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The 1954 French flap:

The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.

September 29, 1954, Branges, Saône-et-Loire:

Reference for this case: 29-sep-54-Branges.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

The national weekly newspaper France Dimanche for October 10, 1954, had indicated that Gilbert Prudent, a butcher's clerk in Res-de-Vernay in the Saône-et-Loire had the greatest fright of his life on September 29:

As he was returning home on his bicycle, at 11:30 p.m., he saw on the road, 20 meters in front of him, a cylindrical craft, four to five meters long, from which came a bright red glow. The young man slammed on the brakes, the craft vanished emitting a slight hissing sound.

The newspaper published this sketch, as being made by the witness:

The national weekly newspaper France Dimanche for October 24, 1954, had indicated that in Res-de-Vernay, in the Saône-et-Loire department, Mr. Gilbert Prudent, butcher, had observed at 20 meters a craft that the weekly described as "of revolutionary design ... is presented upside down in the shape of a cupola with an orange circle emitting a red glow"; which captioned their sketch:

Jacques Vallée indicated in 1969, without giving any source, that on October 1, 1954, at 10:00 p.m. in Branges, near Louhans,Gilbert Prudent had seen when returning home a shiny object on the side of the road; which had a flat part and a kind of mushroom at the top. When the witness approached, the object became dark and rose vertically with a low hissing sound.

In 1975, based on "clippings" and their "personal file", ufologists Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier indicated that a UFO landing took place at Branges in the Saône-et-Loire on October 1, 1954 at 10:00 p.m.:

A butcher's apprentice had left his home in La Chênerie to join the shop of his boss, Raymond Bernard, in Branges, when he saw a luminous craft having a flat part, "surmounted by a huge mushroom," 50 meters from him by the side of the road. He told:

"At first, I thought it was a stationary car, at which point the engine of my bike stopped, I saw this rather bulky craft rise vertically while producing a slight hissing sound."

These ufologists indicated that another person had also seen the UFO.

Reports:

[Ref. fde1:] JOURNAL "FRANCE-DIMANCHE":

... The butcher a cylinder...

GILBERT PRUDENT (opposite), a butcher's clerk in Res-de-Vernay (Saône-et-Loire) had the greatest fright of his life on September 29.

As he was returning home on his bicycle, at half past eleven in the evening, he saw on the road, 20 meters in front of him, a cylindrical machine, four to five meters long from which a bright red glow. (See his sketch above). The young man slammed on the brakes; the craft vanishes emitting a slight hiss.

[Ref. fde2:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE-DIMANCHE":

This weekley newspaper published a series of third hand drawings of some of the different shapes of flying saucers allegedly reported in France in 1954:

Res-de-Vernay (Saône-et-Loire)

Of revolutionary design, this saucer presents upside down in the shape of cupola with orange circle emitting a red gleam. Was observed within twenty meters by Mr. Gilbert Prudent, butcher.

[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:

OBSERVATIONS 1954 (9)

September 29 (continued)

11:30 p.m.: "Resde-Vernay"(misspell for "Le Prey-de-Vernay"?) (Saône-et-Loire): cylinder landing"?

[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:

September 29, 1954:

"Rezde-Vernay" (if misspell for "Le-Prey-de-Vernay"=cne.of Anostçà 17 km INS to the SW.of Autun-Saône-et-Loire;if on the contrary misspell for "Reclesne"=10 km INS to the NNW.of Autun): Gilbert Prudent, butcher boy (landing of ESPI of "cylinder" shape):

[Ref. mcs1:] "MICHEL CARROUGES":

Michel Carrouges indicates that the Prudent observation was made at a distance of 50 meters.

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

175) October 1st, 1954, 10:00 p.m., Branges, near Louhans (France):

Coming home at night, Gilbert Prudent saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of "mushroom" on top. As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound. (Personal)

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

October 1st, 1954, 10:00 p.m., Branges, near Louhans (France):

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on October 1, 1954, a man who was returning at his place close to Branges in the evening saw on the edge of the road an illuminated object which had a flat section with a kind of "mushroom" at the top. When this man approached, the object became dark and flew away vertically with a soft whistle.

[Ref. ldl3] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

In a list of cases of the 1954 French flap that were estimated to need an investigation or a counter-investigation, the magazine noted:

"10/1/54 Branges, near Louhans".

[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

Based on newspapers clippings and their personal file, the two ufologists indicate that a UFO landing took place in Branges in the department of the Saone-et-Loire on October 1, 1954 at 10:00 P.M.

An apprentice butcher had left his residence in La Chênerie to join the store of his boss, Raymond Bernard, in Branges.

