The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: Beg-oct-54-Saint-Pierre-Halte.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The primary contemporary source for this observation was given by the "skeptical" ufologist Dominique Caudron, in 2016, quoting the local newspaper Nord Littoral for October 15, 1954, page 2, reporting that "in Calais, a baker's assistant reportedly saw, on the railway, while he was going to his work, "an enigmatic machine which had chosen the railway which goes from Calais to Dunkirk, very close to Saint-Pierre Halte, to land."
This newspaper quoted the witness, Mr. Thery, as saying:
"I had just left the house. It was around 3:40 in the morning. I was driving on the road to Saint-Omer, between the Virval and the Saint-Pierre Halte train station. My moped was going at high speed. I was going to start the bend to get on Chemin Castre. The night was pretty good and the moon was shining bright enough to distinguish far enough in front of me. When I was going to cross the level crossing, my attention was mechanically drawn and I turned my head to the left."
"What I saw then amazed me: about fifty meters from me, on the railroad straightforwardly, on the side of Coulogne, right where the trains pass from Dunkirk or return from the latter city, I saw a semi-spherical shape."
"I said to myself: Here, this is a curious construction on the railway. The mass was about two meters high, three or four wide. It spanned the track. I repeat, its color was a very bright yellow."
"I didn't stop."
The newspaper said that, "Obviously, on the spot one can't see anything anymore, because for a few days a lot of trains have passed."
Dominique Caudron noted that according to this newspaper of October 15, 1954, it happened "a few days" ago.
In the national newspaper Le Parisien Libéré for October 16, 1954, I read that a "baker, Mr. Elie Théry, 43-year-old, living on the road of Saint-Omer, in Calais, on his way to his home around 3:30 in the morning, saw on the Dunkirk-Calais railroad, near the Saint-Pierre-Halte level crossing, 50 meters from him, a spherical luminous machine of about 2 meters high by 4 meters wide. The object was extremely bright."
This newspaper added that "Mr. Théry, who passes for a very serious and conscientious man, was deeply moved by this discovery."
Other newspapers would give summaries, then the case will enter the ufological literature first in 1958 via Aimé Michel who dated it of October 15, 1954 - which cannot be correct since Nord Littoral reported the case this same October 15, 1954. Aimé Michel probably took up an altered version of the Parisian press, saying: "while he is leaving his bakery to take the cool air..." Michel speaks of a takeoff of the craft, whereas in Nord Littoral the witness had "not stopped" and therefore probably would not have seen a takeoff.
It was then Jacques Vallée who published in 1966 a summary with the same date and also published a sketch made by ufologist Fernand Lagarde; which was said to be based on a photo of the place apparently taken during an investigation by one Mr. A. Derosse:
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Ufologists Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, also publishing a brief summary, would then date the case of October 14, 1954.
In 1979, there will be a version by Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, erroneous on several aspects as they also use erroneous versions. These different versions will be repeated many times thereafter. Some will believe that the case, incorrectly dated October 15, 1954, was part of an "alignment" of observations on that date.
[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":
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DECIDEDLY flying saucers like railways and... baker boys. Indeed, we remember first of all this bizarre craft which reportedly landed in Quarouble, in the Nord, on a railway track.
We also remember the strange encounter at three in the morning, which this baker boy from the Finistère:
- A Martian with a hairy face came to hit me on the shoulder before getting back into his saucer!
And now in Calais, another baker boys reportedly also saw on the railway, while he was going to his work, an enigmatic craft which had chosen the railway which goes from Calais to Dunkirk, very close to Saint-Pierre-Halte, to land.
Mr. Elie Théry, 43, father of three, living at 151, rue de la Route de Saint-Omer, in le Virval, is a baker boy at Mme Quartier's, whose store is located along the old Route de Gravelines, in Calais.
- He has been working with us for two years already, confided to us his boss. He is a conscientious and very serious worker. If he tells you what he saw, it's the truth, he wouldn't invent things like that. By the way, when he got here, he told us about it.
But let's listen to Mr. Théry speaking:
- I had just left the house. It was around 3:40 a.m. I was driving on the Route de Saint-Omer, between Le Virval and the Gare de Saint-Pierre-Halte. My moped was rolling at high speed. I was going to start the turn to start on Chemin Castre. The night was fine enough and the moon was bright enough to distinguish quite far ahead. As I was about to cross the railway crossing, my attention was automatically drawn and I turned my head to the left.
"What I saw then amazed me: about fifty meters from me, on the railroad straightforwardly, on the side of Coulogne, where the trains from Dunkirk go or return from there, I saw a semi-spherical shape.
"I said to myself: Well, this is a curious construction on the railway. The mass was about two meters high, three or four wide. It spanned the track, I repeat. Its color was a very bright yellow!".
