According to the UFO Insight web page:
“UFO researcher, Omar Fowler would investigate the incident, publishing
many of his finding in Flying Saucer Review magazine. He would ultimately
state he had “no doubt the report was genuine”. Perhaps it is unfortunate, then,
that the incident has not received the attention it most likely deserves. Just why
did such an apparently strong and credible case almost disappear from the UFO
radar? Might this even be a purposeful and engineered approach?”
I would like to take this opportunity to explain why and the first reason is that the United States is seen as the “prime source” for UFO incidents and, sadly, unless it is something special that fits in with current crazes a report will not get much coverage because most American Ufologists have no interest in reports from beyond the United States. Secondly, the incident took place in 1985 and most current Ufologists were not even born then. Put those together and you have two reasons why the report is not better known. The third major reason could be what came out of the “investigation” itself.
Around 22:00 hrs on the 15th September, 1985, David and Susan McMurray, along with their two young children, Paul and Katie, 5 and 18 months respectively (asleep in the back of the car), were driving home to Farnborough in Hampshire and their journey took them through Bagshot Heath in nearby Surrey. As the McMurrays’ car drove along a particularly lonely country road a strange object came into view. David stated (“Our UFO Terror”, Sunday Mirror 29th September 1985):
“I saw something hovering above the road in front of us. I could not believe
my eyes. It was a huge saucer-like craft, about 50 feet long with brilliants lights
coming from portholes around the centre. Then, it suddenly took off. The whole
family were weak and trembling for days afterward!”
A second identical object then appeared in the same spot and this one moved alongside their moving car. After heading towards a new housing estate in the distance David decided to stop the car and get out and investigate with the two children (as noted) asleep in the back of the vehicle and Susan remained where she was in the passenger seat refusing to get out. David noticed that the UFO had also stopped and it was hovering just above trees on the opposite side of the road. He would later tell investigators that he had the distinct feeling that the object, or whoever might be inside it, was “watching him”. This, of course is subjective. It was at this point that he became aware of a humming noise similar to “an electric sewing machine” starting up; red and green glow was visible on the underside of the craft.
David and Susan would continue to watch for around a minute before the object suddenly took off into the night sky with acceleration unlike anything either of them had ever seen. It should be noted that another car (a white Volvo) had pulled up behind the McMurray car and the man inside was also watching the object. Once the object had gone David noticed the car occupant had his interior car light on. However, astonishingly, because it seems to be the first thing that comes into most UFO observers minds, David did not approach this car to talk to the occupants. That might have solicited witness names as well as extra observations. It is also worth pointing out that David was the only person to exit a vehicle and this could be important later. On their way home, David stopped at the local police station to report the incident.
The same edition of the Sunday Mirror, 24-year-old Lyn Brookes reported having seen a similar (“almost identical”) object from her location in Wokingham, Berkshire. She stated that: “…It hovered in one spot for about five minutes. I was really frightened. It was as if it was watching me!” This does not, however, mean that it was one of the two objects observed at Bagshot but there seemed to be a strong attempt that these reports –as well as those from others that night- ‘were’ connected.
We get quotes such as “What the McMurray family would realize over the coming days, particularly, David” when the two youngsters, Paul and Katie were 5 and 18 months respectively and as they were asleep I very much doubt they “realised” anything. In some instances their ages are not given (probably to give a false impression that all the family were witnesses. Some accounts do not even mention the second car. So, in fact, David and Sue –and David appears to be the main focus who does all the talking- thought that there was a certain window of time that they could not account for. In fact, David suspected that some form of telepathic communication had taken place between him and the occupants of this “strange craft.”
Normally the couple were out of bed by 05:45 hrs but the morning after the incident they did not wake until after 09:30 hrs and as for the two children; “each remained sleeping soundly when their parents burst into their bedroom.” Nice bit of drama there. People do occasionally oversleep and if there are youngsters who sleep on there is nothing to disturb a lie-in.
But then, shock! Horror! David attempted to start his car but found that the battery was completely dead but a nearby garage helped to jump-start the engine for him. After this we read that; “However, the strange incidents were just beginning.” Car batteries can go flat and all that was needed was a jump-start and this is far from uncommon. I doubt that anyone finding their car battery “flat” will look around and ask; “Was I abducted by aliens last night?”
