The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 16-Oct-54-Moulins.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper La Montagne reported on October 19, 1954, an observation by Mr. Michard, president of the Tourisn Office of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, who said that Saturday, October 16, 1954, at 08:27 p.m., he was waiting on platform number 3 at the Moulins railway station.
As he watched the lamps placed very high behind the west side of the station, he suddenly saw in the sky a red circle or sphere, a little smaller than the moon, which was moving at a very high speed.
Immediately he thought to shout "A saucer!", but as he found the jokes on this matter more and more frequent, he remained silent among the people who surrounded him and that he did not know.
But with the clarity of the phenomenon and the fact that the object diminished quickly in size, he ended up saying: "But it is a saucer!" indicating the direction with the arm.
Immediately, the people around her began to look at it, but the object disappeared very quickly and only Mr. Fousse, from the Ecole de Matériel de Fontainebleau, had time to see it.
He thought the object must have been at a great distance, but despite that it seemed to be moving at a speed he said was 6 to 10 times that of a jet plane seen from about 2 km.
What made him suppose that it was rathre a sphere than a circle is that at the beginning of his observation, while the object looked the biggest, its hue was not the even on the periphery, almost vermilion, and in the center, brighter and rather orange.
The object followed a rectilinear trajectory, slightly rising, and certainly moving away as it decreased rapidly and very gradually in size to disappear completely, when it "did not appear bigger than a nut."
Its hue had also gradually decreased in intensity, from bright red to yellow ocher, and finally to light chrome yellow before disappearing.
His observation lasted from 8 to 10 seconds.
He did not think to communicate this information to the press at first, but several people having seen a saucer in Creuzier-le-Vieux, an hour later, he thought that it was perhaps the same object and that his communication could be used for cross-checking.
Following his communication, Mr. Michard again told the newspaper:
"I accepted, without controlling, the indications of a person who was near me at the Moulins station, the position and direction of the luminous object that I had just seen, Saturday evening at 8:27 p.m."
"In fact, it was east of the station that I saw the object and its true direction was from south-west to north-east."
"I add that it produced no noticeable noise and left no trace of light."
[Ref. lmo1:] NEWSPAPER "LA MONTAGNE":
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SAINT-POURCAIN-SUR-SIOULE (Allier). -- Mr. Michard, president of the Syndicat d'Initiatives [Tourism Office] of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule informs us:
On Saturday, October 16, at 20:27 p.m., I was waiting on platform number 3 of the Moulins Train Station.
As I watched the lights that are placed very high behind the station (west side), I suddenly saw in the sky, a circle or a red sphere, 18 to 20 cm in apparent diameter, that is, slightly less big as the moon, that was moving at a very high speed, in a direction which I will explain later.
Immediately, the thought came to me to scream "A saucer!", but the jokes on this matter are becoming more frequent, I said nothing not to look like a prankster among people around me that I did not know.
But at the sharpness of the phenomenon and the fact that the object rapidly diminished in size, I said loud enough: "But it is a saucer!" pointing at it with my arm.
Immediately, the people around me began to observe, but the object disappeared very quickly and only Mr. Fousse, of the equipment School of Fontainebleau, had the time to see it.
I did not communicate the information to the press, but several people saw a saucer in Creuzier-le-Vieux, one hour later, I think it is perhaps the same object and that communication can be used as confirmation.
The object I observed in Moulins must have been at a great distance, yet it seemed to move at a speed which one can say that it was 6 to 10 times that of a jet seen at about 2 km.
What makes me assume that it was more a sphere than a circle, is that at the beginning of my observation, when the object appeared the biggest (18 to 20 cm.) the color was not the same on the perimeter, almost vermilion, than in the center, brighter and more orange.
The object followed in the sky a straight line, rising slightly and certainly going away since it decreased rapidly and very gradually in size to disappear completely, until it did not look bigger than a walnut.
Its color, too, has gradually diminished in intensity from bright red to yellow ocher, and ultimately bright chrome yellow before disappearing.
My observation lasted from 8 to 10 seconds.
Following his presentation, Mr Michard, of Saint-Pourçain, specified to us:
"I accepted, without checking, the information by a person who was close to me in the Moulins Train Station, on the position and direction of the luminous object that I had seen on Saturday night, 08:27 p.m..