He saw an enlightened apparatus having a punt part, "topped by an enormous mushroom," within 50 meters of him at the edge of the road, and told:

"I first believed that it was a car who had pulled up. At this time the engine of my motorcycle stopped. I saw this quite large apparatus take of vertically while producing a gentle whistling sound."

The authors indicates that another person also saw the UFO.

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

349 1 October 1954 2200 hrs

BRANGES, nr. LOUHANS (FRANCE)

Coming home at night, Gilbert Prudent saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section, and a sort of "mushroom" on top. As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound (Ml75)

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Jacques Vallée indicates that on October 1, 1954, at 10 p.m., Branges, near Louhans, the Saône-et-Loire, coming home, Gilbert Prudent saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of "mushroom" on top. As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound.

[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two authors indicate that in Branges in the Saone-et-Loire, on October 1, 1954 at 10:00 p.m., returning at his place, Gilbert Prudent, butcher, saw a shining object on the edge of the road within 50 meters of him. The engine of his motorcycle stopped. The object had a punt part and a kind of mushroom at the top. While the witness approached, the object became dark and rose vertically with a weak whistling sound.

The authors indicates that the sources are the Vallée catalogue, case 175; C. Grreau and R. Lavier in "Face aux ET" p. 46; Le Figaro for October 6, 1954; and France-Soir for October 8, 1954.

[Ref. cnu1:] "CNEGU" UFOLOGY GROUP:

LIST OF THE FRENCH CASES WITH EFFECTS ON VEHICLE

ed.4 29.5.88

DATE	HOUR	DEPT	PLACE
10.01.1954	10.00 p.m.	71	Branges

[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:

Brauges [sic], France.

At the same time as M. Dufix's experience, a M. Gilbert Prudent was driving near Louhan, France, when his headlights lit up a glowing mass parked on the shoulder of the road up ahead. As he closed the distance between him and the "glowing mass," M. Prudent could make out something of its shape. There appeared to be a "flat portion" and a "mushroom-shaped" section on top. Before his car could draw abreast of the thing, its glow dimmed and with a shrill, highpitched, sound, the thing launched itself vertically into the sky. 10.

Rogerson, Peter. "The Catalogue." MUFOB New Series 2. March 1976. #36. p.7.

[Ref. mft3:] MICHEL FIGUET:

Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list	Nr of Francat list	Localization	Date	Class	Credibility	Sources	Number of W
019	108	Branges	01/10	CE2	NI [=Unidentified] P RS [=Succinct information]	2-p. 105	1 T

[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:

CAS Nr	CLASSIFICATION	DATE	HOUR	PLACE	ZIP CODE	CREDIBILITY SOURCE
108	CE2	01 10 1954	22.00	Branges	71 550 D7	NI-RS [=Unidentified Succinct information], OVNI : p. 107

[Ref. jsr1] JEAN SIDER:

Jean Sider indicates that on October 1, 1954 at 10:00 p.m. in Branges, Louhans, the Saone-and-Loire, Gilbert Prudent, butcher, saw an illuminated machine on the edge of the road at fifty meters of him, of flat shape surmounted by a mushroom. At this time his motorcycle stopped and then the object rose vertically.

Jean Sider indicates that the source is Figuet page 105.

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

3897: 1954/10/01 22:00 10 5:11:00 E 46:39:00 N 3333 WEU FRN S&L 7:8

BRANGES,FR:CLASSIC SCR/ROADSIDE:GOES DARK:RISES/SOFT WHISTLE:/LDLN#102

Ref# 8 VALLEE,Jacques: PASSPORT TO MAGONIA. Case No. 175 : ROAD+RAILS

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that on October 1, 1954, in France, in Branges close to Louhans, "returning home at 10:00 p.m. Gilbert Prudent saw a shining object on the edge of the road at 50 m from of him. The engine of the cycle stopped. It had a punt part and a kind of mushroom at the top. As the witness approached the object became dark and rose vertically with a weak whistling sound."

The sources are indicated as Jacques Vallée: "Chronique des apparitions ET" - DENOEL 1972 - COLL. J'AI LU - p. 264; M. FIGUET/ J.L. RUCHON: "Ovni, Premier dossier complet..." Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 105.

[Ref. lgs3] LOREN GROSS:

The French newspaper France Dimanche published brief accounts of various UFO sightings accompanied by drawings in its October 10, 1954 issue. These were included in the monograph UFOs. A History 1954 September, pages 31-33. Translations by "ADNf' of the French text exist in NICAP files and are provided here for the reader's perusal. (See below)

[... Other cases...]

No. 5 ...the butcher a cylinder.