Above: David McMunny
That same day David developed a headache centred at the top of his head so severe that he would find himself seeing his doctor and then ended up at the local hospital for immediate tests. All of his results for blood pressure and such all came back as they should, he would remain “unwell” for several days; he would have constant dizziness and “shaky legs” as well as an on-off feeling of “hollowness” in his stomach. It seemed that as one set of symptoms disappeared others would replace them. After a week or so David began suffering memory lapses as well as severely disturbed sleep. Then, without explanation, he developed a strange red rash all over the right side of his body; these red circular marks would only last a few hours, but as soon as they faded another would replace it.
Omar Fowler of SIGAP (Surrey Investigation Group into Aerial Phenomena) would discover several reports of a strange “humming” had been made by residents in the local area but while many of the sounds were dismissed as coming from the military bases nearby, their occurrence at 03:00 hrs made it unlikely that any type of military exercises was responsible. Added to the strange humming sound were several UFO sightings from the area.
When investigators returned to speak with the couple in November, 1985, they stated that it was obvious David was “still suffering from various lasting effects of the incident.” Although the rash on the right-hand side of his body had disappeared a very similar rash was now on his left-hand side.
There was one development but this seemed to affect only David; without realizing how or why he was doing it he would have a sudden understanding of the mechanical functions and procedures of all manner of electrical equipment and devices. This would seemingly expand to include his car and the complete ins-and-outs of the engine system. Again, people pick things up over the years and I have known people who claimed no knowledge of heating systems get one that had broken down to work again…and then looked stumped as to how they knew what to do. It turns out that in most cases some had watched engineers at work on boilers in their homes and subconsciously stored all the information. Others had looked up faults but “could not understand a word of it” –but something clicked in later bringing out that knowledge. There are far too many attempts at trying to build up this report and whether that was by Fowler or FSR or both is open to conjecture.
One thing is for certain and that is the fact that FSR editor Gordon Creighton got very excited over the fact that David would experience sudden out-of-body episodes; waking on two occasions to find himself staring down at both his own body and that of his sleeping wife. He would then return to his body “with a bump”. When asked about this David claimed to have no history of such ability or instances in the past. Again, Creighton leapt at this citing the fact that he had always believed that entity encounters never happened on the physical plane.
The term out-of-body experience was introduced in 1943 by G. N. M. Tyrrell in his book Apparitions (Gerald Duckworth and Co. Ltd, London, 1943, pp. 149) and this was later adopted by researchers such as Celia Green (Out-of-the-body Experiences. 1968, Hamish Hamilton) and Robert Monroe (Journeys Out of the Body) as an alternative to belief-centric labels that were being used such as "astral projection" or "spirit walking". The Out-of-the-Body Experiences (OBEs) can be induced by traumatic brain injuries, sensory deprivation, near-death experiences, dissociative and psychedelic drugs, dehydration, sleep disorders, dreaming, and electrical stimulation of the brain among causes. An OBE can also be deliberately induced by some and one in ten people has an OBE once, more commonly, several times in their life times. We know that David was under stress as well as sleeping badly and there is also the question as to the cause of the severe headaches he suffered and whether they may have been a side effect of another problem which also caused the OBEs.
Cited as “Perhaps strangest of all, though, was the bizarre “message” that was constantly running through his head and had been since the strange night of 15th September” and this was “Epsylon 44L – 47L.” Neither David nor anyone researching the case appears to have any idea what the code or instructions are or mean.
Then came the inevitable –the hypnosis sessions.
David eventually underwent several sessions of hypnotic regression the first of these sessions would take place in the private office at the home of Dr. Leonard Wilder in Stanmore, London on the afternoon of 12th January 1986. Several witnesses were present to the sessions, including Fowler, Creighton and “other interested parties” which makes it sound as if this was “an event.”
Once David was under he was instantly back behind the wheel of his car on the quiet country road in Bagshot Heath. Dr. Wilder encouraged him to talk about what was happening and David would tell of “something bright in the road, above the car”, which, seemingly, kept vanishing from his sight. He would note how this object was following their car and the “brilliant brightness” from the object’s “windows”. When Wilder then asked David to describe the size and shape of the object he suddenly proclaimed; “Guardians…The Guardians…They are the Guardians!” At this point
Wilder left his line of questioning and immediately asked where the “guardians” came from and to this question David replied; “Epsilon 44L…47L” before elaborating that their world was “far away.”
David claimed that he did not know why these entities were communicating with him but that they did so through his mind. He also claimed he was not at all frightened during the experience. However, he would become visibly distressed about not fully understanding why the words “Epsilon 44L 47L” were continuously running through his mind. At this point Wilder decided to return to having David describe the craft and David would again begin by stating that it was big and bright but then stopped and stated that “The light’s gone”.
The session lasted “several hours” including discussions before the hypnosis was begun. Omar Fowler recalled that there was “an atmosphere in the room” and things “became tense” during the session itself. It appeared, to everyone present, that David was literally reliving the experience in real time. However, what caused “stunned silence” was David’s certain and repeated claims of “The Guardians”
On the evening of the 26th January, some two weeks after the hypnotic regression sessions, David was driving with his wife and their two children and as they approached the location of the previous sighting an intense pain suddenly burst into David’s head; so intense that he had to immediately bring the car to a halt at the side of the road. The pain eventually subsided and although still in discomfort, David restarted the car and completed the journey home. Once home he immediately searched the house for a piece of paper and something to write with. Susan would later describe his behaviour “as though he was in some type of daze” as he proceeded to write down a message “given to him during the intense pain in his head.” Once he had completed this task he read the note and showed it to Susan. We are told that “not only didn’t they understand what he had written, the handwriting was clearly not his own and his use of words was unlike him also.”
Quite obviously if David wrote the note and was seen writing the note then it was his handwriting but just not one he normally used and this in conjunction with his head pain could indicate a neurological problem - the two most common reasons for a change in a person’s handwriting are essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease; an essential tremor is a neurological condition that causes a rhythmic, involuntary, trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs or body. When it comes to essential tremors it is eight times more common than Parkinson’s disease affecting an estimated 10 million Americans according to 2018 statistics given by Camilla Kilbane, MD. On the University Hospitals web site.
David’s message read:
“Epsolom…Planet location 12th quadrant. Primary function guardians of
planets. Watching Earth since 12 BC…Man’s development up to early
19th century almost nil. Key people located on Earth early 1900…development
up to date, increasing by 50%…still have not basic meotcail(?)…Warlike
which will not be tolerated…still divided on the idea of one supreme ruler…will
continue to watch and instruct key people onto the rate of
advancement…Recommended that the advancement be reassessed as to
the nature of their planet. And that they are allowed to continue at the 50%
rate rather than to give them full co-operation!”
There was even a signature that read “Asmiz.”
Of course, Creighton and others jumped at this since the claims lean heavily towards an alien presence on Earth going back thousands of years and that this presence is apparently for the benefit of humanity. On the UFO Insight page we read; “As bizarre as it might sound, might “the guardians” be another reference for the apparent “Watchers” of antiquity.” Might this “supreme ruler”, we are asked, not be “God”, or even “a god” but rather the Universe itself which rules everything and obeys its own laws only. When it came to the part about imparting knowledge to key selected people on Earth I almost groaned at the bracketed comment in FSRs article –“(Einstein, etc.??)”
UFO Insight refers to this episode involving the headache as a second encounter. It was not –no object was seen at the time and this constant adding to and removing bits and pieces from accounts is why Ufology is in the mess it is. David’s initial symptoms lasted 8-9 days but there seems to be little mention of the fact that in the last three days of his going through this that his wife also started suffering from shaky legs and a hollow stomach feeling.
Oddly, Susan did not undergo hypnosis because it almost seems that those investigators involved saw David as the most important as he was the one involved in telepathic contact. At no point were follow-up medical checks carried out and I suspect that the skin rashes could have been psychosomatic and I have seen this type of symptom in others over the years –some quite scary looking. When David had the initial severe pain “on the crown of his head” he was sent to the hospital and his blood pressure was normal as was the ECG he was given.
This all brings us to the ECG (electrocardiogram) and the fact that this was negative appears, in Ufologists minds, to show that the “message” was real and that David had been imbued with fantastic (not really) technical knowledge. However, an ECG is a medical test that detects cardiac (heart) abnormalities by means of measuring the electrical activity generated by the heart as it contracts and the machine that records the patient's ECG is called an electrocardiograph. These days severe head pain is more likely to involve an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) scan; (MRI) got up and running clinically around 1980 and the unit at Royal Brompton opened in 1984. So this would not have been a “standard check” at the time of the incident.
Regarding Susan’s symptoms which only lasted three days; these could have been psychosomatic. Remember that she remained in the car so was probably shielded from anything external –the object described could well have been a natural phenomenon and records show that these can give off radiation, etc.. So what about other sightings that night?
At 20:45 hrs, Mr & Mrs Webb were driving along the M4 toward Wokingham when they saw a bright red, glowing object fly across the sky from the direction of Bagshot (approximately 12 miles away). According to Mrs Webb; “I am sure it was not n aircraft. It made me think it could have been a so-called ‘UFO’.” It has to be said that this is both circumstantial and insufficient at best and far too early to be involved in the McMurray incident of 22:00 hrs.
Then we have the Lyn Brookes incident. She was with her boyfriend at 23:45 hrs, in Wokingham, Berkshire, when they observed an undescribed object with flashing red and white light for around five minutes. The object appeared to dip down behind some trees and “I was really frightened, it was as if it was watching me.” Her Great Dane dog was “disturbed and whining” –we have no description of the object and nothing regarding distance. Not just circumstantial but, again, insufficient in details (and, yes, I tried to find out more from Creighton and Fowler but they seemed unable or unwilling to offer more details).
What we find when looking at this report is that this is far from a “strong multiple witness UFO event”. Someone reported “something” in one area 1 hour 15 minutes before the McMurray incident and then another report, from another area, over 1 hour 45 minutes later. We have David who appears to do all the talking and gets all of the attention when it is quite clear that he was having some form of neurological problem which I shall return to further on. There was, allegedly, another witness in a white Volvo car just behind the McMurrays and who was not approached. We go from “multiple witnesses” to three witnesses to just two and only one of those is the main focus.
Headaches are by far one of the most common neurological disorders and there are a variety of different kinds of headaches, such as migraines, cluster headaches, and tension headaches. The causes of these can be strokes, seizures, Parkinson’s disease and dementia, etc. and one might argue that the entire incident never happened and that it was all in David’s mind and Susan, being a loyal wife (remember that she noted his strange behaviour at the time of writing “the message”) backed him up –and that is known and recorded in many instances that do not involve UFOs.
I certainly could not track down the McMurrays and rather like Mr. X in the Bridge Abduction case, David would now be around 70 years of age. Just what Fowler’s or FSRs files contained we have no idea. Certainly nothing else appears to have been published and no follow-ups to see whether David did develop any illness that might have accounted for what happened.
The other alternative is that the UFO incident was genuine and that there was a third witness who never came forward and was totally unaware of the claim by the McMurrays. If genuine then, as noted earlier, this need not have been a constructed craft of some kind; there is the possibility but no evidence what-so-ever to prove that. In either case, natural phenomenon or “craft”, we do know that both have been recorded as giving out radiation of various kinds and creating physiological illness in close observers.
In this scenario David’s curiosity got the better of him and he got too close and received a dosage of something while his wife, children and the other witness were all safely shielded inside their vehicles.
This case was used by FSR mainly because it seemed to offer support for some of Creighton’ odd theories and with no available recordings of the “discussions” before the hypnosis sessions, the sessions themselves and follow-ups we are left with just another UFO sighting. It is because of these type of situations that the CE3K/Alien Entity Study Project exists because we have lost so many reports and those existing often fall into the “Insufficient” category.
1. Fowler, Omar, “Close Encounter On Bagshot Heath”, Flying Saucer Review
Vol. 31 no. 2, January, 1986
2. Creighton, Gordon, “The Bagshot Heath Case In The British Press”, Flying
Saucer Review volume 31 no. 2, January, 1986
3. Fowler, Omar, “Follow-up On The Bagshot Heath Close Encounter: Hypnosis
Session With David McMurray”, Flying Saucer Review volume 31 no. 6,
October, 1986
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