The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 3-Nov-54-Bayonne.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The newspaper Le Journal de Biarritz et de la Côte Basque of November 4, 1954, reported that a "luminous projectile" had been seen in the sky over Bayonne the previous evening, November 3, 1954, around 8:10 p.m., by three residents: Mr. Pommadère, former municipal councilor, Mr. Belin, insurance agent, and Mr. Sorin, police inspector.
The three men were leaving the Secretariat of Aviron Bayonnais when they saw, "far off in the distance, at the height of the 4th floor of the Perroquet building," a luminous, elongated object diving at breakneck speed toward the ground. Then, in a burst of sparks, the object disappeared.
Other people who were present - Messrs. Delzangles, Estines, Cazaux, and one or more journalists of the newspaper - were struck by the consistency of the details immediately provided by Messrs. Pommadère, Belin, and Sorin.
The newspaper refused to "assign any particular name to this phenomenon, the behavior of which, according to the three witnesses, was somewhat similar to that of a "firework rocket," though infinitely faster."
The newspaper added at the last moment that three other people had seen the same thing from Beau-Rivage. Messrs. and Miss de Mora came to inform them that they had seen, the previous evening around 8:15 p.m., above the sea, "a huge ball of fire, absolutely silent, very bright, with a sort of tail that streaked the sky with a green glow and vanished at dizzying speed toward the west."
These witnesses compared it to "a massive anti-aircraft rocket," which had "lit up a wide area."
[Ref. jbz1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DE BIARRITZ":
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This is not a hoax, nor an easy joke at a time when cigars, saucers, and other flying craft crisscross the sky.
The fact, stated bluntly, is as follows: three residents of Bayonne saw last night, around 8:10 p.m., a luminous projectile, elongated in shape, cross the sky and suddenly disappear in a burst of light.
These three Bayonnais, Mr. Pommadère, former city councilor, Mr. Belin, insurance agent, and Mr. Sorin, police inspector, were leaving the Secretariat of the Aviron Bayonnais when they saw, far off in the sky, at the height of the 4th floor of the Perroquet building, a luminous, elongated object diving at dizzying speed toward the ground. Then, in a shower of sparks, the object disappeared. It was 8:10 p.m.
Other people were also present - Mr. Delzangles, Estines, Cazaux, and ourselves - who could not help but be struck by the concordance of the details immediately provided by Messrs. Pommadère, Belin, and Sorin.
We will not go so far as to give any particular name to this phenomenon, whose behavior, according to the three witnesses, was somewhat similar to that of a "firework rocket," though infinitely faster.
It would, however, be interesting to know if other people, last night in Bayonne or in the region, observed this phenomenon. The credibility of the three witnesses, whom we know personally, cannot be questioned, as we ourselves witnessed their immediate and consistent reaction. And even if this is nothing more than a perfectly natural celestial phenomenon, the matter still deserves to be reported and, if possible, explained.
J.B.
As we were about to go to press, three residents of Biarritz, Mr. and Miss de Mora, came to inform us that last night, around 8:15 p.m., while they were at Beau-Rivage, they saw above the sea a huge ball of fire with a kind of tail that streaked the sky with a green glow and disappeared at dizzying speed toward the west.
This incandescent globe, absolutely silent but very bright, had the appearance of an immense anti-aircraft rocket. The sky was lit up over a large area.
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Obvious description of a meteor.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pommadère, municipal councilor, Belin, insurance agent, Sorin, police inspector, ball, fire, trail, rocket, burst, sparks, globe, fast, firework, green, huge
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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1.0 | Patrick Gross | August 28, 2025 | First published, [jbz1]. |