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6 AUGUST 1954 – RHOOSE

5.45 PM. Clear blue sky. George Hortop and his fiancee were sitting on the pebble beach at The Knap, Barry, when their attention was drawn to a stationary object to the south-west over the Bristol Channel in the direction of, and well out past Rhoose Point. He said it was a brilliant silver colour and “conveyed the impression of a strong light reflecting on a chromium or silver-plated body.” They were struck by the fact that there was a slight westerly wind but the disc-shaped object was not moving.

At the same time members of the RAF Gliding School were completing a series of flying operations from St. Athan airfield at the time. All were witness to the object, including the commanding officer, several instructors and a number of air cadets. A flying officer took off in a glider with a pupil t investigate the object from a closer position. He stated:

“The form I observed was that of a large double-convex lens viewed in vertical profile. It was not possible to estimate its true size or distance at which it was stationed, but on the southern and eastern legs of the first circuit of which I flew, the object was perfectly clear against a blue sky and very sharply defined and a bright silver colour.”

He was also impressed by the fact that it was so immobile, despite the wind.

They landed after one circuit and took off again with the same pupil for a second circuit similar to the first. The object was in the same position but had changed its shape to that of a silvery dumb-bell. Again there was no movement apparent during the course of the glider’s flight past. This ruled out the possibility of it being light reflected from a conventional aircraft, or of it being a weather balloon.

George Hortop and his fiancée watching from the beach at The Knap, could not see the shape-change, but could pick out the RAF glider near it. During this second approach by the glider the obect suddenly vanished. It had been in view for about two hours prior to this.

It had also been seen by observers at Rhoose Airport.

Source: UFO-UK Peter Paget 1980.