Curious detail: M. Théry did not stop:
"One thing surprises me now that I think about it. At the time I hardly thought of a flying saucer or something like that because this problem hardly interested me. I only realized 300 meters further on, when I was driving on Chemin Castres. I don't know what I thought but I didn't even have the idea to go back. Why? Well, because thinking while driving, I had moved farther and farther away from Saint-Pierre-Halte, and then again my work was waiting for me at four o'clock in the morning. Add to this, if you want, some apprehension!
Mr. Théry does not get carried away in his conclusions:
"Above all, don't say outright that I saw a flying saucer. No, I'm more down to earth than that. I only told you what I saw, that's all. Any conclusions? Smarter ones could not have any and I just say: it was an extremely curious thing!
Obviously, on the spot one can't see anything anymore, because for a few days a lot of trains have passed.
We published for information Mr. Théry's statements, the good faith of whom is beyond doubt.
[Photo caption:] Mr. Théry shows us the place where "the craft was posed."
- It was like a kind of bridge, round in shape and bright yellow.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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At the beginning of Thursday afternoon, the population of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse was moved by the presence above of the small city of a white disc surmounted by a spherical cap.
The lower circular border of this disc bore, intermittently, two powerful lights, varying from white to purplish, passing through red.
The air base of Caritat (Vaucluse), alerted, immediately directed two jet fighters which, soon after two turns on Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, gained altitude and dived on the "disc".
By radio, the pilots of the planes announced that the craft was in sight, that they were chasing it, but that it escaped with a speed higher than theirs.
From Vaucluse, the disc was clearly seen sweeping away, pursued by the two jets.
Several hunters in the town of Saint-Ambroix (Gard) recently saw seven tiny beings whose shape vaguely recalled that of a human body. When they tried to approach, the beings rushed towards a phosphorescent craft, which flew away immediately.
At the location of the flying saucer pilots, the hunters found a number of odd-looking seeds on the ground, which they had specialists examine.
The latter could not specify the species.
A resident of the village of Méral (Mayenne) stated he saw in the sky a bright orange ball which landed on the ground. The disc, flattened and dome-shaped, with a diameter of 5 to 6 meters, gave off a blinding glow, illuminating the countryside within a radius of 200 meters.
The craft was transparent and inside, a black shape was observed. The disc remained like this for ten minutes, whitened, and quickly disappeared towards the North. The observer then went to the place where the object had landed. There was, he said, a sort of bright cloud that was slowly falling to the ground. When he got home, he noticed that his clothes were covered with a white layer of a slightly sticky material, like paraffin.
A boy baker from Calais said he saw at 3:40 a.m. in the morning, Thursday, at a place called "St-Pierre-Halte", on the road to Saint-Omer, a yellow and shiny craft posed on the railway track.
The curiously shaped object was, according to the baker, two meters high and four meters in diameter.
The daily Maroc-Presse, from Casablanca, announces that an engineer from Meknes who was traveling to Port Lyautey by car, declared to have been stopped on the road, in the forest of Mamora, a man dressed in a brilliant outfit.
This man, who measured 1 m 20 meters approximately, then walked towards a stopped craft on the right of the road. Hardly did he take place inside that the craft disappeared at high speed.
[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":
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A resident of the town of Méral (Mayenne) said he saw in the sky a bright orange ball that landed on the ground. The flat, domed disc, five to six meters in diameter, gave off a blinding glow, illuminating the countryside within a 200-meter radius.
The craft was transparent and from the inside one observed a black shape. The disc remained like this for about ten minutes, blushed and disappeared towards the North. The observer then went to the place where the object had landed. There was, he assures, a king of bright fog that slowly fell to the ground. When he got home, he noticed that his clothes were covered with a white layer of a slightly sticky material, like paraffin.
A baker boy from Calais said he saw at 3:40 a.m., at a place called "Saint-Pierre-Halte", on the road to Saint-Omer, a yellow and shiny machine landing on the railway.
The oddly shaped object was, according to the baker, two meters high and four meters in diameter.
Other appearances include this one:
A barrel maker from Graulhet said that he had seen a silvery craft heading northwest at the end of the afternoon; which he first took for a jet plane, but not discerning any condensation trail, the observer went to get a pair of binoculars and distinctly saw a large flexible disc which undulated on itself, while moving at high speed.
It was then that the craft seemed to explode in mid-flight. A silver ball, about a meter in diameter, escaped from the mass and continued on its way, while the rest of the craft fell in several pieces similar to sheets of various dimensions which hovered in the sky and some of which hung on the telegraph wires. About fifteen people testified to this singular case and fragments of material were collected. They come in the form of agglomerated silver filaments which crumble when touched.
In our section devoted to flying saucers yesterday, we cited the following information: a "white disc" had hovered over Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
The Caritat air base (Vaucluse), alerted, immediately directed two jet planes which soon appeared, and after two turns on Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, took altitude and dove on the "disc".
