THE SILVER HIGHWAYMEN

Sorry, I don't remember where I got this from.

• Classification (Hynek): CE3.
• Witnesses: Joyce Bowles (42), Ted Pratt (50).
• Time & Place:1976-1977; Hampshire.
• Entity Type (Lawson): Humanoid.
• Craft: 15-ft-long orange cigar-shaped craft.
• Summary: A plague of long-haired Ufonauts.

The Whistling Cigar

While some people actively seek out aliens, others have aliens thrust upon them. During the mid-1970s, for example, a middle-aged washroom attendant was baffled to find herself at the centre of a wave of UFO visions in rural England.

The eyes have it:
witnesses commonly report being mesmerized by the eyes of anomalous entities.

Joyce Bowles' experiences began one November evening in 1976. She was giving her neighbour, Ted Pratt, a lift from Winchester to Chilcomb when the car began to "shake violently" then shuddered to a halt.

With a noise "like a kettle whistling", a 15-foot-long "glowing orange cigar" suddenly appeared over the deserted road.

"We realised that three figures were watching us from a window in the cigar," said Mrs Bowles. "Then one of the figures materialised by the Mini. He peeped through my window at the dashboard controls and walked to the back of the car. Then he and the cigar-shaped craft simply vanished."

The 6-ft-tall figure wore a "silvery boilersuit" and had long blond hair and a dark beard. His eyes were pink and "as bright as the sun". Mrs Bowles found his gaze "horrible", whereas Mr Pratt felt only "peace and tranquillity" when the entity stared at him.

The Daily Mail investigated the encounter and uncovered eight other sightings of glowing cigar-shaped UFOs in the Winchester area that weekend, including one report of "a strange man in a silver suit".

Mi-Ee-Ga!

Six weeks later, Mrs Bowles and Mr Pratt were driving along the same route when a weird orange glow appeared in the sky. They suddenly found themselves in a strange room occupied by three tall humanoids. The humanoids were speaking in an unknown language and kept saying the word "mi-ee-ga".

Aliens who wear jackboots are rarely our friends.

"Lights were blinking and flashing everywhere," recalled Mrs Bowles. "The men all had high jackboots with pointed toes. The boots were luminous, like their silvery suits. In the middle of their belts was something like a glittering stone, and the man next to me kept pressing his stone. Ted believed it was something to do with receiving messages."

Apparently the language barrier was soon overcome, for Mr Pratt reported that the beings asked him to walk up and down and tell them whether he felt hot or cold. Then the couple were shown a panorama of incomprehensible transparent images. "This is our field," explained the entities. When Pratt (a farm manager) asked if they were talking about pasture land, they grew irritated by his lack of understanding.

The aliens assured their guests that they had not come as invaders. "That's what Hitler said," retorted Mrs Bowles rather rudely. There was a flash of light, and the couple found themselves back inside their car. They were now parked besides a river on an unfamiliar road.

The Terrible Message

The Virgin Mary depicted delivering an apocalyptic message at Fatima.

On March 7 1977, Mrs Bowles was driving down a country road with her friend Ann Strickland when once again her car coasted to a halt.

"We both got out of the car, then we saw this oval shape glowing luminously making a humming sound," she said "A man got out and walked towards me holding out his hands. He came right up to me and took my hand. He eyed Ann up and down. She was terrified. So was I, but I didn't show it."

"The man started to speak in a foreign language. Then he switched to broken English. I said 'Yes' but I wasn't sure what he'd said. Then he said something to me which I understood - but I can't tell anyone what it was. I wouldn't dare."

"Once he had told me what he had to say, he turned round and walked back to the Thing. We watched it rise in the air and slip away into the sky with a high-pitched hum."

Mrs Strickland confirmed her friend's version of events, telling investigators, "I didn't hear what the man said to Joyce, and she refuses point-blank to tell me".

"I've never had such an experience before. At my age I'm a bit too old to have shocks like that".

The Final Encounter

Mrs Bowles had her final encounter in June 1977, when her car was stopped by a pair of long-haired spacemen. Again, Mr Pratt was in the passenger seat.

"They had sandy hair and were wearing dull metallic suits," he recalled. "They said something about trying to help mankind - something about war. They said they were scared Man would destroy himself and pollute the atmosphere. Then they just said goodbye and returned to their spacecraft. It soared away into the sky and disappeared out of sight."

"They said they would be back, but I don't want any more," added Mrs Bowles. "I feel like a marked person. It's no good talking to anyone about it. People don't believe me."

Sources

Arthur Shuttlewood: UFO Magic In Motion, pp52-53.
Chancellor Press: World's Greatest Alien Abduction Mysteries, pp178-179
Chancellor Press: Mystery, Intrigue and Suspense, pp175-177