URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

ANOTHER witness of the phantom of the forest has recalled his terrifying ordeal. The seven-foot tall green ghost was seen by warehouseman Phil Mullett just yards from where 21-year-old Mark Nursey saw the figure on Four Ashes Road, Cryers Hill, near High Wycombe.

Mark's sighting, reported in the Star, September 26, happened just before midnight by Hughenden Garden of Rest on the road. His girlfriend Allyson Bulpett also saw the ghost. When Phil, 28, of Dashwood Avenue, High Wycombe, read the account he realised Mark had seen the same figure he saw eight years previously.

Phil said: "It gave me quite a shock to read it. The account was so close to my own. It was about 9.30pm when I drove into Four Ashes Road and on turning my car lights on full I saw this green person appear from the right hand side of the road. It drifted out to the centre of the road and turned towards me. It waved its arms, not to frighten but as if to warn me to keep back. It drifted into the hedge on the other side of the road but as I got closer it came out again to the centre, turned and lifted its arms. I knew I was going to hit it. I think I cried out or shouted something."

Phil braked and although he must have hit the figure when he got out look there was nothing there. He said the figure was bright green but appeared to have no legs or hands. The body was solid and it stood about seven foot tall. Instead of a face there was just a misty grey round shape. Strange Folklore Society is investigating the sightings.

The Green Man of Hughenden

The Green Man has reportedly physically manifested himself in England as late as 1986. An article in the South Bucks Star newspaper on September 26, 1986 entitled Phantom of the Forest read:

"A ghostly figure dressed in green startled two motorists as they drove past a crematorium just before midnight."

"The apparition suddenly loomed up at the side of the road sending shivers down the spine of driver Mark Nursey and his girlfriend Allyson Buleptt, who was in the car behind."

"Mark, of Hepplewhite Close, High Wycombe, said: ‘The most uncanny thing was the way it stood. It seemed to be wearing what I can only describe as a big green jumper. I couldn't make out the head or hands. It seemed to be stooping but was about 5ft 11ins tall and well built.'"

The article goes on to theorize on the origin of the apparition:

"One theory is the figure was the spirit of the forest, a green man, as depicted on a number of pub signs in the Chilterns. He is also related to Herne the Hunter, spirit of the forest as depicted on TV's Robin of Sherwood."

The October 17th edition of the South Bucks Star saw an additional account of the "phantom":

"Another witness of the phantom of the forest has recalled his terrifying ordeal. The seven-foot tall green ghost was seen by warehouseman Phil Mullett just yards from where 21-year-old Mark Nursey saw the figure on Four Ashes Road, Cryers Hill, near High Wycombe.

"Phil said: ‘It gave me quite a shock to read it (the previous report in the Star). The account was so close to my own. It was about 9.30pm when I drove into Four Ashes Road and on turning my car lights on full I saw this green person appear from the right hand side of the road. It drifted out to the centre of the road and turned towards me. It waved its arms, not to frighten but as if to warn me to keep back. It drifted into the hedge on the other side of the road but as I got closer it came out again to the centre, turned and lifted its arms. I knew I was going to hit it. I think I cried out or shouted something.'"

According to the news account Mr. Mullett did hit it but when he got out of the car to check, there was nothing to see. He described the apparition, as "bright green but appeared to have no legs or hands. The body was solid and it stood about seven foot tall. Instead of a face there was just a misty grey round shape."

The South Bucks Star of 26 September 1986 carried the story of two motorists who had been startled by a ghostly figure in green as they drove past a crematorium just before midnight.

The incident occurred outside Hughenden Crematorium, Four Ashes Lane, Cryers Hill, along the top of Hughenden Valley, which is nestled in the Chiltern Hills, to the north-east of High Wycombe, Bucks.

The figure reportedly loomed up at the side of the road, sending shivers down the spines of Mark Nursey and his girlfriend Allyson Bulpett, who was driving the car behind.

Mark, 21, of High Wycombe, said: "The most uncanny thing was the way it stood. It seemed to be wearing what I can only describe as a big green jumper. I couldn't make out the head or hands. It seemed to be stooping but was about 5ft 11ins tall and well built."

