In a 1973 article, ufologist Jean Giraud reported that he and another ufologist met in 1972 by chance Jules Bouvier, a friendly 85-year-old man, a connoisseur of nature, while they were investigating the observations of "flying saucers" in the Creuse, in France.
They asked him if he did would know someone in the area who might have observed "flying saucers" or strange light phenomena, and Bouvier replied that he saw some, and that he even saw "Martians, yes, like I see you... but long ago, wait, I'll tell you."
"It was at the end of the season," apparently in 1906, "I was 18 at the time and I was an apprentice carpenter in Gouzon, I had just set a window on a domain of La Celle and I was coming home. I was hurrying because I had a good time talking to the farm girl... You know what it is, it was dark but the weather was clear, I was not thinking of the 'Martians', no, I was thinking more about the girl... Of course!"
About ten o'clock he hurried with light heart, when suddenly, as he reached the branch of the road leading to Manaly's estate, he was astounded at seeing a curious assembly of characters.
They were ten or twelve, sitting in a circle on the ground of the road. Bouvier passed 10 meters from them, and they all watched him pass in silence, those who turned his back at him turning their heads as he passed.
They sat without saying a word, without speaking among themselves, or else the witness would have heard them in the silence of the night. It was this silence that most frightened Bouvier, who hastened to pursue his travek without looking back.
He explained, "Understand me, if they were normal people, they would have said good night to me, nodded or waved... But they did nothing, I can assure you that I did not feel reassured."
The observation lasted about ten seconds. Bouvier could not detail the "individuals" but he was certain of the following:
They were all men, no women, of men sizes, neither too young nor too old. They all looked dressed in the same way, in a kind of gray uniform, neither too bright nor too dark. Near them, there was no light source, no fire, no object such as bag or packet and no vehicle.
However, he had the impression that the figures were sitting in a circle on or around a kind of large canvas or tablecloth laid on the ground.
Apart from the curious "impression" felt by the witness before these odd figures, nothing seemed to prove to the two investigators their "extraterrestrial" origin. They then remarked this to him, and interrupted them, he said:
"Yes, but afterwards, I saw the OTHER WHO WAS FLYING!"
Not at all reassured, Bouvier had moved away from the scene at a pace close to running. After having traveled a hundred meters, he suddenly saw a "flying Martian" appear at the edge of the trees, at the height of a 15-meter belltower. The being was going fast and passed virtually right above Bouvier's head.
It had the body lying horizontally and its head straightened forward "right in front of him, as if to see where he was going". The legs were elongated and joined. The arms were not visible but the being had in the back like two immobile wings similar to arms spread apart regarding their size.
The being passed at high speed and in silence, Bouvier only perceived a slight whistling of crumpled air.
Bouvier concluded: "And the funniest thing is that this 'flying Martian', I say 'Martian' but I do not know if he came from planet Mars, so this 'flying Martian', well, he dove straight on the spot where I had seen the others, which is what made me say that they all had to have some sort of appointment, but I did not try to find out more. I fled."
A few days later he had returned to the spot in broad daylight, and had not noticed anything abnormal, no suspicious traces such as those of a fire or a forgotten object. He often took the same route afterwards but he never saw anything there.
He said, "I never saw them again ... I would like to see them now, so I would come to them, I would talk to them, they would not hurt me, anyway, at my age, I do not risk much... But they could certainly tell me about interesting things, where they come from, how they fly?... But I never saw then again, THE OTHER, HE WAS NOT THE SAME."
The investigators indicated that at that time (1973), this testimony was about the earliest appearance of "Martians" on French soil, that it is a direct testimony and that the witness is still alive. They even visited him regularly, and he had the opportunity to tell them his story many times. All versions were absolutely identical. The witness did not "add" anything to make them happy, each time he presented the facts simply, not hesitating to confess that he had not paid attention to this or that detail or that simply, he could not remember.
The investigators insisted that it was not possible to doubt the testimony of Mr. Bouvier, an old man still fit and perfectly balanced.
