R is for Roswell!

I saw a UFO once. I'm not a great fan of UFOlogy and don't often tell the tale, there were about 60 of us, on our final 25-miler in basic training, we'd not been long dropped-off from the transport so about 2/2.30 AM, when we noticed a light which seemed to be in the cloud base, which was very low.

The light would move out to the horizon and back, then go off to the horizon again in another direction. It never seemed to change speed, even when turning 90º ('on a sixpence'), it never lost focus (never getting larger toward the horizon or smaller toward the apex - ruling-out a searchlight of some kind), it never seemed to brake the clouds it was enveloped in (never appearing brighter or dimmer) and it never disappeared (ruling-out a headlight climbing into and out-of the Welsh valleys).

After about 40 minutes or so of muttering and passing of the news up the line the Platoon Commander sent the NCO's back to tell us, "Yes, it's a UFO, no one will believe us, keep it to yourselves" and within the hour we'd all grown bored of watching it and tucked-in for the march, so never noticed if is disappeared of its own volition, or with the coming of the dawn?

Needless to say, I was telling the tale a few years later in Tea Break at a warehouse I was working in, when Reg James said "I believe you", I said "Thanks Reg" in a slightly patronising tone, as you would if you thought someone was patronising you! "No!" he said; "I really do believe you, I've heard the exact same story from one of your NCO's in the mess at Lichfield years ago!" We already knew we'd been in the same Division.

Turned out that after telling us all to keep schtüm, the NCO's had gone straight to their mess, had a couple of beers and blabbed the whole thing! Don'cha just hate middle-managers!

I don't think it was aliens, indeed the fact that it occurred over a busy MOD training area - Sennybridge (SENTA) - makes me sure that while it WAS an 'unidentified' object (in the sky), it contained no little green men, or 'Greys and Browns' as the UFOlogists call the types below.

Equally, as far as I know nothing has entered military service since (this occurred in November 1984) that might reproduce the effect, so it is either 'still in development' or something we are - to date - not permitted to know about...oooh! Conspiracy!...no, just realism and attempted explanation of the unexplainable.

I have a feeling the upper row (vinyl) of cartoony ones were a cereal give-away at some point in the mid-1990's early 2000's? The two to the bottom left (polyethylene) were larger capsule (gum-ball) novelties while the six greenies are current 'party favours' and while these are a complete set of all board-sports (from left to right, top to bottom: Roller Skates, Ice Skates, Snowboard? Surf Board, Skateboard and Skis), I have seen other sets of  six footballers, other ball-gamers and 'occupations', and in other colours - all in a soft polyvinyl 'jelly'.

OK guys, message passed, come and get me, I'm fed up with this stinky ball and its god-forsaken prime species anyway!