The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 27-oct-54-Oye-Plage.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
It is the report of the local gendarmerie, published by the official GEIPAN around 2014 that gives the best information on this case, whereas it appeared only a a brief summary in the ufological literature.
The Gendarmes report three days after the alleged facts tells us that a the town hall secretary of Oye-Plage went to the home of the mayor of that city on October 27, 1954, at about 10:30 p.m., to tell him of the death of a resident of the city.
The witness told the gendarmes that he left the mayor at 11:15 p.m., that he took a few steps on the right sidewalk towards the town hall, when he suddenly saw at about ten meters in front of him an "opalescent" glow that progressed over the national road 40 at a height of about 20 meters, in the direction of Calais. He told:
"I was extremely surprised because I did not have the flying saucers in mind and I stopped for a few seconds; regretting the late hour that did not let any light shine at the houses where I could have knocked to get other witnesses. Then, resuming my walk, I was able to see the exact shape of the craft which was traveling at a speed which I estimate at 30 km per hour. It appeared to me like a cigar, or the cabin of an airplane without a wing, and the front seemed slightly wider than the rear, for as it followed the sinuosities of the national road I could see its side."
"As to the dimensions of the thing, I estimate them as follows: about eight meters long and 1 meter to 0 meter 80 in diameter, I even thought it would have been impossible for an average man to stand upright inside."
"The machine emitted a light which appeared to me to be yellowish white, but nevertheless produced no radiation, and was confined to the contours of the apparatus, not even illuminating the roofs of the houses over which it was flying."
"I realized that this craft followed the sinuosities of the national highway in the direction of Calais, because I saw it disappear in the curve of the roadway, a little above the ROUSSEL butcher and reappear at the crossroads BLOQUEL (RN 40 and CDGC 219) to continue its path towards Calais and still skirting the Natnl. road. At a place which I place at the entrance of Marck, the machine suddenly turned to its left towards [the] Southwest. I am quite certain of this direction, for having left the National Road, I ran into the Rue de la Mairie, where I again saw the thing which had just changed direction."
"From this distance (about 5 km) and from where I was, it appeared to me in the form of a sphere and of a more intense and yellower radiance. At that moment, as it seemed motionless, I went to knock at my neighbor's Mr. [], director of Oye-Plage school, my neighbor not arriving, I came back on the road, I still looked at the craft for a few moments, then I went to knock again at Mr. []'s; finally, as nobody came out, I went to prepare some mussels for my supper. During the cooking of these mussels, I went out again on the road and I again saw the machine at the same place. I went home and ate, and as soon as I had finished my meal and went out again, I did not notice anything."
"I forgot to point out that the craft in question made no noise and did not emit smoke or smell, which I would surely have heard or smelled when it was about ten meters in front of me. I did not notice neither a window, nor a door nor a porthole."
"In my opinion, this is a military device that maps the route of the national road by photography, or other process."
"I think I was the only one to see it that night, because I did not meet anyone on my way, Mr. [], whom I tried to wake up did not bother."
On interrogation of the gendarmes, he explained that the reason he had not notified the mayor when the craft appeared to him was for fear of losing sight of it.
For verification, the gendarmes questioned the schoolmaster at whose door the witness had knocked unsuccessfully for additional witness. The schoolmaster confirmed that her mother-in-law had been alerted by knocking on the night of October 27th, but believing it was a prank, she had not thought it necessary to wake her son-in-law who was asleep.
Still for verification, the gendarmes heard the mayor. He confirmed that on October 27, 1954, at about 10:30 p.m., the witness came at his home to notify him of the death of [X]. They talked about it until about 11:15 p.m., when the witness left him to go home to the town hall. The mayor accompanied him to the doorstep and even waited until he had walked some twenty meters before turning off the light in the corridor. Then the mayor did a little reading and went to bed.
The mayor said that when he arrived at the town hall the next day, the witness reported the sighting. The witness told him that the day before when he had left the Mayor's home and was at the level of the [X] bar on National Highway 40, he had seen a "flying cigar" about ten meters in front of him and at a height of about 20 meters, skirting the road in the direction of Calais. He had described the craft to him as being about eight meters in length, of a diameter of 80 centimeters, a rounded shape at both ends, emitting a yellowish white light limited to the contours of the craft. The witness also told him that he had followed the craft with the eyes to the entrance of the village of Marck, where it suddenly turned to the left to stop for a long time.
The mayor had asked on that day why the witness had not walked back to alert me, and the latter had replied that he had feared losing sight of the craft as it "marched" towards Calais.
The mayor said that the witness seemed sincere to him, that he had not been drinking, and that although he was the correspondent of various local newspapers, he had no suspicion that the witness invented his case to make a newspaper article.
The case was published in the regional newspaper Le Nouveau Nord Maritime for October 29, 1954. the article said:
Wednesday, around 11:15 p.m., Mr. Charles Pierru, secretary general of the Town Hall, saw, as he left the private home of the Mayor, an opalescent glow ten meters in front of him and at a height of twenty meters. This gleam advanced above the national road, in the same direction as him, that is to say from Oye-Plage to Calais. M. Pierru, who was walking, could see a very exact account of the craft: the shape of a cigar (like the cabin of an airplane devoid of wings); no noise, no smoke escaped from the craft.
It was visible for more than a quarter of an hour: its speed did not exceed that of a cyclist. Arrived at a certain distance, towards Marck, the machine obliqued right angle, towards the interior of the grounds and, thus placed, appeared like a sphere: the apparatus seen by the section whose relationship with the length was about 1/10th.
