Rendlesham Forest incident
December 26, 1980 – December 28, 1980 · Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk · Sighting · Primary document linked
U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Woodbridge reported unusual lights and an object in the adjoining forest over several nights, followed by a deputy base commander's patrol that also reported lights. It is often called Britain's Roswell.
Why it matters (3/5)
Best-known UK case, with military witnesses and an official memo.
Caveats
Accounts differ on dates. Halt's memo places the first sighting at about 0300 on 27 December 1980; many retellings say the night of 25-26 December. The UK Ministry of Defence concluded at the time there was no threat to the UK.
Sources
- The Halt Memo – The Rendlesham Forest Incident (U.S. Air Force (memorandum, 13 Jan 1981)), primary
- National Archives UFO files, August 2009 podcast transcript (The National Archives (UK)), context