Gilbert Prudent, a butcher of Res-de-Vemay (Saone-et-Loire) had the greatest fright of his life last Sept. 29. Coming home on his bicycle at 11:30 p.m., he saw on the road, 20 meters in front of him, a cylindrical (sic?) machine 4 or 5 meters long giving off a bright red light. (See his drawing) The young man came to a violent stop; the craft disappeared, with a slight hissing noise.

[... Other cases...]

These French cases can be found on page 75 of the monograph UFOs: A History 1954 September. Translations of the French text were also done by NICAP's "ADM." [Alexandre Mebane]

[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

On this Day

October 1

[...]

1954 - In Branges, near Louhans, France. While coming home at night, Gilbert Prudent and one other witness saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of large "mushroom" on top (domed disc). As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 214; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 105).

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

Jerome Beau indicates that on Friday October 1, 1954, "22 H in Branges, close to Louhans (France), Gilbert Prudent returns home when he sees 1 shining object on the edge of the road. It has a punt part and a kind of 'mushroom' at the top. Whereas the witness approaches, the object becomes dark and rises vertically with a weak whistling sound."

The source is indicated as "Vallée, J., case #37, 'Rapport sur l'analyse de 200 observations documentées faites en 1954'".

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Saone et Loire in Branges on 1 October 1954, "returning home at 22:00 the witness saw a shining object on the edge of the road at 50 m of him. The engine of the cycle stopped. It had a punt part and a kind of mushroom at the top. As the witness approached the object became dark and rose vertically with a weak whistle."

The source is indicates as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979" and "Chroniques des apparitions E.T. by Vallée Jacques ** DENOEL 1972 - J'AI L coll."

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 1 October 1954 at 22:00, in Branges, Anost, France, "Lighted object on side of road. It had a flat section, mushroom top. As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with soft whirring sound." "An object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One domed disc was observed by one male witness on a road for ten minutes (Prudent). A whistling sound was heard."

The sources are indicated as Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Rogerson, Peter, World-Wide Catalog of Type 1 Reports; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002.

[Ref. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 1 October 1954 at 22:00, in Branges, France, a "lighted object was seen on the side of the road. In Branges, near Louhans, France. While coming home at night, Gilbert Prudent and one other witness saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of large "mushroom" on top (domed disc). As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound."

"Coming home at night, Gilbert Prudent saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of "mushroom" on top. As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound."

"An unidentified object was sighted, but with appearance and behavior that most likely would have a conventional explanation. One star, about 5 feet across, was observed by one witness."

The sources are indicated as Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073).

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

*Oct. 1, 1954 - In Branges, near Louhans in Saone-et-Loire department, France. While coming home at night around 10:00 p.m., Gilbert Prudent and one other witness saw a lighted object on the side of the road. It had a flat section and a sort of large "mushroom" on top (domed disc). As he approached it, the object became dark and took off vertically with a soft whistling sound. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 214, case 175; Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 105).

[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded the case 5 times:

Case Nr.	Date of observation	Place of observation	Country of observation	Hour of observation	Classification
19541001	01.10.1954	Branges	France	22.00	CE I
19541001	01.10.1954	Branges	France	22.00
19541001	01.10.1954	Branges	France	22.00	CE II
19541001	01.10.1954	Branges	France	Evening
19541001	01.10.1954	Branges	France	22.00	CE II

[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

October 1 1954. 2000hrs.

BRANGES (SAONE ET LOIRE : FRANCE)

Returning home at night, butcher, Gilbert Prudent saw a shiny object on the road 50m away. His motorcycle engine failed. The thing had a flat bottom and a mushroom shaped top. As he approached the object turned dark and took off with a soft whistling sound.

Vallee Case 175
Garreau and Lavier 1975 p46
Figuet and Ruchon 1979 citing above + Le Figaro 6 October 1954. + France Soir 8 October 1954.

Explanations:

Possible extraterrestrial visitors.

I found no place called "Res-de-Vernay" or "Prey-de-Vernay"; but there is a "rue de Vernay" in Branges in the Saône-et-Loire department.

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Branges, Saone et Loire, Gilbert Prudent, nocturnal, object, glowing, road, flat, mushroom, dark, landing, whistling, Raymond Bernard, motorcycle, stall, engine

Sources:

[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.