The fact that this adventure happened to Mr. Pierru persuaded the entire population of Oye-Plage of the existence, now indisputable for them, of mysterious craft crisscrossing the sky.
The many ufological versions starting with that of Jacques Vallée, giving no source, the others being recopies of Vallée, are very brief: "On Route N40, the Mayor's secretary saw for 15 min a bright, lightened, cigar-shaped object, flying very low and following the turns of the road at 20 m altitude. Suddenly it turned at a right angle from the road and flew away."
[Ref. gei1:] GENDARMERIE NATIONALE:
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2nd Legion.
Company of the Pas-de-Calais.
Section of Saint-Omer.
Brigade of [].
No. 1030 of 30/10/1954.
Proceedings
INFORMATION.
on an overfly of the commune of OYE-PLAGE by an unidentified machine.
9th Sending.
NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
This day, thirty October, nineteen hundred and fifty-four.
We, the undersigned: [], M.D.L. [Marshal of the Logis] Chief
And: [], policeman at the residence [], department of the Pas-de-Calais, report the following operations that we carried out, acting in uniform and in accordance with the orders of our chiefs.
On the thirtieth of October, nineteen hundred and fifty-four, at four o'clock on duty at OYE-PLAGE (Pas de Calais), we learned that on the night of October 27, 1954, an unidentified craft flying over this locality had been seen by Mr. [], [], in Oye-Plage.
Heard on this:
[Witness name]
who told us:
"On October 27, 1954, at around 10:30 p.m., I went to the home of Mr. [], the mayor of the commune, to announce the death of Mr. [], who lived in the village. I came out of there by 11:15 p.m. After a few steps on the right sidewalk in the direction of the town hall, suddenly I noticed an "opalescent" glow in front of me, which "marched" over National Road No. 40, at about 20 meters high, in the direction of Calais.
"I was extremely surprised because I did not have the flying saucers in mind and I stopped for a few seconds; regretting the late hour that did not let any light shine at the houses where I could have knocked to get other witnesses. Then, resuming my walk, I was able to see the exact shape of the craft which was traveling at a speed which I estimate at 30 km per hour. It appeared to me like a cigar, or the cabin of an airplane without a wing, and the front seemed slightly wider than the rear, for as it followed the sinuosities of the national road I could see its side.
"As to the dimensions of the thing, I estimate them as follows: about eight meters long and 1 meter to 0 meter 80 in diameter, I even thought it would have been impossible for an average man to stand upright inside.
"The machine emitted a light which appeared to me to be yellowish white, but nevertheless produced no radiation, and was confined to the contours of the apparatus, not even illuminating the roofs of the houses over which it was flying.
"I realized that this craft followed the sinuosities of the national highway
.... /.
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in the direction of Calais, because I saw it disappear in the curve of the roadway, a little above the ROUSSEL butcher and reappear at the crossroads BLOQUEL (RN 40 and CDGC 219) to continue its path towards Calais and still skirting the Natnl. road. At a place which I place at the entrance of Marck, the machine suddenly turned to its left towards [the] Southwest. I am quite certain of this direction, for having left the National Road, I ran into the Rue de la Mairie, where I again saw the thing which had just changed direction.
"From this distance (about 5 km) and from where I was, it appeared to me in the form of a sphere and of a more intense and yellower radiance. At that moment, as it seemed motionless, I went to knock at my neighbor's Mr. [], director of Oye-Plage school, my neighbor not arriving, I came back on the road, I still looked at the craft for a few moments, then I went to knock again at Mr. []'s; finally, as nobody came out, I went to prepare some mussels for my supper. During the cooking of these mussels, I went out again on the road and I again saw the machine at the same place. I went home and ate, and as soon as I had finished my meal and went out again, I did not notice anything.
"I forgot to point out that the craft in question made no noise and did not emit smoke or smell, which I would surely have heard or smelled when it was about ten meters in front of me. I did not notice neither a window, nor a door nor a porthole.
"In my opinion, this is a military device that maps the route of the national road by photography, or other process.
"I think I was the only one to see it that night, because I did not meet anyone on my way, Mr. [], whom I tried to wake up did not bother.
S.I [being interrogated on this] The reason I did not notify Mr. [name of the mayor] when this machine appeared to me, was because I did not want to lose sight of the craft.
Reading done, persists and signs.
Verbally, Mr. [], director of the boys' school in Oye-Plage, told us that his mother-in-law [was] alerted on the night of October 27 by knocking at the door, but believing in a prank, she had not thought necessary to awaken her son-in-law who was asleep.
[The mayor] told us:
"Indeed, on October 27, 1954, around 10:30 p.m., Mr. [witness name] came to inform me at my residence about the death of [].
We talked about that until about 11:15 p.m. and he left me to go back home to the town hall. I accompanied him to the threshold of the door, and I even waited until he had gone some twenty meters before turning off the light in the corridor. Then I did a little reading and went to bed.
The next day, upon my arrival at the mayor's office, [the witness] told me
...
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that, the evening before, after he left me, he had seen a "flying cigar" about ten meters in front of him as he was at the level of the [bar] on the highway No. 40 and at a height of about 20 meters following the road in the direction of Calais. He described this craft as being about 8 meters long, with a diameter of 80 centimeters, rounded at both ends, emitting a yellowish white light limited to the contours of the craft. Mr. [witness name] also told me that he had followed with his eyes this machine to the entrance of Marck commune, where it suddenly turned to the left to stop for a long time.
That day, I asked my secretary why he had not walked back to tell me, and he replied that, since this craft was going towards Calais, he had feared to lose sight of it.
