The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 14-Oct-54-Pouldreuzic.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
Among sightings of October 14, 1954, in the Finistère, the newspaper Le Télégramme de Brest et de l'Ouest of October 16, 1954, reported that Brother Cariou, a teacher at the Notre-Dame de Penhars school in Pouldreuzic, a boarding school located on a slope overlooking a vast horizon toward the Bay of Audierne, had made the following observation.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Mr. Cariou had retired to his room and was preparing to rest when he saw a glow coming from two incandescent globes seemingly approaching from the sea at high speed.
When Brother Cariou noticed the unusual nature of these spheres, he went to the window and opened it.
After a brief moment of observation, he believed the double ball of fire was heading straight toward the village. He clearly distinguished a large red-bottomed saucer that was approaching very rapidly. Intrigued and somewhat alarmed, he called his colleagues, who came immediately, but by that time the disc or ball of fire had disappeared, having headed inland at the same dizzying speed with which it had appeared.
[Ref. tbt1:] NEWSPAPER "LE TELEGRAMME DE BREST":
|
Quimper, 15. -- The region of Fouesnant seems to be privileged when it comes to interplanetary manifestations - or phenomena, whichever one prefers - that are currently stirring public opinion.
About ten days ago, there was the strange appearance at Gouesnach, reported by several schoolchildren from the public school in a story both original and curious. Strikingly, five students recounted the same details without having consulted each other.
Now, after the fact, a similar phenomenon has been observed in the canton town of Fouesnant, this time at night - unlike the earlier sighting, where the saucer flew around the church tower in broad daylight.
We apologize for spotlighting the well-known transport operator from Fouesnant, who was the main witness of the strange events observed in South Finistère Thursday night. But it is necessary for the sake of clarity and because of corroborating observations.
TWO DISCS
Mr. René Le Viol, whose home and garage are located at the outskirts of Fouesnant on the road to Bénodet, stepped outside for a short walk in his yard after dinner Thursday night. It was 9:20 p.m. Suddenly, his attention was drawn by a glow, and he saw - emerging from behind a row of trees like a burst of fireworks - a flat shape resembling an upside-down plate, quickly followed by another. The witness saw the two discs, coming from the ground, shoot off at very high speed toward the sea, somewhere between Beg-Meil and Mousterlin, as if they had vanished upon reaching the ocean, beyond the dunes.
Mr. Le Viol, a precise and thoughtful man, said to himself, "I'll see what's going on." He stayed outside observing for another fifteen minutes - but in vain.
A GLOWING SPHERE
He went up to his room, still preoccupied by what he had seen, and stood by the window. From this vantage point, he can normally see the lights of Moutons and Penfret. After another fifteen minutes, his attention was drawn again - this time by the appearance of a glowing sphere rising from the direction of the Glénan Islands furthest from shore, between Penfret and Île aux Moutons. Thanks to the lights being on - it was barely 10 p.m. - he could easily track the luminous sphere's path.
Mr. Le Viol called his family, including his son René, and all witnessed the strange appearance of this fireball.
These same witnesses noted that it was only intermittently visible. For short moments, it disappeared from sight, as if it were only visible from certain angles. Because of the distance, none of the witnesses could hear whether the sphere or saucer made any noise as it moved.
We asked Mr. Le Viol the following question:
"Did you feel like you were witnessing a meteor?"
"I've seen shooting stars and meteors before - this was nothing like that."
Also worth mentioning: a delivery driver from a wholesale grocery company in Quimper, who happened to be near Moulin des Landes on the Bénodet road at the same time, noticed glowing trails in the sky.
STACKED FIREBALLS IN POULDREUZIC
The sightings in Fouesnant shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday are echoed by other testimonies from Guilvinec and areas around Penmarch.
These witnesses are trustworthy and sincere, though their descriptions aren't as precise as that of Brother Cariou, a teacher at Notre-Dame School in Penhars, in Pouldreuzic.
The boarding school is located on a slope that opens up to a wide view of Audierne Bay.
Mr. Cariou had retired to his room and was preparing for bed when he saw a glow from two incandescent globes that seemed to be coming rapidly from the sea. It was around 10 p.m.
When Brother Cariou saw the oddity of these glowing orbs, he went to the window and opened it.
After a brief observation, he believed the twin fireballs were heading straight for the town. He distinctly saw a large, red-bottomed disc.
It was approaching quickly. Concerned, even slightly alarmed, he called his colleagues, who immediately got up and joined him. But by then, the disc - or fireball - had vanished, flying inland at the same breakneck speed with which it had appeared.
|
There are striking similarities between this sighting and the one in Fouesnant, located 24 km to the East-Southeast, which began at 9:20 p.m. and continued until 10 p.m. I am considering the same possible explanation: maneuvers by the air force involving jet aircraft and flares.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Pouldreuzic, Finistère, Cariou, night, glow, globes, incandescent, sea, fast, saucer, red
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | June 21, 2025 | First published, [tbt1]. |
