Red rotating cylinder over the River Crouch, Hullbridge

What was reported

About a year after the conversation with Graham, Willsher's band were loading instruments outside the Smugglers, a Tudor pub on a rock shelf by the River Crouch, when he noticed a red light above the trees on the North Hullbridge bank. About 300 ft up hung a red, shiny, hard-looking metallic cylinder, blunt at both ends and without markings, rotating on its axis and glowing from its whole surface rather than from lamps; he later recalled a band or join at its midpoint with a white light and small white lights at each end. Someone spotted three or four small glowing spheres circling the cylinder, some clockwise, some anti-clockwise. The band, wives, girlfriends, the landlord and his wife, remaining customers and locals watched for over an hour in eerie total silence. No one thought to drive the 2.5 miles round via Battlesbridge, or dared.

What Hind made of it

Willsher's own report; he adds that others had seen things in that part of Essex before and that Canewdon church lies on a ley-line through Hullbridge and Hadleigh Castle.

In their words

• One thing I remember was the absolute silence which was quite eerie.

• This is the best I can recall.

Cross references

• Report on Underground Facilities (this issue)

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 21 (January 2000), spread 10-11