In this, Mr. [the witness] seems sincere to me. He had not been drinking, and although he was a correspondent of various local newspapers, I do not suspect him of having invented this case to make an newspaper article bout it.
Reading done, persists and signs.
Written in ten copies, intended to:
The first four: To the General, Regional Commandant of the Gendarmerie, in Lille.
The fifth: To the colonel, commanding the 2nd Legion of Gendarmerie, in Lille.
The sixth and seventh. To the Chief of Squadron, Commanding the Company of Gendarmerie, at Arras.
The eighth: To the Commander of the Military Security, of the 2nd Military Region, in Lille.
The ninth: To the Air Security Commander of the 2nd Military Region, in CAMBRAI.
The tenth: in the archives.
Done and closed, at [] on 30 October 1954.
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National Gendarmerie.
Regional Commander of the 2nd Military Region.
2nd Legion.
Company of the Pas-de-Calais.
Section []
No 159/4
- REPORT -
Chief Warrant Officer [] Temporary Commanding Officer Section
On an overfly of the commune of OYE-PLAGE by an unidentified machine.
REFERENCE: Note nr 926/2 Company of 13 October 1954.
On October 27, 1954, around 11:15 p.m., Mr. [] saw at about a dozen meters in front of him an "opalescent" gleam that flew over National Road No. 40 at Oye-Plage at a height of about twenty meters and was heading towards Calais.
According to him, this machine, which moved at an approximate speed of 30 Kms per hour, had the shape of a cigar. The front appeared slightly wider than the rear. Mr. [] estimates its dimensions as follows: length: 8 meters, diameter 0m60 to 1m.
The machine emitted a light which at first appeared to the observer of a yellowish white color, without radiation, and then, as it moved away, appeared to him in the shape of a sphere and of a more intense and yellowish radiation.
No other witness saw this machine, about which as Mr. [] was unable to provide further details for its identification.
RECIPIENTS:
- General Regional Commandant of the Gendarmerie in Lille (by V. H. - 4 copies)
- Colonel Commanding the 2nd Legion of Gendarmerie (by V.H.- 1 ex.)
- Head of Squadron Commanding the Company of P.d.C. In Arras (2 copies)
- Military Security 2 ° Legion (1 ex.)
- Safety "Air" 2 ° Region (1 ex.)
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Wednesday, around 11:15 p.m., Mr. Charles Pierru, secretary general of the Town Hall, saw, as he left the private home of the Mayor, an opalescent glow ten meters in front of him and at a height of twenty meters. This gleam advanced above the national road, in the same direction as him, that is to say from Oye-Plage to Calais. M. Pierru, who was walking, could see a very exact account of the craft: the shape of a cigar (like the cabin of an airplane devoid of wings); no noise, no smoke escaped from the craft.
It was visible for more than a quarter of an hour: its speed did not exceed that of a cyclist. Arrived at a certain distance, towards Marck, the machine obliqued right angle, towards the interior of the grounds and, thus placed, appeared like a sphere: the apparatus seen by the section whose relationship with the length was about 1/10th.
The fact that this adventure happened to Mr. Pierru persuaded the entire population of Oye-Plage of the existence, now indisputable for them, of mysterious craft crisscrossing the sky.
[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":
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There has been less talk in recent days about flying saucers. And yet, if the mysterious craft really exist, it seems that they continue to face the sky of our region. Recently a hundred people in Saint-Saulve observed a luminous disc moving in the azure. A lawyer from the Valenciennes bar, Mr. Gheslin, discovered at the same time, a saucer heading for Belgium.
For a while, there was no shortage of testimonies. And then suddenly it seemed that witnesses to the sidereal appearances preferred to keep the apparitions of cigars and other flying objects to themselves.
The skepticism of most of the consulted savants has often ridiculed people who have, sometimes in good faith, reported their visual encounter with the flying saucers.
It is so true that Mr. Marius Dewilde, the Quarouble reisdent who, the first, saw the "interplanetary" passengers thought for a moment of filing a complaint at the Public Prosecutor of Valenciennes about the sarcasm he was the subected to. To calm him down, he had to demonstrate that his complaint was not justified.
Since then, of course, Mr. Marius Dewilde no longer wants to welcome anyone. One may have had the honors of the press and the cinema and not be happy. However, Mr. Dewilde is so dissatisfied with the somewhat overly satirical publicity about him, that he only confided to the authorities his latest encounter with the "Martians."
Because our Quarouble resident claims to have seen again a saucer and its passengers. This time it happened in broad daylight! The object landed again on the railroad tracks near Mr. Dewilde's house, not in the same place, however.
The little men spoke to him: a few words in an unknown language before flying away silently and disappearing.
On the railway sleepers, one observed the same traces as before, a little wider all the same and presenting a perfect symmetry. A few leaves of crushed grass marked the place of landing.
***
What should we think after this new testimony? For those in favor of the existence of the saucers, it would have been preferable for Mr. Dewilde to stick to a first appearance. It will hardly be admitted that the Quarouble territory is so interesting to the pilots of the mysterious craft. And then it was pointed out to us, the spots of impact noted on the crosspieces are all in the longitudinal axis of the said crosspieces. However, it is difficult to accept that a craft landing can locate with such precision the center of such a narrow plateau. There should have been claws on the edges of the pieces of wood. But the saucers are already the enigma. What is the point of looking for details? You have to believe or disbelieve, pending revelation.
Let us indicate that Mr. Petoux, a bank employee in Valenciennes, saw Wednesday evening between 8:30 p.m.
