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“STRANGE PHENOMENON” SEEN IN WEST MYSTERY LIGHT FLARED, FAILED

The light that flared and failed, a strange phenomenon on the western horizon, is puzzling a Neath professional man who takes a sceptical view of flying saucers.

At 10 pm on Saturday, having garaged his car after a busy day, he was walking down Upper Cimla-road to his home when he saw what he describes s “The Phenomenon”.

“I was facing Drumau,” he told an “Evening Post” reporter, “when I suddenly became aware of a light above the mountain, moving fast from north to south horizontally.

“It was a brilliant globe of white light with a greenish tinge, and about one-quarter the size of a full moon. It was not a perfect sphere for it was slightly elliptical on its southern edge.

“It was moving so fast that I thought at first it was something being towed by jet propelled aircraft, but I heard no sound of an aeroplane engine.

VANISHED SUDDENLY

“The globe was about one third of the way up between the horizon and zenith. It did not rise or fall from a horizontal course. I watched it as it passed through about 10 degrees and then it vanished suddenly, leaving two or three red linear embers behind it.”

Trained in science and an amateur astronomer, who makes his own astronomical telescopes, he is perfectly familiar with the normal night sky and is quite certain that what he saw was not “a falling star or a firework. I have never seen anything like it before,” he said.

“To make sure it was not a purely subjective phenomenon, I stopped and spoke to a man who was walking behind me.

“He too, had seen it and agreed that its course was perfectly horizontal. I should like to know whether the light was seen by any Swansea astronomer.”

Source: South Wales Evening Post Monday 5 October 1953.

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TOO HIGH TO BE A FIREWORK HE SAW THE “MYSTERY LIGHT”

The mysterious light seen above the western horizon by a Neath amateur astronomer at 10 pm on Saturday, was also seen by a Cwmavon man. Mr Geraint Davies, Brynglas-avenue, writes, “I should like to substantiate the account given by the person who saw the ‘mystery light’ last Saturday.

“On looking out of the window at about 10 pm that night, I saw a greenish coloured light travel in a North to South direction over Foel Mynyddau, which is west of Cwmavon.

"It was in my sight for about five seconds, then it seemed to flick out. It was too high to be a firework and it could not have been a flare because it travelled horizontally, and there was no sound of an aircraft."

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NOT A STAR

“It travelled t about the same speed as a Vampire jet fighter and therefore it seemed to me to be too slow to be anything of the nature of a falling star. I confess to being greatly puzzled as to its nature and would be grateful if some reader could shed light on this mysterious object.”

Source: South Wales Evening Post Tuesday 6 October 1953.

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OTHERS SAW LIGHT IN THE SKY

Other correspondents report witnessing the strange light in the sky seen a few nights ago. Mr D. I. Evans, 32 Poplar-crescent, Cefncaeau, Llanelly, writes:

“While waiting for a bus at the Bryn Chapel bust stop on the Pontarddulais-Llanelly road on Saturday night, the usual street lamp which lights this spot, for some unknown reason, was off. So I had a magnificent unrestricted view of the night sky.

“To idle away the time I was trying to locate some of the constellations which I had learnt during my R.A.F. days.

“This light suddenly appeared, travelling in a horizontal direction exactly as described in your report except that I should say it was in the NW travelling West to East. My directions may be wrong, but the following diagram may help – Mr Evans encloses an astronomical sketch [this was not printed in the newspaper article].

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TALLIES PERFECTLY

“Everything in the Neath man’s description tallies perfectly. I saw it at 9.45 pm – within n more than two minutes either way.

“I thought it was a shooting star and told my wife of what I had seen but since reading your report my curiosity has been aroused and would like to hear an expert’s opinion.”

Mr. G. Janes, 178 Mayals-road, Blackpill, also saw the brilliant light in the sky taking a line roughly from Dunvant to the N.O.R. viewed from the Mayals.

“I thought it was a plane on fire, and went to the door expecting to hear a crash, but none came.”

Source: South Wales Evening Post Wednesday 7 October 1953.

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FLEW OFF INTO SPACE

SIR, - I was delighted to read in the Post’s “30 years ago” item about sinister lights seen on the western horizon, because I also saw those lights and have never forgotten them.

I was looking out of one of my upstairs windows in my then home, the Builder’s Arms, Melin, which is quite a high building with an unobstructed view of surrounding areas, when I saw this flashing green light whiz across the sky, drop down in a straight line, then leave these red “stars” behind, before flying off into space and disappearing. I ran down to tell my husband but, of course, he only laughed and told me I had been reading too many science fiction stories.

I have always maintained I saw those lights and now thanks to your paper my son and daughter must believe that I DID see something.

You have made an old woman very happy, even if what I saw can never be explained. I DID see them all those years ago.

Dorothy Griffiths, Herbert Road, Melincryddan, Neath.

Source: South Wales Evening Post 7 October 1983.