The affair was initially published on October 13, 1954 in the form of a news release by the Agence France Presse, and was rehashed in many newspapers articles, with sometimes more information, in the following days. The witness is Gilbert Lelay, 13, a young schoolboy, described as shy person and not very imaginative, who claimed that the last Saturday, that is to say on October 9, 1954, he was riding his bike at 10:30 p.m. under moonlight.
He was returning from an uncle's in Rousselière, his parents driving their car ahead of him. He arrived close to the village of Les Garrelières, when in a meadow, on his left, he saw a weird object, that he described as being similar to a ball of fire posed on the grass.
He stopped. By seeing it upfront, the object was lengthy, like a "phosphorescent cigar"; when he saw it "from the side" it appeared very round.
The boy crossed the meadow's barrier of pre, and when he was within ten meters of this "ball", a "chap" came to him, put his hand on the boy's shoulder and told him: "Look at it but do not touch it!" Some sources indicate that the chap had initially put off his hat and had scraped his own head.
This man spoke in French, with an accent that the boy indicated to be similar to that of "those Britton who come on our premises to sell horses."
He was tall, dressed grey pants and jacket, capped a darker gray hat, and wearing boots.
In a hand, he held a ball, the size of a large apple; which gave off purple reflections, or purple "fires".
This man opened some sort of door in the ball-shaped object, which made it possible to the boy to see that there were two seats of red color inside, and opposite the seats, many buttons of all the colors. The man again said something that the boy could not clearly hear, then noisily slammed the door.
Sheaves of fire started to all the directions, on top, bottom, the sides, and the object rose very gently in complete silence, vertically, with a "circle which turned at high speed in its lower part." when about fifty meters high, the object "turned twice in round , which is described in certain sources as "two loopings", then it "disappeared like a shooting star."
The boy went up on his bicycle to go home, having difficulties to pedal and I not being able to speak, explaining that he was like paralyzed by the fear. He told his parents what he had just seen, but they called him nuts.
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[Ref. af1:] AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE:
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Paris, Oct. 13 (AFP) -- Observations of flying saucers and cigars were again reported today from certain points of France and Europe. Inquiries into previous reports were also in progress. Military authorities continue their investigation of the saucer which appeared in the beam of a searchlight installed at the Metz Fair-Exposition. The searchlight operators saw, at a distance estimated as 10 km, a luminous circle which remained immobile during several hours. However, the radar operators, who were alerted, were unable to detect anything. Military authorities are investigating the possibility that some peculiar meteorological phenomenon may have been responsible. Near the locality of Chateaubriant, in the center of France, a thirteen-year-old boy claims to have seen a machine shaped like a phosphorescent cigar only a dozen meters away. A passenger, dressed in a suit and grey hat, and wearing boots, supposedly told him "Look, but don't touch." The man is said to have got back into the flying cigar, which took off vertically. On the other hand, Anatolia [region of Turkey] had not previously had the privilege of seeing flying saucers above its territory. A report originating from Ankara [the capital] indicates that this gap is now filled. Several persons living in the Ulus quarter [suburb] of Ankara saw, about noon, an object which remained immobile above them a long time. Suddenly, it moved off at great speed, and disappeared. |
[Ref. of1:] "OUEST FRANCE" NEWSPAPER:
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CIGAR OR FLYING SAUCER?a ball of fire rested on a meadow"LOOK BUT DO NOT TOUCH!"
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[Ref. hw1:] HAROLD T. WILKINS:
The author indicates that in the beginning of November 1954, an encounters with saucer entities was reported by Gilbert Lefay, aged 13, of Chateaubriant. He was told in French that he could look at but not touch the saucer, a large ball that radiated purple light.
[Ref. jg1:] JIMMY GUIEU:
The author indicates that during the afternoon of October 16, 1954, an apparatus landed in a meadow in Sainte-Marie d'Herblay in the Seine-and-Oise, under the eyes of Gilbert Lelay, aged 12, who declared exactly:
"It resembled a cigar, and it shone like a glow-worm in the middle of the night the child. I was within ten meters of the thing and I did not dare to approach, but there was a man of average size at its side. He was dressed in gray. He had boots at the feet. He seemed a nice person. He approached me. He removed his hat; he scraped his face, put his hand on my shoulder and said to me gently: 'Looks at it, but do not touch it!' In the other hand, he had a ball which launched purple fires. Then, he went up in his apparatus while laughing and it flew away."