Read more on the last page
under the title:
SAUCERS
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and 9 p.m., a saucer which was flying above Aulnoy. Several other local people observed the phenomenon.
Mr. Charles Pierru, secretary general of the town hall of Oye-Plage, also saw at 11:15 p.m., an opalescent glow ten meters in front of him and at a height of twenty meters, which marched over the national road in the same direction as him, that is to say from Oye-Beach towards Calais.
Having no thoughts about saucers, he was therefore extremely surprised and stopped for a few seconds, regretting the late hour which left no light shining in the houses. Resuming his walk - Mr. Pierru went by foot - the witness was able to realize very exactly the figure of the craft: the shape of a cigar (like the cabin of a wingless airplane), no noise, no smoke escaped from the craft. Even at this short distance, no porthole stood out, only this uniform luminescence demarcated the thing.
It was visible for more than a quarter of an hour, its speed not exceeding that of a cyclist. Arrived at a certain distance, towards Marck, it obliqued at right angle towards the interior of the grounds and, thus placed, it appeared like a sphere: the apparatus seen by the section whose relation to the length was of approximately a 10th.
A farmer from the village of La Vaureille, Mr. Bousard, 47-year-old, told the gendarmes of Aubusson about the "strange encounter" he made while returning from the borough of Alleyrat (Creuse).
At the place called "La Madière", he said, I saw a shape moving on the side of the road. I stop to better observe the individual. The latter, who was lowered, stood up suddenly, pointing at me two powerful lamps projecting a very dense light blue-light. He also had, on each side of his head, light green lamps, which emitted much weaker rays than the others. It appeared to be 1.60 m. tall and I first thought he was dressed in a spacesuit.
Suddenly under pressure comparable to a blow, I
[Ref. las1:] NEWSPAPER "LIBRE ARTOIS":
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We've been talking less about flying saucers lately. And yet, if the mysterious craft really exist, it seems that they continue to haunt the sky of our region. Recently, a hundred people in St-Sanlve observed a luminous disc moving in the azure. A lawyer from the Valenciennes bar, Me Gheslin, discovered at the same time, a saucer heading for Belgium.
For a while, there was no shortage of testimonies. And then suddenly it seemed that witnesses to the sidereal manifestations preferred to keep the apparitions of cigars and other flying objects to themselves.
The skepticism of most of the consulted scientists has often ridiculed people who, sometimes in good faith, have reported their visual encounter with the flying saucers.
It is so true that Mr. Marius Dewilde, the Quarouble reisdent who, first, saw the "interplanetary" passengers, thought for a moment to request the Public Prosecutor in Valenciennes about the sarcasm of which he was the subject. To calm him down, he had to be demonstrated that his complaint was not justified.
Since then, of course, Mr. Marius Dewilde no longer wants to receive people. One may have had the honors of the press and the cinema and not be happy. However, Mr. Dewilde is so dissatisfied with the somewhat overly satirical publicity about him, that he only confided to the authorities his latest encounter with the "Martians."
Because our Quarouble resident claims to have seen a saucer and its passengers. This time it happened in broad daylight! The craft, again landed on the railroad tracks near Mr. Dewilde's house, not in the same place, however.
The little men spoke to him: a few words in an unknown language before flying away silently and disappearing.
On the railway sleepers, the same traces as before were observed, a little wider all the same and presenting a perfect symmetry. A few places of crushed grass marked the place of landing.
What to think of this new testimony? For those in favor of the existence of flying saucers, it would have been preferable for Mr. Dewilde to stick to a first appearance. It will be difficult to admit that the Quarouble territory is of such interest to the pilots of the mysterious craft. And then, as we have observed, the points of impact noted on the sleepers were all in the longitudinal axis of said sleepers. However, it is hardly admissible that an aircraft landing can find with such precision the center of such a narrow plateau. There should have been claws on the edges of the pieces of wood. But the saucers are already the enigma. What's the point of looking for detail? You have to believe or not believe ... while waiting for the revelation.
Let's point out that Mr. Petoux, a bank employee in Valenciennes, saw Wednesday evening between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., a saucer moving above Aulnoy. Several other local people observed the phenomenon.
Mr. Charles Pierru, secretary general of the town hall of Oye-Plage, also saw at 9:15 p.m., an opalescent glow ten meters in front of him and at a height of twenty meters, which advanced over the national road in the same direction as him, that is to say Oye-Plage to Calais.
Having not thought aoubt the saucers, he was therefore extremely surprised and stopped for a few seconds, regretting the late hour which left no light shining in the houses. Resuming his walk, Mr. Pierru went on by foot, the witness could realize very exactly the figure of the craft: the shape of a cigar (like the cabin of an airplane devoid of wings), no noise, no smoke escaped from the craft. Even at this short distance, no window could be distinguished, only this uniform luminescence demarcated the thing.
It was visible for more than a quarter of an hour, its speed not exceeding that of a cyclist. Arrived at a certain distance, towards Merck, it veered at right angle towards the interior of the grounds and, thus placed, it appeared like a sphere: the apparatus seen by the section, whose ratio with the length was about a tenth.
A farmer from the village of La Vaureille, Mr. Aimé Bousard, 47 years old, told the gendarmes of Aubusson of the "strange encounter" he made while returning from the borough of Alleyrat (Creuse).
At the place called "La Madière", he said, I saw a shape moving on the side of the road. I stopped to better observe the individual. The latter, who was lowered, got up suddenly, pointing at me two powerful projectors, lamps projecting a very dense light blue light.