| Case number: | URECAT-000935 |
|---|---|
| Date of event: | 1906 |
| Earliest report of event: | 1972 |
| Delay of report: | 66 years. |
| Witness reported via: | Not known. |
| First alleged record by: | Newspaper. |
| First certain record by: | Ufology book. |
| First alleged record type: | Newspaper. |
| First certain record type: | Ufology book. |
| This file created on: | October 1, 2017 |
| This file last updated on: | September 21, 2018 |
| Country of event: | France |
| State/Department: | Creuse |
| Type of location: | On a way. |
| Lighting conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | No |
| UFO arrival observed: | N/A |
| UFO departure observed: | N/A |
| UFO/Entity Relation: | None |
| Witnesses numbers: | 1 |
| Witnesses ages: | 18 |
| Witnesses types: | Young man, apprentice carpenter. |
| Photograph(s): | No. |
| Witnesses drawing: | No. |
| Witnesses-approved drawing: | No. |
| Number of entities: | 10 to 13 |
|---|---|
| Type of entities: | Humanoid or human |
| Entities height: | Normal |
| Entities outfit type: | Uniform |
| Entities outfit color: | Grey. |
| Entities skin color: | Not reported. |
| Entities body: | Not reported or nrmal, not too young not too old. |
| Entities head: | Not reported. |
| Entities eyes: | Not reported. |
| Entities mouth: | Not reported. |
| Entities nose: | Not reported. |
| Entities feet: | Not reported. |
| Entities arms: | Not reported. |
| Entities fingers: | Not reported. |
| Entities fingers number: | Not reported. |
| Entities hair: | Not reported. |
| Entities voice: | None. |
| Entities actions: | Sat on the road, one of them flies to the others. |
| Entities/witness interactions: | None. |
| Witness(es) reactions: | Observed, went. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Frightened. |
| Witness(es) interpretation: | Martians. |
| Explanation category: | Tall tales or extraterrestrial beings. |
| Explanation certainty: | None. |
[Ref. ja1:] JEAN GIRAUD:
SPOTLIGHT ON THE CREUSE (1)
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[Ref. ja2:] JAN D'AIGURE:
SPOTLIGHT ON THE CREUSE (2)
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[Ref. io1:] "INFO-OVNI":
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001 ../../1906 - 10 p.m. - LA CELLE-SOUS-GOUZON - Witness Jules B. As the witness reached the junction of the road leading to the Manaly estate, he discovered 10 or 12 characters sitting in a circle on the road floor. He passed 10 meters away from them and they looked at him in silence. It only lasted about ten seconds... "They were all men... neither too young nor too old... They all looked the same, in a sort of gray uniform..." The witness had scarcely traveled a hundred meters, when suddenly, a "flying Martian" appeared on the edge of the trees. The being was spinning fast and he passed him almost right over his head. He had his body lying horizontally and his head straightened forward (as if to see where he was going). The legs were elongated and joined, the arms were not visible, but the being had in the back like 2 motionless wings. The witness heard a faint hissing sound of wrinkled air. It dove on the place where the others were" (L.D.L.N. 129, Nov. 1973 (Plein Feux sur la Creuse). -4- The witness had numerous opportunities to tell Mr. GIRAUD his story. All the versions were absolutely identical, as well as those of these other observations which follow.- identical observations: 05/15/1877 (GREAT BRITAIN) |
[Ref. mb1:] MICHEL BOUGARD:
Michel Bougard provides the entire article on the case by Jean d'Aigure [ja1] and the reference thereof.
[Ref. ga1:] "G.A.B.R.I.E.L." UFOLOGY GROUP:
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Our Belgian colleague, J. G. Dohmen, unfortunately deceased now, had focused his efforts on the search for privileged routes (like BAVIC) on which the "Flying Saucers" would move. He thus pointed out a corridor from Brussels to Toulx Sainte Croix (Creuse). In the vicinity of this last village, he even noted a great number of observations at the "Pierres Jaunâtres" ["Yellowish Stones"], Ladapeyre, Domeyrat, Bette, La Courtisse... This region is only about thirty kilometers from Montluçon, where we live. The work of J. G Dohmen had made us want to go and see things a little closer. The site is wild and the dwellings very scattered. We investigated a large number of villages and hamlets, interviewing mayors, city councilors, parish priests, coffeeshop owners, peasants encountered at random... Investigation of 04/08/1972 and 08/08/1972 in Toulx Sainte Croix (23) Witness: Mr Jules B. 84-year-old. The "oldest" extraterrestrials of France. The observation dates back to one evening in the autumn of 1906. The witness, then 18-year-old, worked at Gouzon as a carpenter. He had just set a window at La Celle and returned to the town. He had lingered a bit because he had "talked a little with the maid of the estate, it was dark, but the darkness was not complete," the witness walked along the road to Gouzon when, arriving at an intersection, he was surprised to see seated in a circle on the ground of the new road, about ten or a dozen "Martians" who watched him pass in silence. They sat in a circle, facing each other, as around a table, "But there was no table. They were human beings, there were only "men" and no "women", all dressed in the same way... like a military thing..." They had no light, nothing was placed on the ground near them, no bags or packets and they had nothing on the back... "maybe there was like a big canvas spread out on the ground." The witness, not very reassured, passed without stopping about ten meters from them, the observation lasted no more than ten seconds, and no device (car or "flying saucer") was noticed. The "Martians" looked as talls as men, they were neither negroes nor