PAUL HARESNAPE: Weird Winkleigh 2

A pair of Firedrake dragons, Top Secret Black military aircraft, JFK’s brother, frequent UFO sightings (including a dramatic Close Encounter on a former RAF airfield), crop circles, alien big cats, witchcraft, spectral black dogs, a pub haunted by two ghosts, the discovery of a strange tunnel...Winkleigh in North Devon is an intriguingly Fortean place!

Last week our foray into the Fortean goings-on in Winkleigh began with the legend of the firedrake dragons; revealing tantalising evidence that at least some aspects of the legend persist to this day. We now turn our attention to UFO sightings associated with the village and the surrounding area, before returning to matters of a more cryptozoological nature (and some ghosts!) in Part Three.

As CFZ Director Jon Downes has noted in the past, North Devon has never been a hotbed of UFO activity. [1] However, Winkleigh is something of an exception to this rule, with regular reports over the years of (mostly) strange lights in the skies, particularly in the vicinity of Cadbury Hill. [2]

Perhaps the most famous ‘light in the sky’ encounter was that of the 1967 ‘Flying Cross’, which occurred a few miles to the north-west of the village. [3] Witnessed in the early hours by two police constables (one of whom was based in Winkleigh) they chased the bright, low, pulsating cross-like object along the country lanes at speeds of up to 90 mph. There is evidence to suggest that this bright object was actually seen several times over a period of days. [4] Some researchers have claimed the ‘Flying Cross’ to be nothing more than the planet Venus; which admittedly was particularly bright at that time. [5]

However, the following incident, witnessed by at least two independent observers, still defies explanation after more than 50 years. Before we examine the encounter itself, it is worth appreciating the somewhat covert history of the airfield in question.

Constructed in 1940, RAF Winkleigh played host to the Canadian 406 Squadron who were developing and servicing the top secret, cutting-edge A1 Radar systems for Mosquito night fighters. It was also home to the ‘Black Squadron’, an elite top secret unit flying camouflaged aircraft on clandestine missions delivering and collecting spies and secret agents into the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe. Joe Kennedy, the elder brother of US President JFK, was for a time [6] stationed at the airfield before moving to Dunkerswell in preparation for ‘Operation Anvil’:
‘This mission was to be Top Secret…the target being the German V3 Supergun site at Mimoyecques, France. The details of this mission remained secret until 1966, although the identity of the crew was not released until 1970.

'The mission was to involve the use of explosive-laden PB4Y-1 Liberator bombers under radio control…at a pre-determined point the crew would parachute from the aircraft through the nose wheel bay emergency exit and the bomber would continue the rest of its mission under radio control, finally crashing onto the target.’ [7]

Sadly, on August 12 1944, Lt Kennedy was killed when his aircraft exploded over Suffolk during a test flight.

Furthermore, on 4th June 1944 ‘Operation Bigot’ would see RCAF Wing Commander Fullerton given the dramatic responsibility of personally delivering the D-Day orders out of Winkleigh to every airfield in the South West of England, an operation so secret that he could not even discuss it with his RAF counterpart, Wg Cdr Douglass-Hamilton. [8]

Although RAF Winkleigh closed in late 1945 it is rather fitting that the remnants of this secretive airfield served as the backdrop for the intriguing close encounter detailed below. Reported to BUFORA* some nine years after the event, it was re-examined by Gloria Heather Dixon in her document ‘Myths, Rumours and UFOS: Investigations – Summer 2009’:

‘In early May 1957, the witness, a long distance tanker driver from Yeovil, Somerset had a very unusual sighting and experience. He describes the incident in the following way:

“On the morning in question, it was fine, dry and a good light. I pulled on to the perimeter track at about 04.50 at Winkleigh Aerodrome, North Devon, a disused wartime Aerodrome, the idea being to have my flask of coffee.

After some few minutes, I noticed what appeared to be a ‘submarine’ on the end of the runway. My first thought was how did it get up there. Also, it looked very new. I sat and watched for some minutes and then thought I would take a closer look and got out of the cab and walked towards it. After getting to within some two hundred yards, it was impossible to go any further towards it. Just like walking into a ‘cushion’.

This was the very first intimation of anything out of the ordinary. Then this thing went straight up like an elevator for about 1200 ft and then went off towards the North Devon Coast. The speed was terrific. There was never any noise of any sort. There were no windows, no exhaust, no sort of movement that I could see. Possibly the tail fins were just a little more fluorescent when in motion. No green men…nothing. Please, I am not a crank, just a lorry driver. There were many I believe who saw this in the air. One other saw it on the ground. I would not have come forward either, but my wife suggested I tell you of my one and only experience.

I make no claims as to its identity.”

The witness describes the object as solid and a fluorescent blue metallic colour, almost submarine shaped apart from tail fins. It appeared to hover and slightly change in brightness. He describes its size as the length of an airliner (of that time) and height of 28-30 feet, and was only 200 yards from him when he first saw it. He goes on to describe how the object disappeared from view when it went straight up vertically and then northwest until lost to sight. He remembers the weather conditions that morning as being warm and dry with a clear sky and light breeze. The BUFORA investigator of the time was John Cleary-Baker and he comments in his evaluation that:

“The narrative has a ring of truth and is a most fascinating one. I think it deserves careful study. It is perhaps one of the most significant BUFORA has received for a long time and it is a pity nine years had to elapse before the story was told.”

Commenting further he states that:

“I am in no doubt that the witness saw a grounded UFO, which took off when he approached it. The ‘force barrier’ around the object is a noteworthy feature.” ’ [9]

Whatever it was, it may have revisited the area in the early 80s, this time a few miles to the east near the village of Kings Nympton. Multiple witnesses (one known to myself) saw a bright object hovering low in the night sky, which then suddenly shot upwards at an immense speed before disappearing from view.

To be continued….


* British UFO Research Association. (http://www.bufora.org.uk/)


[1] Weird Devon by Jonathan Downes, Bossiney Books
[2] www.jackiefreemanphotography.com/raf_winkleigh
[3] www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/ufos
[4] See: www.prufospolicedatabase.co.uk/2
[5] www.ianridpath.com/ufo/flyingcross
[6] www.jackiefreemanphotography.com/raf_winkleigh
[7] www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm
[8] www.jackiefreemanphotography.com/raf_winkleigh
[9] BUFORA: MYTHS, RUMOURS AND UFOSINVESTIGATIONS –Gloria Heather Dixon
July 2009 http://tiny.cc/Bufora