He also had, on each side of the head, a very dense light green lamp which emitted much weaker rays than the others. It appeared to be 1.60 m tall and I first thought he was dressed in a spacesuit.
Suddenly, under the pressure of a blow, I was thrown across the road where I stayed for ten minutes without being able to shout or call for help. The light blue lamps were still on me. I felt and still feel pain in my legs and my right hand.
At the place indicated by the cultivator, the gendarmes noted that the earth had been freshly moved. The grass had been uprooted over an area of 70 cm in diameter. No footprints were found.
[Ref. jdf1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DES FLANDRES":
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Mr. Charles Pierru, secretary general of the town hall of Oye-Plage, saw also in the evening, an opalescent glow ten meters in front of him and at a height of twenty meters, which was walking above the national road in the same direction as him, that is to say from Oye-Plage to Calais.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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319) Oct. 27, 1954, 11:15 p.m., Oye-Plage (France):
On Route N40, the Mayor's secretary saw for 15 min a bright, lightened, cigar-shaped object, flying very low and following the turns of the road at 20 m altitude. Suddenly it turned at a right angle from the road and flew away. (Personnel).
[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 27, 1954, 11:15 p.m.. Oye-Plage (France)
The town hall secretary observed for 15 minutes on the national road 40 a shiny object, lit, having the shape of a cigar and moving very low, 20 meters above sea level, following the sinuosities of the road. Suddenly, it veered at right angles and disappeared (Personal).
[Ref. cpr1:] CLAUDE POHER, UFO RESEARCH GROUP "GEPA":
In 1968-1969, before the official GEPAN ufology effort started, its future head Dr. Claude Poher was a member of the unofficial GEPA ufology group, and gathered a computer coded listing of more than 700 UFO reports on which multiple factors statistical computation could be run. In the file were a number of 1954 French UFO reports, among those this one.
For readability, a decoded interpretation of the data is provided here under the original 80 character encoded string. Decoding was done according to the original indications, the code number and its generic meaning is given. Please not that the generic meaning of each code is a predefined category, not the real specific details of the case. For example, if the main witness' age was 33, the coding would result in a number "3" which corresponds to a category "Adult from 21 to 59 years."
| Original code: | 0649552710195423151JA11330100200130108091050519000000000000000000000000000000000 |
| Location: | Oye-Plage (Pas de Calais) - France |
| Case number: | 0649 |
| Source code: | 55 |
| Nature of the source: | Reports from official French sources: Police, Gendarmerie, Army, Pilots |
| Day: | 27 |
| Month: | 10 |
| Year: | 54 |
| Hours: | 23 |
| Minutes: | 15 |
| Type of Time: | 1 = local time |
| Number of witnesses: | 1 = 1 |
| Main witness named: | 1 = name (s) indicated |
| Main witness age: | 3 = Adult from 21 to 59 years |
| Main witness occupation: | 3 = workman, truck driver, employee, craftsman, nurse, musician, writer, businessman |
| Official investigation: | 1 = an official investigation was made |
| Weather: | 0 = no indication |
| Duration: | 0 = no indication |
| Minimal distance witness - phenomenon: | 2 = from 10 to 20 m |
| Method of observation: | 0 = no indication |
| Number of "objects" observed simultaneously: | 01 = 1 |
| Shape of the "object" (terminology of witness(es)): | 3 = cigar, cylinder, rocket |
| Dimensions of the phenomenon: | 01 = 1 meter, 08 = 8 meters |
| Color of the observed phenomenon: | 09 = white |
| Luminosity of the phenomenon: | 1 = glow, low luminosity |
| Lights or projectors on the phenomenon: | 0 = no indication |
| Moving speed of the phenomenon: | 5 = 0 to 500 km/h |
| Acceleration of the phenomenon: | 0 = no indication |
| Trajectory of the phenomenon: | 5 = complex trajectory with a certain regularity. following a river or a sinuous road |
| Sounds perceived during observation: | 1 = no noise, total silence, object noiseless |
| Maximum angular height of observation (horizon = 0°): | 9 = "seen on ground" or "close to the ground" |
| Nature of the landing place: | 0 = no indication0 = no indication |
| Number of contact points with ground: | 0 = no indication0 = no indication |
| Traces of landing: | 0 = no indication0 = no indication |
| Observation of "occupants": | 0 = no indication |
| Height of the occupants observed: | 00 = no indication0 = no indication |
| Garment of the occupants: | 00 = no indication0 = no indication |
| Garment: | 0 = no indication |
| General behavior of "occupants": | 0 = no indication |
| Interaction of "occupants" with witness: | 0 = no indication |
| Head, hair: | 0 = no indication |
| Voice, breathing, chin: | 0 = no indication |
| Skin: | 0 = no indication |
| Eyes: | 0 = no indication |
| Mouth: | 0 = no indication |
| Various details: | 0 = no indication |
| Thermal effects: | 0 = no indication |
| Luminous effects: | 0 = no indication |
| Magnetic effect (or electromagnetic): | 0 = no indication |
| Odor perceived by witness: | 0 = no indication |
| Physiological effects on the witness(es): | 0 = no indication |
| Psychological effect on the witness(es): | 0 = no indication |
| Effects on animals: | 0 = no indication |
| Other effects reported: | 0 = no indication |
| Nebulosity: | 0 = no indication |
| Oscillations, emission of matter: | 0 = no indication |
| Spin, formation flight: | 0 = no indication |
| Immediate disappearance: | 0 = no indication |
| Halo surrounding the phenomenon: | 0 = no indication |
| Interaction witness / phenomenon (complement to the other rubrics): | 0 = no indication |
| Drawing or photo: | 0 = no indication |
| Structural details observed: | 0 = no indication |
[Ref. pr:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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498 27 October 1954 2315 hrs
OYE-PLAGE (FRANCE) On Rt N40 the Mayor's secretary saw a bright cigar-shaped object flying for 15 min. very low and following thei [sic] turns of the road at 20m alt. Suddenly it turned a right-angle from the road and flew away (M319)
[Ref. gni1:] GNEOVNI:
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10/27/1954 - OYE-PAGE 62 type I
11:15 p.m. The secretary of the town hall observed for 15 min on the RN 40 a shiny, lighted object, shaped like a cigar and moving very low, at an altitude of 20 meters, following the sinuosities of the road. Suddenly it branched off at a right angle and disappeared.