Chinese. They were like men but they were not men... "- What makes you say that?" "- If they had been men, they would have spoken to me... They would have said something to me... Hello... I did not talk to them either, I was glad to leave... Now, if I saw them again, I would stop to speak to them... At my age... In any case, they would not hurt me... But at the time, I was frightened and I was glad not to stop... "- Yes, but it is not enough to say that they were "Martians"..." "- I say "Martian"... "Martians"... But they came perhaps from elsewhere, I do not know ... And then, there was the other who was flying to join them..." "- Did you see a flying "Martian"?" "- Yes... Yes... But not in the same place... A little further. All of a sudden, above the trees... High like the bell tower (15m) I saw a guy arrive with wings spread like that (the body horizontal and head raised). He was going towards the others, that's why I thought he was going to join them... That they all had an appointment... Anyway, they had to have an appointment, otherwise, he would not have known they were there..." "- How were his wings?" "- I said wings... Otherwise, how could he fly?... They were like arms apart... Attached to his back... No noise... No light." "- Were the wings flapping like those of a bird?" "- No... No, they were like that (motionless)... But he was going fast, yes, quickly." The witness In view of these facts, it is necessary to speak a little about the witness. Mr. Jules B. is an especially lucid old man. There is no lack of common sense or humor. He cites the facts simply, as He remembers them. He has been very marked, but he does not seek to embellish. For him, the facts he witnessed were "natural things." He has seen them because he is interested in the things of nature and travels at night. Other people see nothing because they have no right to see! He is glad to have seen this. He is a Christian, but sees no odor of sulphur, or the taste of holy water. Our personal impression was totally favorable. The witness repeated his story several times at intervals. He answered all our questions (including trap questions). When he did not know, he simply admitted his ignorance, but his testimony never varied. Such stories are not invented. In 1906, there was no flying saucer psychosis and this testimony is the oldest investigated on the French territory. It fits perfectly in line with the American testimonies of the same period that all state for extraterrestrial beings with human form (type A H). The second part of the narrative is confirmed by a series of testimonies reported by J. Vallée in "Chronique des Apparitions Extraterres", for example. |
[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The authors indicate that the first close encounter of the 3rd kind in France took place in 1906 at 10 p.m. in La-Celle-sous-Gouzon.
Jules B., aged 18, deceased in 1977, arrived at the junction of the way leading to the domain of Manaly when he discovered ten or twelve characters sitting in a round on the ground of the way. He passed within ten meters of them and they looked at him in silence.
It lasted only ten seconds.
Jules B is quoted saying:
"They were all men... Not too young amd not too old. They appeared all dressed the same, in a kind of gray uniform."
Jules B. walked a hundred meters when he saw emerging suddenly at the level of the tree tops a flying being which slipped by very fast and passed above his head. It had the body lengthened horizontally and the head straighened forwards as if to see where it was going, the legs were elongated and joined, the arms were not visible, there was on his back like two motionless wings.
The being dove towards the place where the other characters were, and the witness heard a gentle whistling of ruffled air.
In 1930 in Touls-Sainte-Croix, Jules B. saw a small being slipping on the ground.
The authors indicate that the sources are L.D.L.N. N.129, "Pleins feux sur la Creuse", "Catalogue général des manifestations d'OVNIS en Creuse" by M. Giraud et M. Catinat; and Michel Bougard in "Chronique des OVNI", 200-201.
[Ref. fd1:] FREDERIC DUMERCHAT:
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Frédéric Dumerchat Going by Alsace. Note on the interest of folkloreJean d'Aigure had made the connection with the popular traditions in "Plein Feux sur la Creuse" (11), while making contact with Jules Bouvier of Toulx-Sainte-Croix, Canton of Boussac, witness of appearances, in 1906 and 1930, which he interpreted in terms of "Martians" (13). He observed also thereafter on several occasions, starting in 1940, luminous spheres (14). J. d'Aigure commented on: "Currently, this testimony relates to the oldest appearance of "Martians" on the French ground". (15) Stubborn, the ufologists thus hastened to join to their catalogues (16) a floating goblin at near ground level then suddenly disappearing (17), and a strange gathering of beings held at a junction, towards which seemed to move a flying being (18), but the crossroads are often developed in the legends as places of gathering for the fairies, imps, especially the devils, ghosts or wizards (Sabbath). (19). What can be reproached to them, and this case has value of example, is not that they used these stories, but that they did not to recognize their specificity; to want to absolutely interpret it as extraterrestrials or ufonauts, whereas it is possible to understand them only in connection with beliefs. (11) LDLN, #129 to 132, November 1973 February 1974. |
[Ref. mf1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
Annual numbers of CE3 cases in France[...] 1906 = 1 [...] |
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist provides the version of this case by Michel Bougard [mb1], given as source along with "LDLN #129, Nov. 1973, p.24 ref.182".