[----] Article in the national newspaper Le Figaro, Paris, France, 6 octobre 1954.
[----] Article in the national newspaper France-Soir, Paris, France, 8 octobre 1954.
[fde1] Article dans l'hebdomadaire national France-Dimanche, Paris, France, 10 octobre 1954.
[fde2] Article in the national weekly newspaper France-Dimanche, Paris, France, October 24, 1954.
[gqy1] "Observations 1954", monograph by Guy Quincy, France - Algeria, private publication, page 19, the 1950's.
[gqy2] "Liste des lieux d'atterrissages d'ESPI et des témoins de ces atterrissages au XXe siècle", list by Guy Quincy, private publication, France - Algeria, 1960.
[mcs1] "Les Apparitions de Martiens", book by "Michel Carrouges" (pseudonym of Louis Couturier), Fayard publisher, France, page 80, 1963.
[jve1] "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", catalogue by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), France, #102, page 7, October 1969.
[jve1] "Passport to Magonia - On Ufos, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publishers, USA, 1969.
[jve1] "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, Denoël publisher, France, page 287, 1972.
[jve3] Summary by Jacques Vallée in "The Humanoids: A Survey of World-Wide Reports of Landings of Unconventional Aerial Objects and their Alleged Occupants", book by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman publishers, U-K., 1969.
[ldl3] "Réenquêtes 1954", in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #118, page 4, November 1972.
[jve2] "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", book by Jacques Vallée, Denöel publisher, France, page 265, 1974.
[jve3] Summary by Jacques Vallée in "En Quête des Humanoïdes", book by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, France, page 40, 1974.
[gal1] "Face aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Jean-Pierre Delarge - Mame publishers, France, page 46, 1975.
[gal1] "Face aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Jean-Pierre Delarge - J'ai Lu publishers, France, pp 48-49, 1975.
[prn1] "The Catalogue - AN INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF TYPE I REPORTS - Part 7", compiled by Peter Rogerson, in the ufology magazine MUFON, U-K., page 7, March 1976.
[jve3] "1954, 7 jours, 40 observations", article par Jacques Vallée dans le magazine d'histoire Historia, France, numéro spécial 46: "Les soucoupes volantes", page 42, 1976.
[fru1] "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, pp 105-106, 1979.
[mft3] "ATTERRISSAGES D'UFO sur le continent français du 26 septembre 1954 au 18 octobre 1954", list by Michel Figuet in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #249-250, page 25, March / April 1985.
[mft1] "Catalogue Francat des rencontres rapprochées en France (Listing 800 1982) (2 - Suite)", list compiled by Michel Figuet, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #257-258, page 17, November - December 1985.
[jsr1] "Le Dossier 1954 et l'Imposture Rationaliste", book by Jean Sider, Ramuel publisher, France, page 241, 1997.
[----] "World-Wide Catalog of Type 1 Reports", compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K.
[----] "Computerized Catalog", compiled by Luis Schoenherr.
[cnu1] List in the ufology bulletin Circulaire CNEGU, CNEGU, France, Series 1, #18, May 1988.
[lgs1] "The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse - UFOs: A History - 1954 October", monography by Loren E. Gross, USA, page 2, 1991.
[lhh1] "*U* Computer Database", database by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
[lgs3] "The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse - UFOs: A History - 1954 September Supplemental Notes", monography by Loren E. Gross, USA, pp 9-10, 2002.
[goe1] "Chronologie OVNI", web page compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 2003, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/afin54.htm
[djn1] "Encounters with Aliens on This Day", written by Donald A. Johnson, Ph.D., compiled from the UFOCAT 2003 computer database, www.ufocat.com.
[jbu1] "Vendredi 1er octobre 1954", web page by Jérôme Beau, RR0 website, France, at www.rr0.org/data/1/9/5/4/10/01/index.html
[lcn1] Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/detobs.php?numobs=174
[uda1] "1 Oct 1954 - Branges, Anost, France", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2008, at www.ufodna.com/uf02/uf1/021542.htm
[uda2] "1 Oct 1954 - Branges, France", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2008, at www.ufodna.com/uf18/uf9/189049.htm
[nip1] List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
[ubk1] Online database UFO-Datenbank, Germany, found in 2016, at ufodatenbank.de
[prn2] "INTCAT 1954", catalogue compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K., circa 2016, at https://intcat.blogspot.com/search?q=1954

Document history:

Version:	Created/Changed by:	Date:	Change Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	March 25, 2003	First published.
1.0	Patrick Gross	February 12, 2009	Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [jve3], [goe1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1], [uda2].
1.1	Patrick Gross	March 14, 2010	Addition [mcs1].
1.2	Patrick Gross	October 1, 2014	Additions [nip1].
1.3	Patrick Gross	December 12, 2016	Additions [ldl3], [lgs1], [ubk1].
1.4	Patrick Gross	December 12, 2016	Additions [lgs3].
1.5	Patrick Gross	July 19, 2019	Additions [prn1], [mft3], [mft1], [cnu1], [lhh1], [prn2], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet."
1.6	Patrick Gross	October 29, 2021	Additions [gqy1], [gqy2].
1.7	Patrick Gross	April 16, 2022	Addition [fde1]. Case date changed from OCtober 1 to September 29. In the Summary, addition of the information from [fde1]. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet."

This page was last updated on April 16, 2022.