(Chroniques of J. Vallêe p. 315)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 27, 1954 at 11:15 p.m., in Oye-Plage in the department of Pas-de-Calais, the secretary of the town hall observed during about fifteen minutes, on the N40 road, a shining object, lit, having the shape of a cigar and moving at very low altitude, while following the turns of the road. Suddenly, it forked at right angle and disappeared.
The authors indicate the catalogue by Jacques Vallée as source.
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 27th. Oye-Plage, France. (11:15 p.m.)
The mayor's secretary had quite a story to tell after driving on Route 40. For a quarter of a hour her car was followed by a glowing cigar-shaped UFO. Only an estimated 60 feet above her vehicle, the "cigar" stayed with her car in spite of the many bends in the road. Eventually the object tired of the game and sped away at a right angle. 221.
[Note: why Peter Rogerson put the witness in a car is a mystery to me.]
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4300: 1954/10/27 23:20 16 2:03:00 E 50:58:00 N 3333 WEU FRN PDC 7:7
OYE PLAGE,FR:N40:CGR FLIES 20M ALT:FOLLOWS TURNS/ROAD:TURNS 90dgr+SHOOTS OFF.
Ref# 8 VALLEE,Jacques: PASSPORT TO MAGONIA. Case No. 319 : ROAD+RAILS
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 27, in France, in Oye-Plage "the secretary of the town hall observed during 15 minutes on main road 40, at 23:15, a shining object, lit, having the shape of a cigar and moving very low, at 20 m of altitude while following the sinuosities of the road. Suddenly it veered at right angle and disappeared."
The source is indicated as "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - Denoel 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 291".
[Ref. dox1:] "DOSSIER X" WEBSITE:
27 October 1954, 11:15 p.m.. Oye-Plage (France):
The secretary of the town hall observed during 15 minutes a shining, lit object, on the road N40, having the shape of a cigar and moving very low, at 20 meters of altitude, while following the curves of the road. Suddenly, it made a right angle turn and disappeared (x)
[Ref. jdt1:] JEAN-PIERRE D'HONDT:
This ufologist indicates that on October 27, 1954, in Oye-Plage, in the Pas-de-Calais, according to the book "rencontres rapprochées" by M. Figuet page 203, the secretary of town hall "observed towards 23:15, during 15 minutes on the road RN 40 a shining object, lit, having the shape of a a cigar and moving very low, at 20 meters of altitude, while following the sinuosities of the road. Suddenly, it veered at right angle and disappeared."
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
1954
[...]
Wednesday, October 27
[...]
11:15 p.m.: In Oye-Plage (France), the secretary of the town hall observes during 15 minutes a shining object on the road N40, lit, having the shape of a cigar and moving very low, at 20 m of altitude, while following the curves of the road. Suddenly, it turned at right angle and disappears.
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Pas-de-Calais in Oye Plage on October 27, 1954 at 23:15 hours "The witness observes during about fifteen minutes, on the N40 a shining object, enlightened, having the shape of a cigar and moving at very low altitude, while following the sinuosities of the road. Suddenly, it veers at right angle and disappears."
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... par Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** éd. Alain Lefeuvre 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 27 October 1954 at 23:15 in Oye-Plage, France, "On Route N40, the Mayor's secretary saw for 15 minutes a bright, cigar-shaped object, flying very low and following the turns of the road at 20 meters altitude. Suddenly it tumed at a right angle from the road and flew away."
And: "An object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One cigar-shaped object, about 40 feet across, was observed by one witness on a highway for 16 minutes."
The sources are indicated as Poher, Claude, Etudes Statistiques Portant sur 1000 Temoignag, Author, undated; 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); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002.
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 27, 1954 - The close encounter experiences continued unabated during that evening. At 7:30 p.m. farmer Gilbert Hee, in Les-Jonquerets-de-Livet, France was gathering pears when he suddenly saw an elongated object with a light at both ends resting in the pasture. He didn't dare get closer to investigate, but he did see cows gathering around the object. A minute later, the lights on the object went out, and the witness lost interest and went home. Two hours later, an 18-year-old man named Cheradame fell from his motorcycle when it suddenly failed at the same spot, and alerted neighbors saw the object again. It had moved only slightly and two occupants were seen. They were short, about one meter tall, and walked in a stiff fashion. They had on clothes resembling bright armor. They vanished suddenly, and the craft took off without making a sound. At 8:30 p.m. a schoolboy and his school director saw a UFO on the ground in Moussey, France. Triangular ground traces were reported. At 11:15 p.m. in Oye-Plage, France on Route N40, the Mayor's secretary saw a bright, cigar-shaped object for 15 minutes. It was flying very low and following the turns of the road at 20 meters altitude. It suddenly turned at a right angle from the road and flew away. (Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, cases 317-319; David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case 1954-120, citing Vallee).