The radio installed on the planes and which was in communication with the base, announced that the craft was in sight, that it was chased, but that it escaped because its speed was higher than theirs.
From Vaucluse, one could clearly see the disc moving away like an arrow, chased by the two jet planes.
As expected, the "authorities" denied the information in these terms:
"The Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Air) wishes to point out that the two pilots from the Orange base who flew at different altitudes over Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, on October 14 in the afternoon, did not observe any unknown craft during their search. The two pilots are experienced officers and their reports are formal."
[Ref. ple1:] NEWSPAPER "LE PARISIEN LIBERE":
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A big event faded yesterday on the front of the flying saucers.
The affair took place in the Vaucluse, in the limpid sky where Mount Ventoux dominates the relief, above Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. At 6:30 p.m., witnesses said that they had just seen a white disk surmounted by a spherical cap. The craft had two powerful lights alternating from white to red and purple colors. The comments went very fast and in good faith, it seems, several people gave reports that confirmed most of the countless phenomena already observed around the world. The nearby Caritat air base was alerted while the craft was still visible. Two jet planes took off and one waited impatiently for the pilots' report.
However, imprudent people ventured to publish premature news: the pilots had spotted the craft they were hunting. But it escaped at a speed much greater than theirs.
In fact, this was not the case, and yesterday the Air Ministry denied these fanciful claims. "Contrary to the information published by some newspapers Friday morning, the two pilots sent in pursuit of the saucer overflew Fontaine-de-Vaucluse at different altitudes and observed no unknown apparatus during their searches. These are experienced officers and their report is formal."
It was therefore necessary to mourn the saucer of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. But in a field which in the autumn of 1954 offers a vast unknown in the world, that is not enough to conclude that flying saucers do not exist. There remain, alas, too many unexplained cases, and the enigma that remains hardly seems to be resolved.
On the other hand, Mr. Gauffredy, deputy mayor of Roussillon, saw, around 6 p.m., a saucer of greenish color which disappeared in a few seconds. Mr. Pierre Hector, entrepreneur, saw the same craft at the same time at Coustellet.
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-- At 6:30 p.m. yesterday a score of people saw in the sky of Apt a craft in the shape of a cigar with a big white glow at the front. The craft disappeared suddenly leaving two green lights.
-- In Vaison, in Bollène, at the Ponet and L'Isle-sur-Sorgue, between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., various credible people saw either a luminous disc or a cigar moving at a dizzying speed.
-- A baker, Mr. Elie Théry, aged 43, living on the road from Saint-Omer to Calais, on his way home at around 3:30 a.m. in the morning, saw on the Dunkerque-Calais railway, near the level crossing of Saint-Pierre-Halte, 50 meters from him, a spherical luminous craft about 2 meters high and 4 meters wide. The object was extremely bright.
Mr. Thery, who passes for a very serious and conscientious man, has been deeply moved by this discovery.
-- In Vignory and Brottes, villages of the Haute-Marne, an orange-colored object was seen by different witnesses.
In the first case, it rose at a vertiginous pace towards the sky; the second time, Mr. Taillandier, an employee of the Chaumont buses, his wife and daughter, living at Brottes, saw an identical gleam moving from Neuilly to Vignory, moving very quickly.
In both cases, no noise was perceived.
[Ref. lrr1:] NEWSPAPER "LE ROUERGUE REPUBLICAIN":
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AVIGNON, October 15th. - Early in the afternoon of Friday, at 1:30 p.m., the population of Fontaine de Vaucluse was in turmoil.
Indeed, a "white disc" was hovering slowly over the small city and one could clearly distinguish it with good binoculars.
This white disc was surmounted by a spherical protrusion of the same color.
The lower circular border intermittently bears two powerful lights, varying from white to purplish, passing through the red.
The air base of Caritat (Vaucluse), alerted, immediately directed two jet planes which soon made their appearance, and after two turns on Fontaine de Vaucluse, took altitude and dove on the "disc".
The radio on board the planes, which was in communication with the base, announced that the craft was in sight, that it was being hunted, but that it escaped because its speed was higher than theirs.
From Vaucluse, one could see clearly the disc skyrocketing, pursued by the two jets.
CALAIS. - A baker boy
Continued on page 2
from Calais said he had seen, at 3:40 a.m., at the place called "Saint Pierre Halte", on the road to Saint-Omer a yellow and shiny craft land on the railway tracks.
According to the baker, the curiously shaped object was two meters in height and four meters in diameter.
NIMES. - Two people saw last night, as they were returning home, a few kilometers north of Nîmes, a greenish glow in a field. They approached and found the presence of a craft in all aspects identical to a rugby ball and seeming to rest on crutches. The strange device suddenly rose into the air, emitting a faint noise and gradually taking on an orange hue.
[Ref. jps1:] JOURNAL "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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A Calais baker boy said he saw at 3:40 in the morning, at a place called "Saint-Pierre-Halte", on the road to Saint-Omer, a yellow and shiny craft landing on the railway.
