The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 11-Oct-54-Elliant.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Havre for October 13, 1954 reported from Quimper this observation of October 11, 1954:
Mr. Correntin Couarch, 58, a farm worker living in Elliant, saw in the sky, 200 meters above sea level, "a luminous machine of which he cannot specify the form or the size."
He said that, scared, he had turned off his bicycle light so as not to attract attention and had moved away quickly. At one kilometer, he said, he had looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
The newspaper La Liberté du Morbihan gave a more dramatic version by claiming that the light had approached the witness.
[Ref. lhe1:] NEWSPAPER "LE HAVRE":
|
(4) Continued from the first page
above Machault a circular craft emitting a fairly bright light, of orange color. The disc, which was about the diameter of a full moon, was moving at relatively slow pace, crossing the sky horizontally.
MELUN. -- Mr. Demarchy, butcher in Seine-Port, and one of his friends, who were traveling by car in Nandy, reported seeing a luminous disc flying at an altitude of about 800 meters. The two butchers left their car and followed the evolution of the craft for about a minute.
QUIMPER. -- Mr. Correntin Couarch, 58-year-old, resident of the village of Elliant (the Finistère), farm worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters above sea level, a luminous craft which he can not specify the shape and size. He said that, frightened, he had turned off the lantern of his bicycle to avoid attracting attention and walked away quickly. At one kilometer, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
TOULOUSE. -- In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli saw, landed in a street of this village a cigar-shaped object about two feet long, surrounded by iridescent glow.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the fast departure of the craft.
Elsewhere, three young hunters yesterday saw the moves above Gaillac (Aveyron), at high altitude, of a cigar-shaped object in the sky which followed a series of large "S". Each course was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft disappeared suddenly towards the North.
Lastly, in Pont-de-Salars (Aveyron), a person saw in the sky, toward the Couhant, a disc surrounded by a wide luminous circle of an unsustainable shine. Slowly descended toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
RIOM. -- During the last night, the police officers Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, of the Riom urban squad, who were on patrol saw in the sky a cigar-shaped craft that was heading from South to North. Three balls of red fire detached and illuminated for a few moments a part of the sky. The cigar was of a metallic appearance, similar to duralumin.
NANCY. -- During the night from Sunday to Monday, the residents of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village of Moncourt (the Meurthe-et-Moselle), have been excited by an abnormal whistling sound outside. Through the shutters, they distinguished a blinding light that seemed set on a hillside and disappeared soon after by rising vertically. This afternoon, the research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses discovered on a dirt road, traces of intense burn. Samples of rock and dirt were taken to be submitted to experts.
LA ROCHELLE. -- A colonial teacher currently on vacation in the Oléron Island, Mr. Martin, claims to have met two lovely Martian, measuring about 1 m. 70, booted, gloved and helmeted of leather. Both Martians seized Mr. Martin's pend and traced incomprehensible signs in his notebook while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin reportedly carefully kept this manuscript.
[Ref. ner1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-ECLAIR":
|
During the Metz fair-exhibition, the army stand installed a radar device and a powerful projector for visitors; which works non-stop after dark. Sunday, around 8:10 p.m., the projector spotted, in its beam, the presence of a motionless globe in the sky: "It looked like a Christmas tree ball," said the head of the radar station, Commander Cotel, who was soon surrounded by fifteen military specialists.
It was first believed that it was a sounding balloon, then all kinds of assumptions were made. The servants of the projector, at first incredulous, cleaned the windows then even changed the coals of the device. But immediately when turned on again, the projector found the luminous globe whose altitude was evaluated at more than 10,000 meters. This globe had a diameter of 50 meters and remained visible for three hours. It was impossible, on radar, to detect the mysterious craft, since it was not sensitive to metallic waves. Finally, at 11:00 p.m., the strange globe moved east and disappeared. The General Governor of Metz asked Commander Cottel for a full report.
Near Albi, a technical agent from a company exhibiting in the Household Arts of Toulouse, Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, returned to his home at the end of the working day. Suddenly, he saw in the beam of his headlights, and the two parents who accompanied him also affirm it, little figures crossing the road. He stopped immediately and saw a large red disc with a diameter of about six meters rising vertically from a neighboring meadow.
A colonial teacher on leave on the island of Oléron does not hesitate to associate his name with an incredible adventure. Mr. Martin was walking on the island when he encountered pretty "Martian" girls, measuring about 1.70 m., booted, gloved and with leather helmets. The two "Martians" grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, trying to make themselves understood.
The teacher keeps the manuscript preciously.
At Riom, peacekeepers who were doing a round saw in the sky a cigar going up to the north. Three fireballs detached themselves and lit up part of the sky for a few moments. Similar phenomena were seen in Bompas, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in Quimper (Finistère), in Limoges, in Fontainebleau, in Melun and Mulhouse while in Moncourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) the inhabitants of a farm were dazzled by a blinding light passing through their shutters. The light disappeared vertically.
