UFO Case Report:

County councillor reveals sighting of dome-shaped UFO in Cornwall, UK

Date: , 1965
Location: Karslake, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Joan Vincent, County and Restormel Borough Councillor, revealed that she and her husband Roy had observed a mystery craft late at night during 1965 in a then rural area. The matter remained "virtually a family secret" over the years because the couple feared that they would be ridiculed if they told their story. The UFO was "a large, dome-shaped object that looked as if it were made of glass," estimated to be 50-70 feet across and 30-40 feet high.

Mrs Vincent's drawing of the unidentified object. (Cornish Guardian)

Joan and Roy Vincent at the site of their close encounter. (Cornish Guardian)

Classification & Features

Type of Case/Report: PressReport
Hynek Classification: ND
Shape of Object(s): Disc
# of Witnesses: Multiple
Special Features/Characteristics: Portholes/Windows, Witness Sketch, Witness Photo

Full Report / Article

Source: Ian Shepherd, Cornish Guardian (Bodmin, England), Nov. 26, 1998

"Councillor reveals 30-year secret of a 'close encounter'"

by IAN SHEPHERD

A 33-year silence was broken this week when a leading figure in Cornwall spoke publicly about a close encounter with what she and her husband firmly believe was a flying saucer.

Joan Vincent, chairman of the County Planning Committee for nine years until last May and now a long-serving County and Restormel Borough Councillor, revealed that she and her husband Roy had observed the mystery craft late at night during 1965 in a then rural area between St Dennis and Carthew.

Both remain convinced that what they saw, in considerable detail, was from another world.

The matter remained "virtually a family secret" over the years because the couple feared that they would be ridiculed if they told their story.

"But it is now a much less taboo subject because of the number of such sightings," said Mrs Vincent. "There is now no reason for it to remain a secret."

She said that late one night in 1965, she and her husband Roy were driving past the hamlet of Karslake, deep in the china clay country, on their way home to Stenalees.

"We knew that students at Fowey College used to spend night-time vigils at what is now Caerloggas Downs and that they had reported seeing flying saucers there several times," said Mrs Vincent.

"We stopped to have a look at the sky ourselves. We had been sitting in the car for about 15 minutes when suddenly it was as if a light had been switched on outside. One minute it was dark, the next we could see for miles over the surrounding countryside. The light was brilliant and it was constant, not like lightning.

"About 50 yards away, in a field behind a hedge, we could see where it appeared to be coming from. It was a large, dome-shaped object that looked as if it were made of glass.

"Because of the hedge, we could not see all of its lower section closer to the ground, so neither of us know if it was hovering or resting on the grass.

"We could see inside the dome, where the light was coming from. There were big cabinets with dials on them. Below the dome, where the object was solid and a grey-green colour, there were portholes.

"We later estimated that what we could see must have been about 50 to 70 feet across and between 30 and 40 feet high, although we couldn't see the base because of the hedge.

"After about 30 seconds, I said to Roy, my husband 'My God, let's get out of here,' because I was quite shocked. We drove off and went straight home.

"As soon as we arrived, we agreed to go into separate rooms and draw what we had seen. When we compared the drawings they were virtually identical.

"We never told anyone apart from my mother and later my son, David, who was aged four at the time.

"My husband was an absolute sceptic about such things as flying saucers but we now both know that there really is something out there. We are glad we saw what we did together, because I don't think either of us would have believed the story if we hadn't been there."

The couple returned to the scene the following day but could find no clues to the sighting.

The field where Mr and Mrs Vincent saw the craft ceased to exist years ago when it became a spoil tip for nearby clay workings. And the road where they had stopped their car, prior to the strange encounter, has also been re-routed.

Case ID: 729 edit: 729

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for scientific, research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.