was entering the engine via the air filter. This is the same engine effect they talk about in this video and suggests some sort of large-scale fuel leak. To be honest, his description of the UFO with the cockpit at the front (quote: "the cabin was at the front of the cigar shaped thing') sounds somewhat like a military helicopter of that era and the 'aliens' firefighters of that era.

So is it possible they turned off onto the back road only to be overcome by fuel fumes from a landed/crash-landed military helicopter that made the engine of the car 'run fast' - and thus the bright headlights - and that the spacemen were in fact firefighters in their protective suits? After all, sideburns and a beard...! The incident also took place close to an MoD rifle range, so possible that a military helicopter in distress landed short? They could very well have been honest in their recollections of what they remembered due to a bit 'woozy' from the fuel vapour.
 
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They seem sane, honest, ordinary people

There's an elephant in the room here - they may appear "ordinary people" but, as I'm sure Rousseau would remind us, it doesn't logically follow that "ordinary" equals "honest" or "sane".

Some might argue the opposite is more likely the case.
 
What is the explanation for this UFO Close Encounter outside Winchester, England in 1976?



In 1976 I was a shy 21 year old so kept this to myself but I have never forgotten and it is as clear in my mind as it was that evening. I was travelling east along the A27 dual carriage way from Titchfield behind towards Catisfield ahead. On the same night as this sighting but only minutes before. The night was clear and dark. Driving my Moggie 1000 van I saw ahead of me high up in the sky a bright light which for the first slit second I thought was a shooting star but then realised it could not be. The bright light moved at extraordinary speed in a straight line downwards and then stopped and remained stationary. There was no slowing down. One second supersonic next stationary. I was virtually stopped at this point. It hovered for about 10 seconds and then at lightening speed took off north towards Winchester again in a straight line. I was not tempted to tell anyone except my friends as I was frightened of any attention and being called a crack pot. Imagine the surprise of reading the couples encounter the next day in the news papers. I think that I was the only person to believe every word they said, and have continued to do so. Although I would have liked to corroborate their story at the time I was far to shy to do it and without internet no way to reach out to them personally. The reason to recount this now was I was telling my partner about my experience for the first time when discussing the disclosures in the US and just wanting to say what I should have in 1976. Also I just wonder how many others like me are out there that have kept quiet.
 
Well, you gotta love the bit where the lady takes the left turn into the road and ends up totally on the wrong side of the road for a few seconds....that would be a fail on anyone's driving test....yet somehow when she did same maneuver in the dark a few months earlier and ended up with even less control of the car and onto the grass verge, it was all the fault of aliens !

I rest my case.
 
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