[Ref. gei1:] "GROUPE D'ETUDES ET D'INFORMATIONS SUR LES PHENOMENES AEROSPATIAUX NON IDENTIFIES":
| OYE-PLAGE (62) 27.10.1954 | |
| Observed on: | 27-10-1954 |
| Region: | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Department: | Pas-de-Calais |
| Class: | C |
| Summary: | Observation of the silent moving and the maneuvers of a white-yellowish cigar: lack of corroboration. |
| Description: |
On October 27, 1954, at about 11:15 p.m. a witness walking in the street (R.N. 40) saw a glimmer of opalescence about a dozen meters before him. It is a cigar-shaped "craft" whose front appears wider than the rear of 8 m long and 0.80-1 m diameter without porthole nor door. It moves silently at about 30 km / h at a height of 20 m above the road and follows its windings. It emits a yellowish white light limited to the outlines of the craft and does not illuminate the roof of the houses it flies over. It disappears in a curve of the road, reappears farther then suddenly obliques on its left (towards the Southwest) at the entrance of the commune of Marck at 5 km. It then appears immobile in the shape of a sphere of a more intense and yellower radiation. The witness goes home, prepares his meal, still observes the object in the same place but after his meal the object has disappeared. Despite the witness's efforts to have someone else see the phenomenon, he will be the only one to make that observation. This observation is of average consistency with only one witness a priori in good faith. What he describes is not very strange since it is only a luminous spot observed from quite far. The movements of the object are only observed when the witness moves: arrived at his home, he will perceive the object still. Several hypotheses are possible: A light very distant and low on the horizon, which seems to follow the movements of the witness; An astronomical verification indicates only the planet Mars in the direction of observation of the witness but it goes down at 11 p.m.. One can also envisage a light from the port of Calais. - a helicopter headlight could have made the same effect. The GEIPAN classifies this case in C because of a lack of corroboration. |
| Report: | None. |
| Details of the testimony | |
| Witness | |
| Date of the observation | 27-10-1954 |
| Document number | |
| Age | Adult (More than 18) |
| Profession | Employees, Workers |
| Sex | Male |
| Reaction | Active Curiosity |
| Credibility | Normal Credibility |
| Conditions | |
| Environment | Urban landscape |
| Weather conditions | Not-specified |
| Hour of the observation | Numbered: 10 p.m. 00 p.m. |
| Reference frame | Landscape Urbain (houses, trees, streetlamps |
| Distance between phenomenon and witness | Very close (- than 40 m);Very far (more than 1 km) |
| Start of the observation | Start of observation by witness |
| End of the observation | End of observation by witness |
| Localization | |
| Angle of the site | Numbered;Not-specified |
| Direction of observation | Geographical landmarks (Name of city, village, numbered, etc.) |
| Heading | Geographical landmarks (Name of city, village, numbered, etc.) |
| Trajectory | Others;with change of direction;Immo |
| Nature of the observation | Others |
| Characteristic of the observation | Unique |
| Global shape | Other shape (comparison) |
| Color | Others (other colors) |
| Apparent size | Numbered |
| Apparent speed | Numbered |
| Noise | None bruit |
| Effect on the environment | Not-specified |
| Number: | 1 |
| Details of the testimony | |
| Witness | |
| Date of the observation | 27-10-1954 |
| Document number | |
| Age | Adult (More than 18) |
| Profession | Other Category |
| Sex | Male |
| Reaction | Active Curiosity |
| Credibility | |
| Conditions | |
| Environment | |
| Weather conditions | |
| Hour of the observation | |
| Reference frame | |
| Distance between phenomenon and witness | |
| Start of the observation | |
| End of the observation | |
| Localization | |
| Angle of the site | |
| Direction of observation | |
| Heading | |
| Trajectory | |
| Nature of the observation | |
| Characteristic of the observation | |
| Global shape | |
| Color | |
| Apparent size | |
| Apparent speed | |
| Noise | |
| Effect on the environment | |
| Number: | |
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 6 times instead of one:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541027 | 27.10.1954 | Oye | France | 23.15 | CE I | |||||
| 19541027 | 27.10.1954 | Oye Plage | France | 22.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541027 | 27.10.1954 | Oye Plage | France | 23.15 | CE I | |||||
| 19541027 | 27.10.1954 | Oye Plage | France | 23.15 | ||||||
| 19541027 | 27.10.1954 | Oye Plage | France | |||||||
| 19541101 | 01.11.1954 | Oye Plage | France | 23.15 | NL |
[This database recorded the same case six times instead of one.]
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 27 1954. 2315hrs.
OYE-PLAGE (PAS DE CALAIS : FRANCE)
On Rte N40, the mayor's secretary saw for 15 minutes, a bright cigar shaped object flying very low and following the turns of the road at 20m altitude. Suddenly it turned a right angle from the road and flew away.
Vallee Case 319.