The oddly shaped object was, according to the baker, two meters high and four meters in diameter.
[Ref. lon1:] NEWSPAPER "L'OISE-MATIN":
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If they seem to sulk the Oise with persistence, the "flying saucers" have shown themselves, say various testimonies, more numerous than ever during the last 24 hours in the rest of France. Two witnesses have witnessed, they say, curious demonstrations on the part of these machines and, in the sky of Avignon, two French jet fighters have unleashed a futile hunt for "saucers."
It is a barrel-maker from Graulhet, who first declared to have witnessed the explosion of a saucer. A silvery ball, he declared, then seemed to escape from the mass of the craft and continue on its way, while the debris of it fell in several pieces, like sheets that hovered in the sky. Fragments of material were collected; they come in the form of agglomerated silvery filaments which crumble when touched.
The second witness, a resident of the village of Méral (Mayenne), declared that he witnessed the takeoff of a saucer, which quickly disappeared towards the north. At the place where the object had landed, assures the witness, there was a kind of shining cloud which fell slowly to the ground.
When he got home, he said, he noticed that his clothes were covered with a white layer of something a little sticky, like paraffin.
Finally, it is near Avignon, at the fountain of Vaucluse, where the residents in turmoil report that a white disc was hovering above the small town. The neighboring Caritat air base, alerted, immediately directed two jets which, according to the Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (air), returned without noticing anything abnormal.
Also said they saw saucers, cigars or other bizarre contraptions in the sky: two people returning to their homes, a few kilometers from Nîmes; an inhabitant of Montargis, on the national road n ° 7; inhabitants of Marseille, in the sky of Rove; a farmer from Angle, in Vendée; workers from Casablanca, above the city; a representative and his friend, between Niffer and Kembs (Alsace); an eight year old child and her parents, near Martigues, and a baker boy from Calais, on the road to Saint-Omer.
Despite these numerous testimonies, the British Air Ministry in London has let it be known that it does not believe in saucers.
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, official spokespersons for the English ministry said, natural explanations were found for similar appearances reported in Britain: they are most often sounding-balloons. When no explanation can be given, one adds at the Air Ministry, it is generally for lack of insufficiently [sic] precise testimony.
Spokesmen further indicated that no bizarre craft have been reported in Britain in recent weeks.
[Ref. las1:] NEWSPAPER "LIBRE ARTOIS":
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A resident of the town of Méral (Mayenne) said he saw in the sky a bright orange ball which landed on the ground. The flat, domed disc, five to six meters in diameter, giving off a blinding glow, lit the countryside within a 200-meter radius.
The craft was transparent and from the inside a a black shape was observed. The disc remained like this for about ten minutes, reddened and disappeared quickly towards the north. The observer then went to the place where the object had landed. There was, he assures, a kind of bright cloud that slowly fell to the ground. Arrived at his home, he noticed that his clothes were covered with a white layer of a slightly sticky material, like paraffin.
A boy baker from Calais said he saw at 3:40 a.m., at a place called Saint-Pierre-Halte, on the road to Saint-Omer, a yellow and shiny craft landing on the railroad tracks.
The object of weird shape, was according to the baker, two meters high and four meters in diameter.
Among the other appearances, let us also note this one:
A barrel maker from Graulhet said that he had seen a silvery craft heading northwest at the end of the afternoon; which he took at first for a jet plane, but not discerning any trail of condensation, the observer went to get a pair of binoculars and distinctly saw a large flexible disc, which was undulating on itself, while moving at high speed.
It was then that the craft seemed to explode in flight. A silver ball, about one meter in diameter, escaped from the mass and continued on its way, soon disappeared from view, while the rest of the machine fell in several pieces similar to sheets of various dimensions which hovered in the sky and some of which clung to telegraph wires. About fifteen people testified to this singular case and fragments of material were collected. They come in the form of agglomerated silver filaments which crumble when touched.
In our section yesterday devoted to saucers, we quoted the following information: a "white disc" hovered over Fontaine-de -Vaucluse.
The air base of Caritat (Vaucluse), alerted, immediately directed two jet planes which, soon appeared, and after two turns on Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, gained altitude and dove on the disc.
The radio installed on the planes and which was in communication with the base, announced that the craft was in sight, that it was chased, but that it escaped because its speed was higher than theirs.
From Vaucluse, one could clearly see the disc moving away like an arrow, chased by the two jet planes.
As expected, the "authorities" denied the information in these terms:
The Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, (Air) wishes to specify that the two pilots of the Orange base who flew over Fontaine-de-Vaucluse at different altitudes, on October 14 in the afternoon, did not observe any unknown craft during their search. Both pilots are experienced officers and their reports are formal.
[Ref. cmn1:] NEWSPAPER "CENTRE MATIN":
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AVIGNON. - In early afternoon yesterday Friday the population of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, was in turmoil.