What happened after that isn't reported. The newspaper instead turned its attention to various theories to account for the figure, observing that it might have been the Green Man himself, the spirit of the forest, and noting his depiction on a number of pub signs in the Chilterns. Another green man was said to haunt the woods at Fingest.

Two weeks later, the paper printed the account of Phil Mullett, who had read Mark's and Allyson's story, and had written in to claim he had had a very similar experience at the same spot eight years previously.

Phil, a 28-year-old warehouseman, also of High Wycombe, said: "It gave me quite a shock to read it. The account was so close to my own. It was about 9.30pm when I drove into Four Ashes Road and on turning my car lights on full I saw this green person appear from the right hand side of the road. It drifted out to the centre of the road and turned towards me. It waved its arms, not to frighten but as if to warn me to keep back. It drifted into the hedge on the other side of the road but as I got closer it came out again to the centre, turned and lifted its arms. I knew I was going to hit it. I think I cried out or shouted something."

Phil braked, and got out, thinking he must have hit the figure. But there was nothing there. The figure was bright green and seemed to have no legs or hands. The body appeared solid-looking; but where its face should have been was 'a misty grey round shape'. In all, it stood around seven feet tall.

Strange Buckinghamshire: Legends and folklore of Buckinghamshire, UK (by Alan Cleaver and Lesley Park); South Bucks Star, 26 September 1986 & 17 October 1986.

The October 17 issue of the South Bucks Star again talked about the "phantom":

"A later testimony of the phantom of the forest revealed the terrible ordeal. The 7-feet high green phantom was seen by the storekeeper Phil Mullett at some yards of the place where Mark Nursey saw it previously, on Four Ashes Road, Cryers Hill, close to High Wycombe.

Phil said: "It shocked me to read it (the previous article of the Star). The report is very similar to mine. It was approximately nine hours and half in the evening when I drove on Four Ashes Road and when turning on the headlights of my car I saw this person in green appearing at the right side of the road. It leaped in the center and it turned towards me. It moved the hands, not to frighten me but as if it wanted to warn me or to make me go back. I went towards the other part of the road but as I approached it repositioned itself in the center, while turning towards me raising the arms. I knew that I was going to hit him. I think I shouted something."

According to news Mr Mullett hit him but when he came out of the car to check there was nothing to see. He described the appearance as "deep green, but it seemed not to have hands nor legs. Its stature was massive and it was approximately seven feet tell. Instead of a face there was a misty gray round form.

New tale of ghost terror

Following the report of the sighting by Mark Nursey and Allyson Bulpett another reader of the Star newspaper admitted he had seen the ghost of a green man along the same road (pictured left) some years earlier. This is the report that appeared in The Star of October 17th, 1986: "ANOTHER witness of the phantom of the forest has recalled his terrifying ordeal. The seven-foot tall green ghost was seen by warehouseman Phil Mullett just yards from where 21-year-old Mark Nursey saw the figure on Four Ashes Road, Cryers Hill, near High Wycombe.

Mark's sighting, reported in the Star, September 26, happened just before midnight by Hughenden Garden of Rest on the road. His girlfriend Allyson Bulpett also saw the ghost. When Phil, 28, of Dashwood Avenue, High Wycombe, read the account he realised Mark had seen the same figure he saw eight years previously.

Phil said: "It gave me quite a shock to read it. The account was so close to my own. It was about 9.30pm when I drove into Four Ashes Road and on turning my car lights on full I saw this green person appear from the right hand side of the road. It drifted out to the centre of the road and turned towards me. It waved its arms, not to frighten but as if to warn me to keep back. It drifted into the hedge on the other side of the road but as I got closer it came out again to the centre, turned and lifted its arms. I knew I was going to hit it. I think I cried out or shouted something."

Phil braked and although he must have hit the figure when he got out look there was nothing there. He said the figure was bright green but appeared to have no legs or hands. The body was solid and it stood about seven foot tall. Instead of a face there was just a misty grey round shape.

Strange Folklore Society is investigating the sightings."