[Ref. lmn1:] NEWSPAPER "LA LIBERTE DU MORBIHAN":
October 11, 1954
A FRIGHTENED FARMER
Near Elliant, a 58 years old farmer was frightened by a strange object which flew to some 200 meters of the ground and which suddenly went down and approached him.
Note: on the photocopy of the article of this newspaper which was given to me by a colleague ufologist, vis-a-vis the word "approached," which was underlined by handwriting, appears the handwritten note "!? NO" doubly underlined.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
|
Riom, 12. -- During the night from Sunday to Monday, the peacekeepers Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, of Riom's urban corps, who were doing a round, saw in the sky a cigar-shaped craft which went from South to North. Three balls of red light detached from it and illuminated for a few moments part of the sky. The cigar was metallic in appearance, similar to duralumin.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Jules Lefranc, a bank employee living in Paris, saw in the sky, near the François de Tessart stadium in Meaux, for about three minutes, an object brightly lit from the inside which, he stated, had the shape of a small soccer ball. The object disappeared, leaving behind, said the witness, a luminous trail the size of a stove pipe.
Residents of Trilport reportedly saw an identical stationary apparatus.
Limoges, 12. -- In Saillat-sur-Vienne, Sunday evening at dusk, Mr. Roger Gayout, transporter at Limoges, his wife and relatives saw in the sky a very brilliant mysterious machine which, after having moved for a few minutes, seemed to land a few kilometers further.
Nancy, 12. -- In the night from Sunday to Monday, inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village de Moncours (Meurthe-et-Moselle), were stirred by an abnormal whistling sound, through the shutters they distinguished a blinding glow which seemed fixed on the side of a hill and which disappeared shortly after while rising vertically. In the afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses revealed traces of intense calcination on a dirt road. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Demarcy, a butcher at Seine-Port, and one of his friends, who were traveling by car in Nandy, said they saw a luminous disc moving at an altitude of around 800 meters. The two butchers got out of their car and followed the move of the craft for about a minute.
Mulhouse, 12. -- Having seen a light in a pasture on Sunday evening, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, 22 and 18 years old, approached thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a machine about 2 meters high. At their approach, the barrel-shaped object, turned to glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was seen by two other people.
Quimper, 12. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 38 years old, living in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters above sea level, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. He said that in fright he had turned off the lantern of his bicycle so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. At 1 km, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse, 12. -- In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw, posed in a street in this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by iridescent lights.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the apparatus.
Also, three young hunters saw moving yesterday above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude, an object in the shape of a cigar which described in the sky a series of large "S". Each maneuver was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the North.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw last night u the sky, towards the sunset location, a disc surrounded of a large luminous circle with an unbearable brightness. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Melun, 12. -- A resident of Fontainebleau said he saw above Machault, a circular craft emitting a fairly bright glow, orange in color. The disc, which was about the diameter of a full moon, was moving at a fairly slow pace, crossing the sky horizontally.
La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have met on the island of Oléron two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1 m. 70, in boots, gloves and leather helmets. The two Martians took hold of Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have taken great care of this manuscript.
The "Martians" (broad shouldered) repair on the spot and take back the air
Munster, 12. -- Mr. Hoge, a film operator, was near Münster (Westphalia) when he saw in a field four "men" in rubber suits who were busy under an object in the shape of cigar. Mr. Hoge watched them work for ten minutes, without approaching, and, finally, the four men entered by a sort of ladder into the cigar which, after taking off, took the form of a saucer projecting a dazzling light.
The four "men" whose height was about 1.20 m. had, according to Mr. Hoge, a rather large torso, a head proportionally too large for their body and slender legs.
Three children from Pournoy-la-Chétive, near Verny (Moselle) claim that they saw a saucer and its passenger. They told their story to their parents, repeated it to the teacher, and confirmed it to the Mayor. All three were roller-skating on Friday afternoon near the cemetery. There was Gilbert Calba, 12 years old; Daniel Hirsch, 9, and his brother Jean-Pierre, 5.
"At around [?]:30, said Gilbert, we saw a luminous and round machine landing, about 2.30 meters in diameter. The craft landed very close to us. It had yellow and white stripes and landed on three feet.
"Soon a man came out, holding an electric lamp in his hand.
"He was very small (about 1.20 m), had large eyes, a hairy face and wore a sort of black cassock like the priest. The man came to speak to us in incomprehensible language and we fled, frightened.
"We looked back a little further. The very bright object rose very high and very quickly in the sky."
This story is partially confirmed by another resident of Pournoy-la-Chétive, Robert Maguin, 16, who said he also saw around the same time a mysterious machine, but he was not close enough to distinguish the details.
Albi, 12. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" of Toulouse, claims to have met, at nightfall, on the National Road Nr 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two relatives, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diameter of six meters. Climbing vertically, the craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
[Ref. jpc1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
|
La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have encountered on the island two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1.70 m., booted, gloved and with leather helmets.