Indeed, a "white disc" was hovering slowly over the small town and one could clearly distinguish it with good binoculars.
This white disc was surmounted by a spherical cap of the same color.
The lower circular edge carried intermittently two powerful fires varying from white to purple color, passing by the red color.
Caritat Air Base (Vaucluse), alerted, immediately scrambled two jets which soon appeared, and after two turns on Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, they took altitude and dove on the "disc".
The radio installed on the jets was in communication with the base, it announced that the craft was in sight, it was chased, but it escaped because its speed was greater than theirs.
From Vaucluse, one could clearly see the disk go away fast, pursued by the two jets.
Here are also some other information about flying saucers appearances:
Mulhouse. - A trader in a car last night in the company of a friend, between Niffer and Kembs, suddenly saw in the sky a luminous machine in the form of an oval fireball. The latter, according to the trader, followed a large "8" in the sky, moving at a tremendous pace and at an altitude of about 300 meters the craft, which was preceded by a long trail of light, changed color passing from orange to white color, then went to the southeast.
Martigues. - An 8 year old child, who was with his mother and aunt on the road in the hamlet of Saint-Pierre, near Martigues, saw in the sky an elongated luminous machine, from which, she specified, a sort of fireworks came out. The parents have certified to the statements of their child.
Calais. - A baker boy of Calais said he had seen at 3:40 a.m., at the place called "St. Pierre Halte" on the road to Saint-Omer, a yellow and shining craft landing on the railway.
The oddly shaped object was, according to the baker, two meters high and four meters in diameter.
Nimes. - Two people saw last night, returning to their home, a few kilometers north of Nîmes, a greenish glow in a field.
They approached and noted the presence of a vehicle identical in all respects to a rugby ball and appearing to rest on crutches. The strange apparatus suddenly rose in the air while emitting a low noise and gradually taking an orange hue.
Graulhet. - A barrel-maker from Graulhet stated to have seen late yesterday afternoon, at high altitude, a silver craft heading toward the northwest, he first thought it was a jet plane, but discerning no contrail, the barrel-maker fetched binoculars and distinctly saw a broad flexible disc that undulated on itself while moving at a high speed.
That's when the craft seemed to explode in flight. A silver ball, one meter in diameter, escaped the mass and continued on his way, soon disappeared from view, while the rest of the craft fell into pieces similar to sheets of various sizes that hung in the sky and some of which clung to telegraph son. Fifteen people have testified to this singular event and material fragments were collected. They were in the form of agglomerated silver filaments and crumbling to the touch.
Melun. - Near Montargis on National Road No. 7, a resident of this city, said he saw in the sky a yellow mass of rounded and very brilliant form.
Marseille. - Two luminous craft flying high were seen in the sky of the Rove earlier this afternoon. Observers noted that these apparatuses were immobilized a moment and then resumed their flight.
Draguignan. - Several residents of Draguignan observed towards the end of the afternoon, a luminous object crossing the sky at the speed of a meteor.
Casablanca. - Workers of the military logistics of Casablanca stated to have seen this afternoon, above the city, a kind of phosphorescent cigar that, after gently going down like a dead leaf resumed its horizontal course at breakneck speed and eventually disappear.
Angers. - A resident of the village of Méral (the Mayenne), said he saw in the sky, a bright orange ball which landed on the ground.
The disc, with a flattened dome, of a diameter of five to six meters produced a blinding light, illuminating the countryside in a radius of 200 meters.
The craft was transparent and inside, one observed a black shape. The disc remained like this for ten minutes, turned reddish, and quickly disappeared to the north. The observer then went to the place where the object had landed. There was, he says, a kind of brilliant cloud that fell slowly to the ground.
Arrived at his home he noticed that his clothes were covered with a white layer of a slightly sticky material like paraphine [sic].
London. - The Ministry of the British Air does not believe in the existence of "saucers", "cigars" and other flying contraptions.
While refusing to comment on the craft reported in France, official spokesmen stated that natural explanations are usually given to these phenomena in Britain and that only insufficient explanations let the mystery survive.
No mysterious object was reported in the skies of Britain in recent weeks.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Ufologist Aimé Michel notes in his book that at 03:40 in the morning, a baker of the southern suburbs of Calais left his bakehouse to take some fresh air. He then saw a sort of luminous craft of yellow color which quickly descended from the sky and landed close to the railway not far from the road RN 43 close to the locality named Saint-Pierre-Halte. The object resembled a mushroom and the witness said that it measured four meter of diameter and two meters in height. The machine soon flew away and disappeared from view.
