The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 14-Oct-54-Tresques.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Provençal for October 17, 1954, reported on page 9 via their press correspondent that "Thursday", so on October 14, 1954, at 05:30 p.m., Mr. Yves Payan, who was plowing his field, Saint-Martin district, Tresques, the Gard department, was surprised to see pass above him at low altitude "a craft of intense brightness, leaving a dazzling trail and making no noise. It was moving at a vertiginous speed from west to east, he alerted Mr. Teissier Raoul who was hinting and both followed the move until complete disappearance towards the east."
In 1979, the "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker claimed to have investigated; which investigation resulted in nothing more than saying that whereas the Press spoke of a "craft", it was a "very fast sphere of fire, very luminous". They gave the hour as 05:45 p.m., and do not mention the trail.
Then, in 1979 too, ufologists Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon gave the explanation: all the observations of 6 p.m. that day were obviously of an object at very high altitude, seen simultaneously from very distant places; which was probably a big meteor according to the descriptions.
One finds the case summarized on the Web, but without the explanation, even though Figuet and Ruchon are cited as the source!
[Ref. lpl1:] NEWSPAPER "LE PROVENCAL":
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Near la Tour-d'Aigues
The Vaucluse
Looking up, I saw in the sky a disc from 6 to 7 meters provided with a kind of tail of several meters. Having gone in all haste at the place where it had seemed to me that the strange machine had landed, I did not find anything."
And M. Reynier adds: "I acknowledge that I was a little afraid; as for my son, he was sick with it."
This testimony was confirmed by several people who saw the object from different places.
Valence (C.P.)
Thursday night a little after 6 p.m., Mr. Jean Gabert, agent of the principal receipt of Valence, returned by car with his young woman, from Saint-Perey when before Grange-les-Valence, they saw at a low height a ball of fire which followed the valley of the Rhone. They both had the impression that the machine flew over Valence. It was a ball of green color with a tail that ended in yellow color. Mr. and Mrs. Gabert saw it well during a few seconds. Then suddenly the unknown object disappeared.
Tresques (C.P.)
Thursday, at 05:30 p.m., Mr. Payan Yves, who was plowing his field, Saint Martin district, had the surprise to see passing above him at low altitude a machine of an intense luminosity, leaving a dazzling trail and not making any noise. The object moved at a vertiginous speed from West to East. He alerted Mr. Teissier Raoul who was hunting and both followed its flight until complete disappearance in direction of the east.
Carpentras (C.P.)
Thursday evening, around 6 p.m., several people saw from the district of Peyguière, a machine which crossed the sky west of Carpentras. It had the shape of a cigar, shone, and appeared to drop sparks behind.
Fuveau (C.P.)
Thursday, October 14, at 6:10 p.m., on the ground of basket-ball of "Trente-Gouttes", Mr. Martin, schoolteacher in Fuveau, initiated his pupils and alumni to basket-ball when, in the middle of the meeting, he saw in the sky a luminous machine of lengthened form, whose color reminded that of the glow-worms. The appearance lasted 3 to 4 seconds. According to the distance, the observer thinks that the machine was moving at high speed to fly over Peynier while moving towards Rousset; besides he described a trajectory which disappeared behind the village's bell-tower. This kind of rocket left behind a short luminous sparkling trail.
The pupils who surrounded their teacher also saw for a short moment this "phenomenon".
Perpignan (A.F.P.).
M. Damien Siguères 56 years old, retired customs officer, stated to have seen on the road, close to his home, in the suburbs of Perpignan, a large red sphere. A tall man came out of it, dressed like a diver. Having made a tour of his apparatus, the "diver" went back inside hurriedly while Mr. Siguères' two dogs were rushing towards him.
The machine then rose without noise and disappeared at an extraordinary speed.
Mr. Siguères was then at about thirty meters of the machine, of which no trace was found on the ground.
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors note this case of October 14, 1954:
"Tresques - 30 - towards 05:45 p.m.: investigation. Very fast sphere of fire, very luminous. The press spoke about a craft (?)."
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 14, 1954 at 05:30 p.m., in Tresques in the department of the Gard, two people observed a machine of an intense luminosity leaving a dazzling trail.
The authors note that all the observations at 6 p.m. that day obviously refer to an object at very high altitude, seen simultaneously from very distant places, which is probably a large meteor according to descriptions.
The authors indicate as source Le Provençal for October 17, 1954.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4108: 1954/10/14 17:30 1 4:36:00 E 44:06:00 N 3333 WEU FRN GRD 4:7
TRESQUES,GARD,FR:2 OBS:INTENSELY BRITE UFO LVS GLOWING TRAIL/AIR:NO DESCRIPT
Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 166 : MOUNTAINS
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Gard in Tresques on October 14, 1954 at 17:30 hours, "Two people observe a craft of an intense luminosity leaving a dazzling trail."
The source is noted: "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
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Probably the 6:13 p.m. meteor of that day.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Tresques, Gard, luminous, trail, Yves Payan, Raoul Teissier, farmer, low, craft, fast, intense, dazzling, silent, multiple
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | 8 mai 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 8, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | October 17, 2016 | Addition [lpl1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | July 17, 2019 | Additions [lhh1], Summary. |
