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SUMMERE 1916, COOKHAM DEAN, BERKSHIRE, U-K., A YOUNG GIRL:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

In 1936, the British literary weekly John o'Londons published several readers' letters about encounters with fairies.

A woman from Pulborough apparently reported that as a young girl, in the summer of 1916, in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, UK: Out picking blueberries (I can't think of a better way to encounter a fairy than in a blueberry patch), the woman was straining with the bush to get at harder to reach berries when the branches suddenly parted and something came out. It was a "lean, brown man, dressed in brown with pointed cap and scraggly beard." The being was solid from waist up, but "transparent" from waist down. As he ran away "like lightning", he entirely disappeared.

The woman did not want to be called a nut, so, unlike others, she just gave her initials.

In 1993 the story entered a Fortean article, and about 2004 it entered two ufology sources with a mispell of the location and samll distortions.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates that in "Cockham Dean" [sic], Berkshire, England, in the Summer of 1916, in daytime, "A young girl had been picking blackberries in a field and was startled to see a short thin human like figure, dressed in brown and wearing a pointed cap, dash out of one of the bushes. The being had a scraggly beard and appeared solid as far as the waist, but his legs were transparent and shadowy. The being quickly ran away disappearing from sight among the bushes."

Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "David Lazell, Fortean Times # 71".

[Ref. js1:] JEAN SIDER:

The author indicates that in the summer of 1916, by day in "Cockham Dean" [sic], Berkshire, England, a little girl picking blackberries in a field was particularly surprised when she saw a bush open wide and reveal a human being of brown skin, wearing brown clothes and a hat. The creature had a beard around his neck and looked strong, particularly at the chest, but his legs were vague and transparent. The creature fled at the speed of a lightning and disappeared completely. The girl, from the surprise, dropped her basket of berries, and quickly ran right at home.

Jean Sider says the source is Fortean Times, #71, 1993, p. 41, according to David Lazell, who cites the John o'London, 1936, magazine.

[Ref. bs1:] "THE BIG STUDY" BLOG:

Points to consider:

A partial glimpse on the article in the Fortean Times only allowed me to see that the author of the letter was "[...] a correspondant from Pulborough identified only by initials", who "told of her encounter during a blackberry-picking expedition at Cookham Dean in Berkshire during the summer of 1916. [...].

"John O'London's Weekly" was a weekly literary magazine published by George Newnes of London between 1919 and 1954. It was the leading literary magazine in the British Empire, at its height it had a circulation of 80,000, and it was popular among young and older readers alike. Its content featured contributions from both the best known literary names of the day as well as newer less well known writers.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Probable invention. Probable invention. Not related to UFOs or UFO occupants.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [---] ? "Cookham Dean An Account", published in the weekly literary magazine John o'London, U-K., 1936.
• [ft1] ? "Modern Fairy Tales", article by David Lazell, in the Fortean magazine Fortean Times, U-K.., #71, page 41, 1993.
• [---] ? "The Traveller's Guide To Fairy Sites: The Landscape And Folklore", book by Janet Bord, Gothic Image publishers, U-K., page 262, 2004.
• [ar1] * "1910 - 1919 Humanoid Sighting Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2004, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1910.shtml
• [js1] * "Les 'Extraterrestres' Avant les Soucoupes Volantes", book by Jean Sider, JMG publisher, France, page 215, 2007.
• [bs1] * "Faerie? : A small data-set indicating the possibility that folkloric entities or something very much like them could be real, Part Three", article on The Big Study blog, November 29, 2011, at thebiggeststudy.blogspot.fr/2011/11/faerie-small-data-set-indicating_29.html

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This page was last updated on March 12, 2013