[Ref. aml2:] AIME MICHEL:
In an article in 1963 on orthoteny, Aimé Michel adds:
Thus, at the first glance, something appears. On October 15 for example, there were 8 sightings: in Southend in England, in Calais, one in Aire-sur-la-Lys, one on Main Road 68 between Niffer and Kembs (Franco-German border), one in the mouth of Pô, one in the east of Paris, one on Main Road 7 in the south of Montargis, and finally in Fouesnant, near Quimper.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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October 15 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
03:40 a.m.: Saint-Pierre-Halte(3 km SSE.Calais--Pas-de-Calais): "mushroom" diameter /4m,height.2m ,lands on railwaytracks
[... other cases...]
[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:
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[... other cases...]
October 15, 1954: Calais (3km isl in the SSE of,place called "Saint-Pierre-Halte", near Rte.Nale. 43--Pas-de-Calais): baker("Hémisphérique" craft 4 m x 2 m posed on railway tracks)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 350 | -001.90251 | 50.91300 | 15 | 10 | 1954 | 03 | 40 | 102 | ST P.HALTE-CALAIS | F | 0011 | 3C** | 304 |
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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263) October 15, 1954, 03:40 a.m., St-Pierre-Halte (France):
A baker saw a shiny yellow machine descend quickly and land on the railroad tracks. The shape of the object was that of a mushroom, about 4 m in diameter and 2 m high (P 62, M 180). (sketch next page)
Note: "P 62" brings to the reference "La Croix 16 Oct. 1954"; "M 180" relates to [aml1]. This sources are noted separately in a previous issue (#99 bis for May 1969).
The catalog from which this entry comes is preceded by this warning, in a previous issue, by Jacques Vallée:
We do not believe that we have to apologize for the inclusion of testimonies which may justifiably appear incredible or grotesque. We do not claim that there exists in this Catalog a single observation of a physical event of an unknown nature.
We are not publishing a table of experimental results obtained in the laboratory, but only a general guide to facilitate the study of the abundant literature which has accumulated on an astonishing topic.
It would therefore be dishonest and a serious misunderstanding of our design, to treat all the cases of this catalog as if they had the same level of validity, or to affirm that the presence of this or that particular case reinforces or destroys by itself the degree of confidence that one can place in another case. WE CANNOT ACCEPT LIABILITY FOR ERRORS FROM THOSE WHO IGNORE THIS WARNING.
[Ref. ldl1:] MAGAZINE D'UFOLOGIE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
In issue #103 of L.D.L.N., we omitted to mention that the sketch of Saint-Pierre-Halte (case No 263) was made thanks to the investigation made by Mr. Derosse; we correct this, with our apologies.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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263) October 15, 1954, 03:40, Saint-Pierre-Halte (France):
A baker saw a brilliant yellow craft descend rapidly and land on the railroad tracks. It was shaped like a mushroom, about 4 m diameter, 2 m high. (P. 62, M. 180).
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 15, 1954, 03:40, Saint-Pierre-Halte (France):
A baker saw a brilliant yellow craft descend rapidly and land on the railroad tracks. It was shaped like a mushroom, about 4 m diameter, 2 m high. (La Croix, 16 oct. 1954).
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
Garreau and Lavier note that on October 14, 1954, in Saint-Pierre-Halte in the Pas-de-Calais, a baker's assistant told that towards 03:20 he had seen a yellow shiny machine posed on the railway.
He indicated that the object was circular, with approximately four meters in diameter and two meters in height. He had quickly moved away without observing the continuation of the events, because he was frightened.
[Ref. ara1:] ANTONIO RIBERA:
The author ensures that there was an alignment of cases in Western Europe on October 15, 1954, proving that the witnesses neither had dreamed nor invented as one could think by taking each case apart; he says one of the cases is: "Calais (France)".
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
|
440 15 October 1954 0340 hrs
ST PIERRE HALTE (FRANCE) A baker saw a brilliant yellow craft descend rapidly and land on railway tracks. It vas shaped like a mushroom, About 4m diameter, 2m high. (M263; La Croix, 16 Oct 54; Michel II. 180)
[Ref. gni1:] GNEOVNI:
|
10/15/1954 - CALAIS 62 type I
A 3 h 40, sorti de son fournil, un boulanger aperçoit une sorte d'engin lumineux, de couleur jaune qui descend rapidement et se pose sur une voie ferrée. L'objet ressemble à un champignon et mesure environ quatre mètres de diamétre et deux mètres de haut. Il s'envole bientôt et disparait.
(M.O.C. A. Michel page 220)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Saint-Pierre Halte close to Calais in the department of the Pas-de-Calais, on October 14, 1954 at 03:40 a.m., whereas he took some fresh air in front of his bakehouse, an anonymous baker's assistant from Calais saw a yellow and shining craft of 2 meters height and 4 meters diameter land on a railway. This object had the shape of a mushroom. Being on the road of Saint-Omer, the frightened witness moved away quickly without observing the departure of the machine.
The authors indicate that the sources are "case 263 of the Vallée catalogue; La Croix for 10/16/54; C. Garreau and R. Lavier in "Face aux ET" page 127; Aime Michel in "A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes" page 220."
