UFOs in the daily Press:

CAUDRY

This time, "the thing from another world"
had the elongated shape of a spinning top

Matching statements from three workers who saw it
while they were going to their work
in the first hours of the morning

We have no intention of making our readers "take bladders for lanterns." We just report facts which were told to us in all simplicity by eyewitnesses from whom we had to tear the words out of their mouths, so little did they seem concerned that their names be publicized.

"Ah, above all, please, they told us in turn, do not talk about us in the press: we do not want the village take us for crazy people or jokers."

Nevertheless, by use of patience, this great virtue of journalists, we obtained details which can be summarized as follows:

Mr. François R. (who fiercely refused to have his name published), aged 40, living in Saint-Hilaire, but working in Caudry, told us: "It was around 6:50 a.m. I was riding a motorbike on the Quiévy road to go to my work in Caudry. I had just passed my comrades Emile, from St-Hilaire, and, before him, his team-mate, Victor, from Quiévy, who, they, were on bicycles. Shortly before arriving at the little chapel and the Drond farm, I felt a little rain wet my face. I then looked up to check the sky and see wether it was necessary to put on my raincoat. It was then that I saw in the sky "something" in the shape of one of those musical tops that we give as toys to children. This "something", of a very bright coral pink, could have been about two meters in length and trailed in its wake a white light all fringed and dazzlingly clear, as large as a clock face, which I could quite well compare to the glow produced by an oxygen welding torch or to that caused by the touching of two coals in a movie projector. Above all, don't tell me that I saw a flying saucer. I'm just telling you what I saw and nothing more."

Answering our questions, he specified that the "something" followed approximately National Road 30 from west to east, that is to say towards Le Cateau. A rough sketch drawn by him on a piece of plywood allowed us to deduce that the thing that appeared to him in the sky had an oblong shape of section and elliptical, the largest axis of which could have, to the eye, about 2 meters.

Mr. Victor Lebon, 48, mason worker, currently working on a construction site in rue Négrier, provided us with identical information. According to him the "phenomenon" was a very very bright garnet red. He also claims that it trailed a light similar to a car headlight in its wake, but much more powerful. I am not afraid, he said to give my name: I am telling you what I saw and do not want to force anyone to believe me. It would be astonishing, moreover, that others than us had not seen it, because it stood out before the eyes."

His team-mate Emile, a young man from Saint-Hilaire, gives us indications that confirm the statements of the first two. He also opts for the very bright garnet red. This can also be explained by the fact that being less advanced on the road compared to the first one, they saw the "thing" from another angle.

"I was preceding my teammate by about five minutes," Emile (who categorically refused to give his name for fear of being the laughing stock in his village) told us. Suddenly I saw in the sky something very bright. It had shape and color but much brighter and much bigger, of the sun at sunset, when it has already disappeared almost two-thirds of the way from the horizon. I first believed it was the sun! Then I said to myself that it was impossible because of its position and all the more so as this shape was advancing in the sky at a fairly good pace. In the morning, I found myself with François and Victor. I asked "casually" the question, because I was afraid I had been the victim of an illusion: "Didn't you notice something on the road on your way this morning?" "Yes," replied the first François. I did not say anything as I feared I would be taken for a fool." Little by little we explained to each other what we had witnessed. It is not possible that others than us did not see it, because, at this hour, there are many workers of this direction going to their work."

Here is in summary the result of our small investigation. We spoke to simple people who feared that they would be laughed at and told us in their plain language what they saw. Their only fear is that they will not be taken seriously and there is a good chance that they would have reamined silent, if chance and the curiosity to know if they had not been fooled by their senses, had not unstitched their lips.

[Photo caption:] M. Victor LEBON, from Quiévy
(Photo "La Voix du Nord")