Jimmy Guieu notes that the somehow naive testimony may seem suspicious, but the detail of the ball which launches purple fires appears in his opinion hardly "inventable" for a 12 year-old child, and since "various witnesses state" that flying saucers occupants hold in their hand a sort of lamp, sometimes fixed at the belt or on the chest; Jimmy Guieu finds it hard to believe that the child was informed of this detail.
Guieu indicates that the only thing that "shocks the 'reasonable' mind" is that the occupant spoke in the French language. But he explains that they could have learn the language by picking up our radio broadcasts and by reading our books, magazines etc. with special "televisionners" that he also calls "teleprojections," or by using telepathy.
He indicates that there is intent for him to completely admitting the last assertions of George Adamski in its new book "Inside the Space Ships" but he finds it not impossible that these beings can understand us and the possibility that there are aliens among us who resemble us and study and contact us is a "very plausible possibility."
[Ref. mc1:] MICHEL CARROUGES:
Michel Carrouges indicates that on October 12, 1954, in Saint-Marie-d'Herblay in the Loire-Atlantique, the young Lelay, aged 13, is alone 600 meters away of the house of his parents. It is there that during 10 minutes, he looks at a machine in the shape of a "phosphorerescent cigar" which is a meadow.
Carrouges indicates that in the Agence France Press (AFP) newsbrief for October 13 relating to this incident, the witness is within 10 meters of the machine.
The account says that that the pilot of this machine put the hand familiarly on the shoulder of the witness, and said to him "looks at it, but do not touch it." Carrouges notes that the description of the pilot, who is a man, is rather reassuring: he wears a gray hat, a suit and boots. The only strange detail, notes Carrouges, is that he holds "a ball launching of purple fires" in a hand.
At the end of the ten minutes, of which Carrouges wonders what they were used for, the pilot goes up on board and "makes the door bang." The witness had the time to look inside the machine: there was "a kind of dashboard with multicolored buttons."
The machine rose slowly, launched light in all the directions, made two turns in the airs and "disappears suddenly."
Carrouges notes that the witness could see the machine closely during ten minutes, but that it is not known whether he looked at it well. In particular, "there is no indication denying or confirming the presence of rotor blades; there is none either about the noise."
[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 12, 1954, at approximately 10:30 p.m., in Sainte-Marie d'Herblay, on the Atlantic coast in France, Gilbert Lelay, aged 13 years, walked at 800 meters of his parents' house when he saw an apparatus in an enclosure that he described as resembling a phosphorescent cigar. A man in a grey suit, boots and a gray hat stood near the object.
The man familiarly put the hand on Gilbert's shoulder and told him in French: "Look, but do not touch."
The man held in the other hand a ball emitting of the crimson rays. He climbed in the apparatus little after and locked himself up there by slamming the door, but Gilbert had the time to see a kind of dashboard with many lights of color.
The apparatus rose with vertically, made two loops while sending light in all the directions, then disappeared.
[Ref. jv2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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245 Oct. 12, 1954, 10:30 P.M., Sainte-Marie d'Herblay (France). Gilbert Lelay, 13, saw a phosphorescent cigar in a pasture and a man near it, wearing a gray suit, boots, and a gray hat. He held a flashing sphere and told Gilbert in French not to touch it. He went back inside the craft, which flew in loops and vanished. (Carrouges 103; Magonia) |
[Ref. hd1:] HENRI DURRANT:
This French journalist and author indicates that on October 16, 1954, at 04:00 P.M., the young Gilbert Lelay, aged 12, saw a flying machine landed in a filed in Sainte-Marie d'Herblay in the Val d'Oise, which he described as underneath to the press:
"It resembled a cigar and it shone like glow-worms in middle of the night; I was then within ten meters of this thing but I did not dare to approach it. There was a man at its very side, of average height, dressed in grey. He wore boots. He seemed gentle and approached me. He carried a ball which launched small purple flashes in the hand. He took off his hat and scraped his forefront, then he put the other hand on my shoulder and said to me nicely: "looks at it, but don't touch it." Then, while laughing, he enetered his craft again it flew away."
