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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

End of March 1931, Cannes-La-Bocca, Alpes-Maritime, France, Mr. Blanc:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

In the Alpes-Maritimes, France, in the end of March 1931, at 03:00 p.m., Mr. Blanc, a very well-known tradesman of Saint-Raphaël in the Var, drove a scheduled bus between Cannes and Saint-Raphaël. When he arrived at Cannes-La-Bocca, on the National Road N7, he saw a gray cloud streaming like a luminous cascade, on the road.

He used the brakes and stopped the bus, to avoid a collision with this cloud, and the lighted mass then appeared to tear open, and within less than 20 meters, a human form dressed of white with a blue belt appeared.

At some point this human form had raised the arms like beckoning the bus to stop, and the witness clearly distinguished that it had a human face with no face moves, a very tight white dress, a "square" veil on the head and the face. He could not see the feet.

As he was a convinced catholic believer and practitioner, he immediately interpreted the human form as similar to the statue of the Blessed Virgin in Lourdes.

This human form then made a side displacement on a trail which was like a prolongation of its "luminous dress."

Meanwhile, before or after, the gray cloud had moved away from the road, just above ground-level, then the human form went inside and "disappeared". The cloud then slowly rose in the sky, leaving a luminous trail equal to three times its length.

Now described as a large dark lens-shape, it flew to the direction of Nice, keeping its flat shape, and in a total silence.

The next day, the newspaper "L'Eclaireur de Nice", reporting something of this story, reported that the same day, 30 minutes later, but in Nice, other people saw an identical cloud on the ground and the same white entity with its blue belt was also seen. In the newspaper, the events were printed as appearances of the Blessed Virgin, or alleged appearances of the Blessed Virgin.

In a book, ufologists of the south of France said that the witness was lengthily interviewed 40 years after his encounter and had kept a very precise memory of the luminous entity, and that all his life, he remained convinced that he had seen the Blessed Virgin. I found no trace of an interview transcript neither any investigation report nor any further information.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. fg1:] FRANCOIS GARDES:

The author indicates that in March 1931, a bus driver which drove the shuttle between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes and arrived on a section of straight line of the Road RN 7 at Cannes-la-Bocca, saw a gray-white cloud, and slowed down to avoid a collision with it.

He then saw at some twenty meters in front of him a "human form, dressed in white, luminous, and having a blue belt." This form raised its two arms, and the driver thought that he was witnessing an apparition of the Blessed Virgin.

The entity then moved laterally, while the cloud which had been on the road was now a few tens of meters to the right of the road on the side of the sea and moved slowly.

The entity then reached this cloud, and disappeared from the sight inside it, then the cloud rose in the sky, leaving a luminous trail equal to three times its length.

The cloud is described as resembling a large lens. Three other people saw the departure of this cloud, without having all seen the entity.

[Ref. ez1:] ERIC ZURCHER:

The author indicates that at the end of March 1931, between Cannes and La Bocca (06), Mr. Blanc saw close to the road a "luminous cascade" tearing open, and the "holy-virgin" to appear. She measured 1.80 meters, her clothing was tightened, white, with a broad blue belt at the waist and a veil covered her head but not her eyes.

She advanced the arms towards the witness, then rose to the ground to melt into a "round cloud" which stationed in the vicinity, and which left silently and at high speed while taking an ovoid form.

The author indicates that the source is an investigation of Mr. Julien in the Bulletin of the ADEPS #13.

[Ref. jf1:] HENRI JULIEN ET MICHEL FIGUET:

The authors report that in Cannes, in the Alpes-Maritimes, in March 1931, Mr. B..., a very well-known tradesman of Saint-Raphaël in the Var, drove a bus to ensure the shuttle service between Cannes and Saint-Raphaël. When he arrived at Cannes-La-Bocca, on the National Road N7, he saw a gray cloud streaming like a luminous cascade, on the road.

He used the brakes and stopped the bus, to avoid a collision with this unforeseen obstacle, and the light mass then appeared to tear open, and within less than twenty meters, a human form dressed of white with a blue belt appeared.

This human form raised the arms like beckoning the bus to stop, and the witness clearly distinguished that it had a human face with no face moves, a very tight white dress, and a "square" veil on the head and the face.

He could not see the feet.

As he was a convinced catholic and practitioner, he immediately interpreted the human form with the statue of the Blessed Virgin Lourdes, who is said to be "similar."

This human form then made a side displacement on a trail which was like a prolongation of its "luminous dress."

The gray cloud moved away from the road, moving very slowly above ground-level without touching the ground, then the human form reached it and "disappeared" inside, and this cloud slowly rose in the sky, leaving a luminous trail equal to three times its length.

