An Englishman of Scoriton, Arthur E. Bryant, retired prison warden, inspired by the fables of the American George Adamski, claimed that on April 24, 1965 at 05:30 p.m. close to Scoriton, he saw an aerial object coming out of nothing and moving with a pendulum motion before hovering a meter above the ground in front of him. An opening appears in the side of that "saucer" and two Venusian of human appearance but with head a little higher than ours and a 15 years old human youngster start to chat with him in English about karma, cosmic stuff and other nonsense.
Bryant places in the alleged conversation a number of allusions to Adamski, to occultist Desmond Leslie, who Adamski's wrote and to a "proof of Mantell" that the Venusian say they would provide. Bryant could not know then that this Mantell business related to a balloon mistaken for a UFO and not a meeting with some Venusian ship. He also claimed in 1965 to have seen a blue luminous flying thing which made a "noise of turbine" whereas he was going to bed in the evening of June 7, 1965.
He claimed to have found the next day remains on the ground of pieces of a plane and other parts of machinery which have to fallen from the ship, and which he claimed to have entrusted to the Astronomical Society of Exeter. He suggests these are pieces of Mantell's plane, but they were actually from another model of plane than Mantell's F-51.
Among these remains, he also claimed to have found a broken glass phial with silver sand inside and a paper on which was written, in ancient Greek, "Adelphos Adelpho", that is, "from brother to brother." Two rather oddballs ufologists of the BUFORA had little critical directions and were willing to accept that all this nonsense might be true and wrote two books on the affair, mixing "Adamski-like" tales, mysterious "agencies", poltergeists, "voices on tape recorders" and other alleged paranormal phenomena. The affair survives now only as briefs summaries that omit the most nonsensical parts of the claims.
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Left: A photograph of the claimant Arthur E. Bryant. |
[Ref. cb1:] CHARLES BOWEN:
Charles Bowen indicates that on April 24, 1965, close to the village of Dartmoor of Scoriton, in South Devon, an affair occurred, that he estimates that it is "too beautiful, too made-up to be true", specifying that he did not meet the witness.
The latter, E.A. Bryant, a retired prison warden to the newspaper the Independent of Plymouth (Devon) for August 8, 1965, was walking in the countryside and had reached Scoriton Down, from where the sight is beautiful, at 05:30 p.m., when he was suddenly face to face with a flying machine which moved with a pendulum motion then immobilized and hovered at approximately one meter above the ground and a few meters in front of him. Bryant declared that the object "had literally come out of nothing" and that he was frightened. However, his curiosity was stronger than his fear.
He saw an opening appearing in the side of the "saucer" from where three silhouettes appeared, which were equipped with " implements with diving. " One of the forms, which had the aspect of human beings, made a sign to him and he approached to a few meters of the object. The beings then removed their helmet from their heads, and he saw that two of them had the very high face, blue eyes, and fair hair. The third was smaller and seemed to be approximately 15 years old and had normal features, dark hair and brown eyes.
There was a conversation "in acceptable English" and the man with the dark hair told that his name was Yamski, or something similar. This man added it was a shame that somebody named "Les" or "Des" was not there to see the visitors "because he would have understood."
Bryant also declared that the beings told him they came from Venus and that they would return in one month bringing with them the "proof of Mantell" "or a name like that."
According to Bowen, it was said that some metal fragments had been really left on the place; which had been entrusted to members of the Astronomical Society of Exeter. Bowen notes that he hopes that the ufologists of BUFORA which investigated into this claim will make all discoveries on the results of the examination of the mysterious metal fragments public later. He notes that George Adamski, which had collaborated with Desmond Leslie for the book "The flying saucers landed", died the day before this alleged encounter.
He notes that the business was presented by N. Oliver and Miss E. Buckle of the BUFORA during the public meeting of February 26, 1966.
[Ref. lo1:] CORAL AND JIM LORENZEN:
The authors indicate that at the Dartmoor village of Scoriton, Devon, England, on April 24, 1965, E. A. Bryant was out walking in the country about 05:30 p.m., and saw a large aerial saucer-shaped object come to rest just about three feet above the ground.
As he was watching, an opening appeared in the side of the UFO, and three beings appeared. They were dressed in what he could only describe as "diving gear."
