The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: End-Sep-54-Marmande.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The national newspaper France Soir of September 25, 1954, reported that on September 24, 1954, it was reported that an electrical engineer, Mr. Henri Verquin, from Marmande, was returning from tuning the engines of a mill when he saw a flying saucer for the second time in his life.
The newspaper reported that he was "amazed by this vast ring, reddish-yellow in color, which was flying with great precision at the level of the rows of giant trees lining the Canal du Midi."
The newspaper stated that the "mysterious craft seemed to use as a terrestrial reference point the line formed by the Canal du Midi, which connects Bordeaux to Sète."
[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE SOIR":
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LA ROCHELLE, September 24 (from our special correspondent, by phone). -- Three mussel fishermen from Charron (Charente-Maritime), accompanied by a customs officer, claimed to have seen, the other night, a real squadron of flying saucers flying over the region at low altitude. Rumor has it that the customs officer even filed a report with his administration. The Martians better be careful in the future if they don’t want trouble with customs!
PERPIGNAN, September 24 ("France-Soir" dispatches). Last night around 11 p.m., three young men from Banyuls-sur-Mer, returning home, reported seeing an aerial object shaped like a cigar that emitted a very bright light. After maneuvering for a few minutes, the object disappeared toward the sea.
MARMANDE, September 24 ("France-Soir" dispatch). An electrical engineer, Mr. Henri Verquin, from Marmande, was returning from adjusting the motors of a mill when he saw, for the second time in his life, a flying saucer. The witness was amazed by the large red-yellowish ring flying with great precision horizontally above the rows of giant plane trees lining the Canal du Midi. The mysterious craft seemed to use the canal - which connects Bordeaux to Sète - as a terrestrial reference point.
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The difficulties here are, of course, that nothing is known about the credibility of the story, and that there is very little information. For example, the time of the sighting is unknown, we do not know whether the "thing" was silent or not, etc.
I leave the case as "unidentified, insufficient information."
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Marmande, Lot-et-Garonne, Henri Verquin, flying saucer, ring, red, yellowish, horizontal, low
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2025 | First published. |