Like a large dark lens-shape, this cloud slipped by for Nice, keeping its flat shape and in a total silence.

The same day, other people saw, on the ground, an identical cloud and the same white entity with its blue belt.

The local newspaper "L'Eclaireur de Nice" published the story interpreted as appearances of the Blessed Virgin.

The authors indicate that Mr. B... was lengthily interviewed forty years after his encounter and that he had kept a very precise memory of the luminous entity. The authors think that he described in good faith the entity as an appearance of the Blessed Virgin, when this was really an "occurrence of the UFO phenomenon". They note that all his life, Mr. B... remained convinced that he had the privilege of a vision of the Blessed Virgin.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

The author indicates that in Cannes, in the Alpes Maritimes, France, in the end of March 1931, at 03:00 p.m., Mr. Blanc, driver of a streetcar, saw at 300 feet in front of him, beside the road, a sort of gray white luminous curtain, looking as if rain were falling behind it.

As the streetcar approached, he saw the luminous curtain part, and in the middle, a human form appeared, about 5.5 feet tall, which he took for an apparition of the Blessed Virgin.

This figure was wearing a veil on its head and a close fitting long white robe with a blue girdle, and had its hand held out in front.

After about 15 seconds, the figure rose up, and appeared to be sucked up into a lenticular shaped gray cloud; the cloud rose to 60 ft altitude and went off horizontally toward Nice at high speed, leaving a trail behind it.

The passengers on the streetcar saw only the cloud. The next day the Nice newspaper L'Eclaireur reported a similar apparition in Nice half an hour later.

Rosales indicates that his sources are Alain Gamard and Jean Luc Rivera.

[Ref. jg1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:

This author indicates that in Cannes-la-Bocca, Alpes-Maritimes, at the end of March 1931, at 03:00 p.m., Mr. Blanc, a merchant in Saint-Raphael, was shuttling a line of motor transport between Cannes and Saint-Raphael, when arriving at Cannes-la-Bocca, he saw on the road a gray cloud dripping like a "luminous waterfall."

He braked and stopped his vehicle, and then the mass of light seemed to tear apart, and, appeared within 20 meters, a human form measuring 1.80 m, dressed in white, with a wide blue belt at the waist and a veil covering the head but not the eyes.

The witness, a convinced Catholic, immediately thought of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin. The apparition advanced the arms towards the witness then rose from the ground to merge into a "round cloud" which was hovering nearby. This cloud left silently and at full speed taking an ovoid shape.

Julien Gonzalez points out that the same day, other witnesses saw on the ground an identical cloud and the same white entity with a blue belt. The local newspaper L'Eclaireur de Nice echoed it and spoke of apparitions of the Virgin.

Julien Gonzalez notes that the testimony of Mr. Blanc was collected 40 years after the event in an investigation conducted by Mr. Henri Julien. The witness remained convinced that he had received the special grace of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin.

He indicates that the sources are "U.F.O.-Informations, #13 (investigation of Mr. Henri Julien)", and "Michel Figuet and Henri Julien, Les OVNI en Provence, pages 58-59."

Points to consider:

The statue of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, about whom the witness indicates that the human shape he saw has similarities.

With a single anonymous witness, without any available primary sources, and in the absence of an investigation report or a transcription of the interview of the witness which is said to have taken place 40 years later, it seems hazardous to me to try to interpret the story; which evokes a figure said to be the Blessed Virgin, as well as a cloud having the traditional shape of a flying saucer, and a trail like a meteor.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Undetermined, Insufficient information.

Sources references:

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

• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper L'Eclaireur de Nice, of Nice, France, end of March 1931.
• [---] ? French ufologist Alain Gamard.
• [---] ? French ufologist Jean Luc Rivera.
• [fg1] * "Chasseurs d'OVNI", book by François Gardes, Albin Michel publisher, France, 1977.
• [---] ? Article by Henri Julien in the ufology bulletin Bulletin de l'ADEPS, France, #13.
• [ez1] * "Catalogue Inédit", case 005, compiled by Eric Zurcher, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), #195, page 27, May 1980.
• [jf1] * "OVNI en Provence", book by Henri Julien et Michel Figuet, Editions de Haute-Provence publisher, France, pp 58-59, 1993.
• [ar1] * "1930 - 1934 Humanoid Sighting Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa, 2002, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1930.shtml
• [jg1] * "RR3 - Le Dossier des Rencontres du Troisième Type en France", book by Julien Gonzalez, Le Temps Présent publishers, France, page 29, 2014.

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This page was last updated on August 8, 2018.