Lakenheath/ Bentwaters UFO Incident 1956 - Dr. David Clarke
Analysis Summary
Summary
The encounter involved RAF personnel during a military duty at RAF Laken Heath and RAF Bentwaters in East Anglia, England, on the night of August 13-14, 1956. They detected unidentified objects on radar that exhibited unusual speed and maneuverability. The radar operators, including Chief Controller Freddy Wimbledon, scrambled fighter jets to intercept these objects. The pilots reported seeing bright lights but could not identify them. The incident occurred during heightened Cold War tensions, and the case remained classified until the late 1960s. The main impact on the individuals involved was a sense of confusion and intrigue, as they encountered something that did not fit the characteristics of known aircraft, leading to ongoing discussions about the event.
Program Intelligence Analysis
The interview discusses the Laken Heath-Bentwaters UFO incident of 1956, highlighting its evidential significance and the subsequent government cover-up. Key figures involved in the incident, including radar operators and pilots, recount their experiences and the mysterious nature of the sightings.
The British government destroyed files related to the Laken Heath-Bentwaters incident, claiming they had been lost.
Dr David Clark
“This case, the Laken Heath-Bentwaters case, was probably the best known or the most evidential UFO incident in the British sort of case list.”
Freddy Wimbledon
“We began to notice a return on our radar which was acting rather strangely, suddenly going very fast much faster than anything we'd ever seen before.”
John Brady
“I saw nothing the next time we went beyond, I can remember saying to David, 'contact' and he said to me, 'what is it? I can't see it.'”
Graham Scoffield
“I believe these guys did get the scram did get intercept did say what they said and so on and so forth.”
Anthony Davis
“I know about it because I was flying one of the aircraft.”
Managed by: US Air Force
investigate UFO sightings
The Laken Heath-Bentwaters case is one of the most evidential UFO incidents in British history, occurring in 1956 and covered by the Official Secrets Act until the late 1960s.
The American Air Force bases at Bentwaters and Laken Heath picked up UFOs on radar, which were reported to the Royal Air Force.
RAF Laken Heath was a base for nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and a B-56 bomber crashed into the nuclear weapon store just before the UFO incident.
Freddy Wimbledon, the Chief Controller at RAF Neatishead, observed an object on radar moving at incredible speeds and ordered a scramble of fighter aircraft.
The Condon Report examined 12,000 UFO incidents, with 700 remaining unexplained, including the Laken Heath-Bentwaters case.
The British government destroyed files related to the Laken Heath-Bentwaters incident, claiming they had been lost.