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list | N° of the Francat list | Localization | Date | Class | Credibility | Sources | Number of W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 081 | 197 | Saint-Pierre-Halte | 10/14 | CE1 | NI [=Unidentified] P [=Press] C.V. [=Vallée Catalogue] | 2-p, 160 [=[fru1]] | 1 W |
[Ref. mft2:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 197 | CE1 | 10 14 1954 | 03.40 | Saint-Pierre Halte | 62100 A2 | NI[=Unidentified]-P[=Press], OVNI: p. 160 [=[fru1]] |
[Ref. jca1:] JACQUES COSTAGLIOLA:
The author indicates that on October 15, 1954, there were 8 sightings, 5 were in a line, one of them was in Calais.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4133: 1954/10/15 03:40 1 1:54:00 E 50:54:40 N 3333 WEU FRN PDC 7:6
ST PIERRE HALTE,FR:BAKER:4M MUSHROOM LANDS/RR TRACKS:/LDLN#103p2+/r49p180+/r8
Ref#138 GROSS,L.:UFOs a HISTORY-1954/10 bks Book # 9 Page 49 : ROAD+RAILS
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that in 1954, on October 14, in France, in St Pierre Halte (Calais), "at 03:40 a baker saw a yellow and shining craft go down quickly and land on the railway. The shape of the object was that of a mushroom, approximately 4 m in diameter and 2 m in height."
The sources are indicated as "La Croix, 16 Oct 1954" and "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 282".
She adds that the occurrence happened on the 14th not the 15th according to: "M. FIGUET/ J.L. RUCHON: 'Ovni, premier dossier complet...' - Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 160".
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
On this Day
October 15
[...]
1954 - St.-Pierre-Halte, France. At 3:40 a.m. a baker saw a brilliant yellow craft descend rapidly and land on some railroad tracks. It was mushroom shaped, about four meters diameter, and two meters high. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 180; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 230).
[...]
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
Friday, October 15, 1954
[...]
3:40 : In Saint-Pierre-Halte (France), 1 baker sees 1 yellow and shining machine go down quickly and land on the railway. The shape of the object is that of a musroom [sic], being approximately 4 m in diameter and 2 m high.
[...]
The source is indicated as "La Croix, October 16, 1954."
[Ref. jdt1:] JEAN-PIERRE D'HONDT:
This ufologist indicates that on October 14, 1954, in "Saint-pierre Halte", in the Pas-de-Calais, the suburbs of Calais, "As he takes fresh air in front of hiss bakehouse at 3 40, a baker's assistant sees a yellow and brilliant machine land on a railway, near the road of St Omer. This object has the shape of a mushroom of approximately 2 meters in height on 4 meters in diameter. The frightened witness moves away quickly without observing the departure of the machine."
The sources are noted as "Vallée Catalogue, case #263. - La Croix for 10/16/1954. - C. Garreau and R. Lavier Face aux E.T. page 127. Aimé Michel A Propos des S. V. page 220."
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Pas-de-Calais in "St Pierre Halte (Calais)" on October 14, 1954 at 03:40 hours, "While he takes fresh air in front of his bakehouse, a baker's assistant sees a yellow and shining craft 2 meters in height and 4 meters in diameter, land on a railway, this object has the shape of a mushroom. Being on the road of Saint-Omer, the frightened witness moves away fast without observing the departure of the craft."
The source is noted: "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. djn2:] DONALD JONHSON:
Donald Johnson indicates that on October 14, 1954, at 3:40 a.m. a brilliant, yellow machine in the shape of a mushroom, two meters in height and four meters in diameter, was seen resting on railroad tracks in Saint-Pierre Halte by a baker's assistant from Calais.
The sources are indicated as "Figuet, Michel and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 160, citing La Croix, October 16, 1954; Aime Michel, A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes, p. 220."
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 14, 1954 - At 3:40 a.m. a brilliant, yellow machine in the shape of a mushroom, two meters in height and four meters in diameter, descended rapidly and was seen resting on some railroad tracks in Saint-Pierre-Halte, France by a baker's assistant from Calais. (Source: Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 160, citing La Croix, October 16, 1954; Aime Michel, A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes, p. 220; Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 180; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 230--who lists the date as Oct. 15).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this same case five times:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | St. Pierre Halte | France | CE I | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | St. Pierre Halte | France | CE II | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | St. Pierre Halte | France | CE I | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | St. Pierre Halte | France | CE I | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | St. Pierre Halte | France | CE I |
[Ref. ubk2:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | Calais | France | CE I | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | Calais | France | CE I | ||||||
| 19541015 | 15.10.1954 | Calais | France |
[Ref. dcn1:] DOMINIQUE CAUDRON:
The author checks "the myth of alignment SOUPO ", i.e. the assertion from Jacques Vallée and Aimé Michel about an alignment of 8 UFO observations on October 15, 1954, in Europe. The author shows that none the cases was correctly dated except perhaps one, that the alignment is disproved and the observations also.