[Ref. jh1:] JOHN HARNEY (?):
In a reader's comment of the book "The Scoriton Mystery" by Eileen Buckle, John Harney - probably - suggests that anyone who plans to investigate a contactee story should read this book first, so as to obtain some idea "of what he may be letting himself in for!" He indicates that the book tells how BUFORA Committee members Norman Oliver and Eileen Buckle were intrigued by the claim of the recently deceased Arthur Bryant, of Scoriton, Devon, who said he encountered a flying saucer and its three occupants, and how they conduct an investigation detailed in this book. He says that "they have neglected no clue and scorned no method - scientific or otherwise - that might possibly shed further light on the mystery." He evokes how Norman Oliver tells of mysterious voices on his tape recorder and of other subjective eccentric adventures. He notes that the decidedly occult tone of the book would probably irritate scientifically minded readers while careful and critical readers will derive much interest from it.
[Ref. jh2:] JOHN HARNEY:
In a 1969 article, John Harney comments on "a very detailed investigation carried out by BUFORA members Eileen Buckle and Norman Oliver" which appears in form of their, and notes that what emerges very clearly from reading it, is that investigators made the mystery more profound that it really is. He notes that the confusion was created either by the subconscious minds of the investigators, or by some unknown external agency, although he notes that there is no sense in such a theory. He notes that Buckle and Oliver had let their imaginations go wild, somehow the way some US investigators such as John Keel and others did.
[Ref. cc1:] LOREN COLEMAN AND JEROME CLARK:
The authors note that author Eileen Buckle devoted an entire book "The Scoriton Mystery" to the case before it was proved to be a spurious incident, and that the book seems extraordinarily convincing by the way the case is presented, with many phony "contactee" stories full of a mass of obscure detail which one would have thought only ufologists of many years standing would know anything about.
They note that the author and her coworker Norman Oliver, who later unmasked the fraud, "underwent various odd paranormal experiences which seemed to validate the hoaxer's claims."
They indicate that the now deceased hoaxer knew only a little about UFOs, barely enough to make up the tale.
[Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU:
The author indicates in a chronology for the year 1965 that on April 24, at 05:30 p.m. close to the village of Dartmoor of Scoriton, in South Devon in the United Kingdom, E. A. Bryant, retired prison warden, who died of a brain tumor on June 24, 1967, walks in the countryside and reached Scoriton Down, a place where the sight is beautiful, when suddenly he sees, coming out of nothing, an aerial object moving with a pendular motion before being immobilized and remaining in overflight at one meter of the ground and a few meters in front of him. Bryant is frightened, but more curious than frightened; while he looks at it, an opening appears in the side of the "saucer" and three forms with a human appearance come out of there, dressed of what will be described as a diving gear. One of them makes a sign to him, he approaches within a few meters of the object and at this point the beings remove their helmet. Bryant sees that two of them have a very high face, blue eyes, and fair hair, and that the third is smaller and seems to be approximately 15 years old, of normal features, dark hair and the brown eyes. There is a conversation in acceptable English and "the man" with the dark hair says his name is Yamski or something similar, considering it regrettable that somebody named Les or Des is not there to see them "because he would have understood!" The visitors say they are coming from Venus and that they would return in one month with the proof of Mantell or a name of this kind. According to Bryant, some metal fragments left on the spot are entrusted to the Astronomical Society of Exeter.
Jerome Beau adds that his sources are L'Indépendant of Plymouth for August 8, 1965, a discussion of Gliver, N., Buckle, E., of the BUFORA during the public meeting of February 26, 1966, The Scoriton Mystery, by Buckle, Eileen, Neville Spearman, London 1967, Sequel to Scoriton by Olivier, Norman, 95 Taunton Road, London, S.E.12, 1968, and In Search of the Humanoids by Bowen, C. page 23.
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Scoriton, Devon, England, on April 24, 1965, at 1730, Mr. E A Bryant was out walking when he was confronted by a large aerial object that oscillated to the left and right before coming to rest, 3 ft from the ground. An opening appeared, and 3 men clad in "diving gear" emerged and beckoned to him. When he approached, they took off their helmets. Two had very high foreheads, blue eyes, and fair hair; the third, which called himself by a name something like "Yamski," had brown eyes and hair. They spoke in English, saying they came from Venus, and regretting that "Des" or "Les" was not present; they promised to return in a month bringing "proof of Mantell," and left some fragments of metal.