The two Martians grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have treasured this manuscript.
Albi. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" in Toulouse, stated having met the passengers of a flying saucer at nightfall on national road 631.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two parents, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diame-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
[Photo caption:] This photographer, installed on the roof of a Parisian building, armed with a telephoto lens, a pair of spotting scopes and a lot of patience, does he hope to photograph a flying saucer, a "cigar" or simply... the moon? Obviously the last objective is the easiest, but is it not currently the most ambitious dream of all image hunters. An authentic photo of the famous "saucer" or of a Martian, well, this is glory and fortune. (Keystone)
|
ter of about 4 meters, rising vertically. The object disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
Nancy. -- The inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village of Moncourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) were disturned by an abnormal whistling sound. Through the shutters, they saw a blinding glow which seemed to be fixed on the hillside and which disappeared soon after, rising vertically.
This afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses, revealed, on a dirt road, traces of intense calcination. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Quimper. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 58, domiciled in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters of height, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. Frightened, he put out his bicycle's light so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. 1 kilometer away, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse. -- A baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw an object in the shape of a cigar about two meters in length, surrounded by an iridescent glow.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the craft.
Also, three young hunters saw moving above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude an object shaped like a cigar which flew in the sky in a series of big "S".
Each evolution was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the north.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw in the sky, towards sunset, a disc surrounded by a large luminous circle with unbearable shine. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Mulhouse. -- Having seen a light in a pasture, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 22 and 18, approach thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a craft about 2 meters high. As they approached, the barrel-shaped object turned glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
|
About October 11 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
night: Elliant (Finistère):craft;lumin.sph. on the ground
[... other cases...]
[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:
|
[... other cases...]
October 11, 1954 (about): Elliant ( 7 km ISL in the NW of Resporden--Finistère):(ESPI on the ground)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 296 | 003.89258 | 47.99250 | 11 | 10 | 1954 | ELLIANT-FINISTERE | F | 001 | I |
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 11, 1954, close to Elliant in the Finistère, a 58 year old farmer saw a strange object flying to some 200 meters of altitude. Frightened, he fled. At approximately a kilometer of the scene, he looked back and saw that the object came towards him, very close to the ground. He was unable to give an estimate of the size or a description of the shape.
[Ref. jbc1:] JEAN-FRANCOIS BOEDEC:
Observation d'un objet sphérique au sol.
QUIMPER. Mr. Corentin Couard, aged 58, resident of the borough of Elliant (Finistère), farm laborer, saw in the sky, with 200 meters of altitude, a luminous machine of which he can specify neither the shape nor the size. He was frightened and turned off the headlight of his bicycle, in order not to draw the attention, and he moved away quickly. At one kilometer from there, he turned round and stated to have seen light stopped at the level of the ground.
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 11, 1954 at an unknown time, in Elliant in the department of Finistère, a farmer observed a strange object evolving at 200 meters of altitude.
The witness was unable to give a description of his observation. He specified that when he turned over he saw the object coming towards him very close to the ground.
The source is given as Le Figaro for 10/13/1954.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4056: 1954/10/11 00:00 1 3:53:40 W 47:59:40 N 3331 WEU FRN FNS 7:6
ELLIANT,FNS,FR:FARMER CANT DESCRIBE UFO:FROM 200M ALT COMES VERY CLOSE TO GND
Ref# 67 BOWEN,Charles (ed.) The HUMANOIDS. Page No. 41 : PASTURE
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Finistère, in Elliant, on October 11, 1954, at an unknown hour, a farmer observed a strange object evolving at two hundred meters of altitude, and that he was unable to give a description of his observation, ensuring that when looking back he saw the object coming towards him very close to the ground.
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre publisher 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on October 11, 1954, in "Elliantbourg", France, an object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One object was observed by one witness, a farmer, in a pasture.
The sources are indicated as: "Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500, (in JVallee01); Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002."
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 5 times instead of one:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Elliantbourg | France | |||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Elliantbourg | France | CE II | ||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Elliantbourg | France | CE II | ||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Elliant | France | |||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Elliant | France |
[Ref. voi1:] "ARCHIVES VIGIE OVNI 29":
Elliant ( 29 370 ), 11 October 1954 ...
Testimony nr. FR 29 370 1954 10 11 .. ..
Available documents:
|
Elliant is at about 16 kilometers of the city of Quimper.
The information is too meager for any solid explanation.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Elliant, Finistère, Corentin Couard, peasant, farmer, craft, object, phenomenon, light, ground
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | December 21, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 16, 2008 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Addition [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 28, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | September 21, 2014 | Addition [lhe1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | February 7, 2017 | Additions [ubk1], [voi1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | April 6, 2019 | Addition [lhh1], Summary. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | February 22, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | June 16, 2020 | Addition [ner1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2020 | Addition [jpc1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | May 2, 2022 | Additions [gqy1], [gqy2]. |