He indicates that according to Aimé Michel, the observations of this date are all by night.
About this case, he quotes Aimé Michel in "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", Arthaud 1958, page 304, as saying:
"At 3:40 of the morning, a baker of the southern suburbs of Calais, on the English Channel, comes out of his bakehouse to take some fresh air, like all the bakers of the world do."
He notes that in reality, he was riding a moped.
"He then sees a kind of luminous machine, of yellow color, which goes down quickly and lands on the railway not far from main road 43, close to the place called Saint-Pierre-Halte. The object resembles a mushroom and is, according to the witness, four meters in diameter and two meters high. It flies away soon and disappears."
It notes that in reality, the witness did not stop and did not see the object taking off.
Dominique Caudron notes that Antonio Ribera, in "Procès aux OVNIS", De Vecchi 1975, page 54, says that on Friday October 15, 1954, a series d’observations was reported, including one in Calais, and which, if one studies each fact separately, one can only regret the fragility of human testimonies which gives enthralling stories but one does not know if they are dreams or inventions; Ribera concludes that they are not, with the reason that they are all on a line.
Dominique Caudron then quotes the Nord Littoral local newspaper for October 15, 1954, page 2, as saying about the observation of St-Pierre-Halte:
And here it is that in Calais, another bakery worker had reportedly also seen, on the railway, as he went to his workplace, an enigmatic machine which had chosen the railway which goes from Calais to Dunkirk, very close from Saint-Pierre Halte, to land.
...
But let's hear Mr. Thery speak.
- I had just left the house. It was approximately 3:40 of the morning. I rode on the road of Sintt-Omer [Saint-Omer], between Virval and the Station of Saint-Pierre Halte. My motorbike was going fast. I was going to start the turn to engage on the Castre path. The night was rather beautiful and the moon diffused a quite important clearness to distinguish rather far in front of oneself. At the time when I was going to cross the level crossing, my attention was automatically drawn and I turned the head towards the left.
"What I then saw astonished me: at about fifty meters from me, on the railway straightforwardly, on the side of Coulogne, at the very place where the trains going to or coming back from Dunkirk pass, I saw a semi-spherical form.
I said to myself; Hold on, here is a curious construction on the railway. The mass was approximately two meters tall, by three or four [meters] broad. Il was across the railway. I repeat it, his color was of a very brilliant yellow."
I DID NOT STOP
...
Obviously, on the spot one sees nothing any more, for during the few days quite a number of trains have passed.
He notes the "odd detail: Mr. Théry does not stop", and alerts that the newspaper clearly says that the sighting took place a few days ago, and thus, even if one would classify this as a landing, it does not belong to the October 15 alignment.
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 15 1954. 0340hrs.
ST PIERRE-HALTE, CALAIS (PAS DE CALAIS : FRANCE)
A baker came out of the bakery for a breath of fresh air when he saw a luminous yellow, mushroom shaped object, 4m diameter, 2m high descending rapidly and landing on the railway near Rte N-43. Shortly afterwards it took off again and disappeared.
Evaluation - Another meteor?
|
It is very regrettable that I have not been able to find for the moment what would have been an investigation by a Mr. A. Derosse if we refer to the sketch published by Jacques Vallée in his catalog.
The case remains unidentified, possible extraterrestrial craft; but unfortunately with little solidity, at least for the moment.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Saint-Pierre-Halte, Pas-de-Calais, Elie Théry, baker, craft, object, yellow, bright, shiny, landing, railway, mushroom
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | August 16, 2004 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 8, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | April 21, 2009 | Addition [djn1], [jbu1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | February 28, 2010 | Addition [djn2]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | October 15,2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | October 26, 2016 | Additions [cmn1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | November 5, 2016 | Addition [dcn1]. As [dcn1] reveals the case of Calais the next day is this case, merge of the two files in here, now including also [aml1], [aml2], [jve5], [gal1], [jca1]. New date for the case, "Beg. October" instead of "October 14". Additions [ara1], [ubk2]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | December 5, 2016 | Addition [ple1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | February 28, 2017 | Addition [lrr1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | December 31, 2019 | Additions [jve2], [ldl1], [prn1], [mft1], [mft2], [lhh1], [prn2], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | January 20, 2020 | Addition [gni1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | April 5, 2020 | Addition [nmn1]. |
| 2.1 | Patrick Gross | May 7, 2020 | Additions [nll1], [jps1]. |
| 2.2 | Patrick Gross | June 12, 2020 | Addition [las1]. |
| 2.3 | Patrick Gross | May 13, 2021 | Addition [lon1]. |
| 2.4 | Patrick Gross | May 7, 2022 | Additions [gqy1], [gqy2]. |