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General view of cited landmarks. Marck is in the 244° direction; Calais is in the 258° direction, with +- 10° margin north or south. |
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View of cited landmarks. The town hall, a butchery that is probably not the one indicated, a bar that was perhaps the one indicated. We do not know the address of the mayor of the time. From the report it appears that the witness, secretary of the mayor, lodged at or near the town hall. The "Bloquel crossroads" is the crossroads of the departmental 219 coming from Audruicq and the national road 40. |
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As he walks in the direction of the town hall, that the craft is above the RN 40, in front of him, moving towards Calais, one could think that at the beginning of the observation he is himself on the RN 40, (yellow line) looking at the machine in the 260° direction. The craft would have been about ten meters in front of him. But then, there would not have been a sight of the craft by its side and later from the rear, which he clearly indicates in his report. If, on the contrary, the mayor dwells northward of the RN40, the witness returns to his house at or near the town hall, walking towards the south (one of the red lines); he can see the craft from the side in front of him, above the RN 40, losing sight of the craft as it moved towards Calais, and he can see it again from the rear over the crossroads Bloquel when he arrives on the RN 40. Everything is there: he would have seen the craft over RN 40 in his south as he was walking north of the craft moving to the West, loose it because of the house, see it again from the back in the West when arriving on the RN 40. In this scenario, arrived on the RN40, he sees the craft on his right above the crossroads Bloquel; le loses sight of it: it would be logical, the craft continues its route to the southwest and is then masked by the dwellings. Then, "having left the National Road", he ran in "the street of the Town hall" (the blue line) and again saw the machine, logically, "that had just turned." He would have seen the craft again when he came at the end of the blue line looking to his right through the rue de la Procession. There is no longer any obstacle to the sight there. With this rue de la Procession before him as he was looking at the object, it turns out that the street behind him is the rue des Ecoles, the street of the Schools - the "same" street changes name where he stood; and indeed he knocks at the schoolmaster's home, the latter probably lodged in or near the school. |
The mayor of the time, now deceased, was Mr. Hector Dubuis. It would be enough to find his address then to ascertain the trajectory of the witness; but I did not yet succeed to find it. However no Dubuis in 2017 at Oye-Plage has an address incompatible with the route I suppose.
I have no certainty as to this supposed path, but it is not at all evident that the object has always been in the same direction of observation with respect to him; it rather seems to me that he saw it "pass" in front of him, seen from the side, then to turn and to go away following the RN40, seen from behind.
Note that a luminous surface, at night, may seem more intense when it becomes "smaller" in appearance, when it moves away.
About a potential astronomical explanation:
Mars, Venus, stars, cannot at all be described as cigar-shaped. Venus can appear as a "Venus pillar", but vertical, never horizontal. But the witness told of "the front slightly wider than the rear"; if the thing had been vertical, he would have spoken of the top and bottom for such a comparison. The moon may appear cigar-shaped and show "shape changes" when moving clouds partially mask it.
The moon was below since 05:20 p.m.. Venus was below the horizon sinc 05:50 p.m..
Mars went below the horizon at 11:13 p.m., two minutes before the start of the observation - one might suspect this hour not to be precise. Mars was at 237°, which is a direction sufficiently compatible with those that are certain for the observed "craft", if one excludes the initial path of the witness towards the south with the device in front of him such as I propose. But on the other hand, I never knew a single case where Mars had been mistaken for or described as a "cylinder" at 10 meters, with a "front" appearing "slightly wider than the rear". Mars normally appears round, never cylindrical, orange, not yellowish or even yellow. And all the same, Mars would have been so low on the horizon that there was little chance that the witness was surprised that the craft did not illuminate the roofs of the houses. The witness is in the middle of the dwellings, if the craft is seen higher than the roofs it can absolutely not be as low as Mars was then.
Helicopter:
In 1954, France has Alouettes II, Djinns, Piasecki HUP2, Sikorksi H19, Bell 47G, Westland 55, Vertol H-21, Hiller helicopters... Most are in Vietnam, then in Algeria. None is to my knowledge based in the Nord in October 1954. The first night flight of a French military helicopter is that of a Bell 47 and takes place on May 12, 1954, in Algeria; Bell 47's have "night flight" lighting.
The helicopter can be excluded: the witness specifies that the craft moved silently; at 11:00 p.m. in this small town, where everything was asleep, a helicopter even relatively distant would have been heard. Moreover, the cylinder does not resemble either a helicopter or its possible lights.
One point was highlighted by the witness, both with the gendarmes and the day after the observation with the mayor: the light of the craft was limited to its contours, it did not spread. The lights and headlights of a helicopter produce absolutely no such effect.
(See some examples at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6q6xILA6AY )
Proportions:
The witness indicated dimensions of "about eight meters long and 1 meter to 0 meter 80 in diameter" and "The front appeared slightly wider than the rear". What gives us these proportions:
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Credibility:
Firstly, there is none of the "fantasies" that are found in known hoaxes in this narrative. And although there is only a single witness to the alleged observation of the craft, the other aspects of his narrative are corroborated. The schoolmaster indicated that the witness had indeed knocked on his door. It would make little sense if there had been nothing to observe, unless a very machiavellian ruse was imagined. There is therefore no certainty as to the reality of the observation of the craft, but there is no particular reason to assert that the testimony would be fraudulent, apart from an a priori will to consider that such things cannot exist.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Oye-Plage, Pas-de-Calais, secretary, mayor, bright, cigar, object, low, road, manoeuvers, lightened, angle, schoolmaster, silent, yellow, sphere, round, white, rounded, duration
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 18, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 10, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | November 18, 2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | December 13, 2016 | Additions [lgs1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | February 3, 2017 | Additions [gen1], [gei1], Summary. Explanations changed, were: "Not looked for yet. Light of a car ahead on the same road?" |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | December 13, 2018 | Additions [prn1], [lhh1], [prn2]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | January 20, 2020 | Addition [gni1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | February 18, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. In the Summary, deleted "and did not appear in the Press as far as I know." |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | March 21, 2020 | Addition [jdf1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | May 2, 2020 | Addition [las1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2020 | Addition [nmn1]. |