[Ref. js1:] JEAN SIDER:
The author indicates that the witness Jules B. was met by chance when he was 85-year-old by Jean Giraud, aka "Jean d'Aigure", in 1973. The witness died in January 1977.
He told Giraud that in 1906 at 10:00 p.m., in La Celle-sous-Gouzon, Creuse, France, when he was 18 years old, "at the end of the season, I was an apprentice carpenter in Gouzon. I had just posed a window at a domain of La Celle and I was going home. I hurried for I had remained a good while to chat with the farm girl. It was black dark but the weather was fine."
When he arrived at the junction of the way which leads to the domain of Manaly, he discovered with amazement a gathering of ten or twelve weird characters sitting in round on the very the ground of the way. The witness was within ten meters of them. The individuals looked at him in silence, and those who had their back at him are turned over when he passed by. They were there without speaking between themselves, for if they had, the witness would have heard them in the silence of the night. It is this situation which frightened the witness the most, therefore he hastened to continue his travel without looking back. The observation had lasted only ten seconds.
The sitting characters are described as being all men neither very young neither very old, and appearing all dressed in a kind of gray uniform, neither too light-colored nor too dark. There was no object close to them, no bags, mo packages, no vehicle, no campfire. But they had in a cricle around a kind of fabric or tablecloth posed on the ground.
The witness, not reassured, moved away almost running, crossed a hundred meters, when suddenly he saw emerging at the height of the tree tops, a "flying Martian", who slipped by fast and just exceeds the witness above his head. He was in horizontal position, the head straight forwards "as if to see where he was going to", his legs were lengthened and joined, his arms were not visible, but he had two small fixed wings which could have been the arms. He passed at sharp pace and in silence, except a possible gentle noise of whistling ruffled air. He dove right towards the place where the group seen earlier was. The witness did not try to learn more and rushed directly home.
Thereafter, the witness passed by the same place again several times, but he never saw again the puzzloong display and did not discover any trace left by these strange individuals.
Jean Sider indicates that the source is "LDLN n° 129, pp. 24-25, November 1973" and notes that the witness is also the witness of the case of 1931, in Toulx-Ste. Croix.
[Ref. pr1:] PETER ROGERSON:
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1906 - 2200 hrs LA CELLE-SOUS-GOUZON (CREUSE : FRANCE) Returning home from work, an apprentice joiner Mr M. B. saw 10-12 men "neither very young nor very old" sat silently in a circle on the road. As the witness walked away he saw a being flying in a horizontal position, his legs joined together, arms not visible and appearing to have motionless wings on his back pass over his head noiselessly at great speed. Alain Gamard citing LDLN 129 p24 +LDLN 130 p14 |
[Ref. jg1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:
This author indicates that at La Celle-sous-Gouzon, in the Creuse, in France, in 1906 at 10:00 p.m., when the witness reached the branch of the road that leads to the Manaly estate, he discovered ten or twelve "characters" sitting in a circle on the road ground. He was ten meters away from them and they watched him in silence, which lasted only ten seconds.
"They were all men... Neither too young nor too old, they all looked dressed in the same way, in a kind of gray uniform."
The witness had scarcely crossed a hundred yards when he saw a flying creature emerge from the tree tops. The being was going very fast and passed practically over the witness' head. He had the body lying horizontally, and the head was straightened forward as if to see where he was going. His legs were elongated and joined, his arms were not visible but on his back were like two motionless wings, and he dove to the place where the others were. The witness heard a slight whistle of crumpled air.
The author reminds us that in 1930 in Toulx-Sainte-Croix, the same witness saw a small being "slide on the ground."
He gives as sources "Lumières Dans La Nuit" #129 with the article "Plein feux sur la Creuse", INFO-UFO Special "Trois quarts de siècles d'observations creusoises" by MM. Giraud and Catinat, and Michel Bougard in "Chronique des OVNIS", pages 201-201.
Despite all the indications of credibility the investigators gave, it should be considered that this is all a single witness report without any evidence, so that it would not be reasonable to claim it must be true. I just do not know...
It is certainly one of the oddest stories in this category.
Against its credibility: the witness claimed a second encounter and 1930, and UFO sightings after 1940.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ufology | Severe | October 1, 2017 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing details in the descriptions of the figures. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 2 | Ufology | Severe | October 1, 2017 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | "Repeater" witness. | - | - |
Tall tales or extraterrestrial beings.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | October 1, 2017 | Creation, [ja1], [ja2], [mb1], [ga1], [fr1], [fd1], [mf1], [go1], [js1], [pr1], [jg1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 1, 2017 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | September 21. 2018 | Addition [io1]. |