Albert Rosales indicates as source Eileen Buckle and Norman Oliver.
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Scoriton, Devon, England, on June 7, 1965, at 1930, Arthur Bryant was just going to bed in his home when he heard a sound like that of a ship's turbine. He looked outside and saw a pale blue light traveling west to east at an altitude of 300'-400'. He saw this come down, and then the light and noise disappeared. Next day he looked over the area and found strange pieces of metal, some like turbines with curved blades, and some looking like more complicated pieces of machinery. Also there was a glass phial with some silver sand in it, and the message "Adelphos Adelpho" (brother to brother) in what appeared to be classical Greek script. There was also an evil-smelling patch of jelly-like substance where the object appeared to land, but this quickly evaporated.
Albert Rosales indicates as source Eileen Buckle, The Scoriton Mystery.
In the Fifties, the fashion was with the "contactees." The most famous among them one was one George Adamski who claimed to be a professor and told completely invented stories of meetings with human looking Venusians that came in flying saucers to meet him and have him visit the solar system in gallant company of sexy girls from Venus showing him dinosaurs of the green valleys of their planet. A gullible public liked those stories which had sensible people including ufologists such as Aimé Michel or Donald Keyhoe laugh their guts out and explain immediately that such fables should not deserve the least interest and belonged only to the most ludicrous fantasy of conmen.
The story told by Arthur Bryant is one of many which came to be grafted on Adamski's fables. Everything is clear as day in this, from the name "Yamski or something similar" which is obviously supposed to make think of Adamski or "Les or Des" which refers to Desmond Leslie, who wrote Adamski's books since the so-called professor could not write properly. The so-called "proof of Mantell" that these humans from Venus would of course never produce is an allusion to the Mantell case - Bryant naturally claims to have never read anything about flying saucers. In this famous case business, a US fighter pilot unfortunately killed himself while too boldly trying to approach a possible UFO which was well too high to be reached by his piston engine plane. That UFO was in actually only a secret Skyhook high altitude balloons, which Bryant could not know, and he thus believed that quoting the name of this pilot would make his tale appear more convincing!
Here is for record what the Venusian friend really tells him, after having informed him that "Karma really works" and other twaddles [eb1]:
"One month from today we will bring proof of Mantell. Watch for the blue light in the evening. Danger of forces from Epsilon which take people for procreation purposes. These cause what you call poltergeists, which are only invisible because of your ignorance of the orbital plane. My name is Yamski."
In the brief summaries that currently circulate, contradictions remain obvious. Think for example of this ship which comes within a few meters of Bryant, which then, still marches on... to get within a few meters of the ship.
Two British ufologists told the story in the shape of books which are hardly possibly summarized nor reproducible in detail without bursting into laughter at almost every page, where occultism, the paranormal, flying saucers and all sort of irrelevant anecdotes are mixed together with Bryant's tale. John Harney was quite correct in noting the similarity with the rocambolesque literature of the American journalist John Keel: if the style differs, the matter is of the same order. I give only some bits here.
Actually, Bryant does not end at all his tales with this encounter. He continues by claiming to have seen a blue luminous flying something which made a "noise of turbine" whereas he was going to bed on the evening of June 7, 1965. And it is the next day, he claimed, that he found on the ground the remains of said turbines and other parts of machinery which must have fallen from the saucer he claimed to have seen, and which he claimed to be pieces of Mantell's plane, which proved incorrect.
Better, among these remains, he claimed to have found a broken phial of glass with silver sand inside and a paper rolled in it on which was written, in ancient Greek, "Adelphos Adelpho" that is, "from brother to brother."
Many summaries of the tale refrain from mentioning these ridiculous claims, but that is indeed the substance of Bryant's lies.
The second book on the business, by Norman Oliver [no1], does express - finally! - "doubts" on the veracity of Bryant's fables and even, in places, admits the story to be a hoax.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
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Ridiculous tall tales.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | August 19, 2006 | Creation, [cb1], [eb1], [no1], [jh1], [jh2], [jb1]. |
| 0.2 | Patrick Gross | August 21, 2006 | First published. |
| 0.2b | Patrick Gross | December 10, 2006 | Addition, [cc1]. |
| 0.2c | Patrick Gross | December 20, 2006 | Addition, [lo1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | September 26, 2007 | Conversion from HTML4 to XHTML Strict. Addition, [ar1]. |