"In reality, it is East of the station that I saw the object and its true direction was that from the southwest to the northeast.
"I added that it produced no perceptible noise and left no luminous trail."
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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October 16 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
09:30 (approximatively): Center-East and East of France,Orly (Seine),Metz(Moselle),Montmirey(Jura),Hurecourt(Hte.Saône),Mailly-la-Ville(8 km SSO.Vermenton--Yonne),Moulins?(Allier)
: big luminous ball with a tail (slow meteor, speed=3.000 km/h ?)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. ous1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "OURANOS":
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10/16/1954 Moulins (08:27 p.m.).
Mr. Richard was waiting for his train on platform 3 at the Moulins train station when he saw a sphere (or disc) 18 to 20 cm at arm's length crossing the sky at high speed and in silence. The observation did not last more than 8 to 10 seconds but the witness was able to provide a very detailed report. The craft disappeared towards the northeast. The same machine or a similar one would have been seen in Montluçon, Nevers and Clermont. (La Montagne-Aurillac for 10/22/1954)
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
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October 16 (La Montagne for 10/22) Moulins 08:25 p.m..
Mr. Michard sees from the railway station of Moulins a red sphere moving at high speed.
[Ref. lmy1] "LES MYSTERES DES OVNIS" WEB FORUM:
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vincente |
Subject: On 10/16/1954 in Moulins Mon 12 Mar 2012, 05:14 p.m. Hello all, I have been interested for a few months only in the UFOs and extraterrestrial life, following the show of a video of the researcher Jean-Pierre Petit on Youtube on the subject of the MHD (Magneto Hydro Dynamic). Engineer by training, I am scientifically minded and have a large broadmindedness, which enables me to approach this kind of matter without prejudices but with the amount of scepticism necessary to try to reject the numerous many trickeries which do not miss in this field. Last week, by getting some news, by telephone, about one of my aunts aged of more than 80 years living in the Allier, my native area, the latter asked me whether I had watched at the show about the UFOs aired recently on the Direct 8 channel. I was a little surprised, ignoring that my aunt could be interested in this kind of topic and me having never spoken with any member of my family about my recent interest for this matter. She explained to me then, that her father (my grandfather of the father side thus) had observed, himself, on October 16, 1954, at 08:27 p.m. precisely from the station platform of Moulins in the Allier where he awaited a train, an orange luminous ball of a diameter slightly lower than that of full moon, moving at very high speed without any noise from the south-west towards the North-East. this phenomenon was observed by another witness on this same platform, and an hour later by many other witnesses in another city of the area. the testimony of my grandfather was collected by a journalist of the newspaper "La Montagne", my aunt sent to me the photocopy of the article (attached) to this message. I had a vague memory of this story about which my parents had talked to me when I was child and that I had forgotten since, but I had never read the testimony of my grandfather. This testimony has for me a great value because my grandfather, that I knew well as I did live with him in the large family house until his death when I turned 14, was a serious man, educated, trustworthy. Head of a business, former plane pilot, having a great sense of observation, never speaking for nothing. I thus deliver herewith this article of October 1954. a year obviously loaded in UFO observations. |
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One could obviously think it was the meteor of October 16, 1954, but there are three problems:
First, the witness specified that there was no trail.
Then, the direction is not exactly that of the meteor; which went from East to West above the north of France, while this ball comes from the South-West, going towards the North-East. It should be noted that the witness checked this direction.
Lastly, it is not the correct hour since the famous meteor was seen elsewhere at approximately 09:30 p.m.. The witness, awaiting a train, in the station platform, had only little chances to be one hour wrong. Besides, he gives an hour "to the minute", "27" instead of the usual "at approximately xx:30" or "xx:15", estimates rounded of at least 5 minutes. This strongly suggests that he had quite simply consulted the station platform clock to get the exact hour of passage of the luminous ball.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Moulins, Allier, luminous, ball, circle, sphere, red, yellow, straight, Michard, Fousse, station, fast, saucer, vermilion, orange, distant, duration
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 17, 2016 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | December 22. 2018 | Additions [ous1], [ldl1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | November 28, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | May 13, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |
