July 1947 Fishpool Hill, nr Hereford

This could, if true, bve the first of the CE3K reports from the UK at the start of the "Moder4n Age of UFOs" -1947.

Hanson and Dawn Holloway spoke several times to Mollie Tilley, a woman in her 70’s who was living in Tamworth, Shropshire.  The following concerned her uncle Frank Hanford:

“My uncle and mother (Betty) was not the sort of persons to make up wild stories.  They were the exact opposite, not given to flights of imagination.  My mother told me this story many times over the years and was adamant Frank was telling the truth.”

Hanson: “according to Betty, Frank and Mrs Newman, his housekeeper, were disturbed by dogs’ barking ibn the middle of the night.  Fearing intruders, Frank loaded a pair of shotguns ready to defend them.  When the pair went over to the window overlooking the apple orchard..”

This next quote, I assume, is Mollie recounting what her uncle had told her mother:

“We saw the incredible sight of a dome-shaped craft, glowing with light, descending onto the ground and watched as a pair of steps slowly came out of the craft, followed by the entrance of three silver suited ‘beings’, who stood next to the spaceship, picked up some apples and a piece of turf before re-entering the ‘ship’ and leaving”.

The next morning the duo checked and found a large circular impression burnt into the ground and scorching to a nearby wicker gate (the gate can be seen in a photo) and Frank telephoned the police who later arrived with men from the Air Ministry as well as military personnel. A search of the area was conducted and Geiger counters “revealed high levels of radiation”.  The men left, after threatening Frank with dire consequences if he told anybody about the incident. 

Andrew Bailey ascertained that the cottage was demolished in 1948 and residents according to the electoral roll were Frank Handford amd Mrs Margaret E. Handford. Oddly, new building work was being undertaken in 2008.

 

THS Notes:

 The quote of what was seen sounds very modern but you would expect this as peoples vocabulary changes over the years.  It is a pity that until the 1960s all files –whichever department- at the Air Ministry, MoD etc. were routinely destroyed to make more storage room for new paperwork.  Same applies to the police where the files were cleared every 5-6 years.

 

Sadly, we have only Mollie Tilley’s account but the fact is that it sounds true. This is a landing where three entities are seen to disembark, pick up some samples, re-enter the craft and it takes off –leaving ground traces.  No great claims. Had Mollie told the Aldworths that her uncle had been under siege and he discharged his shotguns but they had no affect it might be a little suspicious.

 

Conclusion: as only a single person passing along a report there has to be a question mark but it is still a very interesting account worth noting.

References

John Hanson, Haunted Skies vol. 1  pp.50-51

Andrew Bailey

Marilyn and Robert Aldworth, Birmingham UFO Society