Henri Durrant comments on the case by indicating that it is not likely that a 12 year old child invents the detail of the hand held ball launching sparks, but that the case is perhaps not documented enough nor convincing. He notes that the occupant of the machine speaks in French, acts with great calm and in a gentle and friendly way.
[Ref. fr1] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Erbray in the Loire-Atlantique, on October 12, 1954 at 10:30 p.m., a child observed within 600 meters of his residence a phosphorescent machine in the shape of cigar posed in a meadow. The object was within ten meters of him. Close to the apparatus was a man dressed of a suit, a gray hat and boots. He approached the child, removed his hat, scraped his forehead, put his hand on the shoulder of the child and told him: "Look at it, but do not touch it". In the other hand he had a ball launching purple fires. The man went up in his machine laughing. The machine took off vertically while launching fires in all the directions, it made two turns in the air and disappeared suddenly.
[Ref. bh1:] ROBERT E. BARTHOLOMEW AND GEORGE S. HOWARD:
The authors indicate that on October 12, 1954, in Sainte-Marie d'Herblay, France, at 10:30 p.m., Gilbert Lelay was walking, and saw a "phosphorescent cigar" in a pasture and a man in a gray suit, boots, and gray hat nearby, holding a flashing sphere emitting purple rays in his other hand. The man put his hand on Lelay's shoulder and said in French: "Look, but don't touch." He then reentered the craft, which had colored lights and what appeared to be a control console. The door shut, the object rose up, made two loops, and flew off while radiating light.
The authors indicate that the source is Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, Chicago, Henry Regnery, 1969, page 147.
[Ref. fb1:] FABRICE BONVIN:
Fabrice Bonvin notes:
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Case #003: 12/10/1954, p. 156 (Erbray) |
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates in her catalogue that on October 12, 1954, in France in Erbray close to Chateaubriant in the Loire Atlantique, but on October 16, 1954 in Sainte Marie d'Herblay in the Val d'Oise according to Quincy and others, Gilbert Lelay, aged 12, sees at 04:00 p.m., or 10:30 p.m., a machine flying to be posed in a meadow, and tells:
"It resembled a cigar, and it shone like a glow-worm in middle of the night. I was within ten meters and I did not dare to approach. There was a man very near, dressed in gray. He had boots at the feet. He had a gentle look and approached me. In a hand he carried a ball which launched small purple flashes. He removed his hat and scraped his face, he put the other hand on my shoulder and told me nicely: "Looks at it, but do not touch it". Then, while laughing, he went up in the apparatus and flew away."
She indicates that the sources are Henry Durrant in "Premières enquêtes sur les Humanoïdes ET", Laffont, 1977, page 53,54 who gives the date as October 16; Vallée in "Chronique des apparitions ET", Denoel, 1972, page 278, who give the date of October 12, and M. Figuet / J.L. Ruchon in "Ovni, premier dossier complet...", Alain Lefeuvre publisher, 1979, page 157.
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
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155. Location. Sainte-Marie d'Herblay France Date: October 12 1954 Time: 2230 13-year old Gilbert Lelay was walking around outside, about half a mile away from his parent's home when he saw, in a pasture, a machine he described as a "phosphorescent cigar." Close to the object was a man wearing a gray suit, boots and a gray hat. In a familiar gesture, the man put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder and told him in French: "Look but don't touch." In his other hand, the man held a sphere from which purple rays were emitted. Shortly thereafter, he climbed aboard the craft and shut the door with a clapping sound. Gilbert had time to something like a control console with numerous colored lights on it. The craft arose vertically, made a couple of loops while throwing light in all directions, and vanished. Humcat 1954-92 Source: Jacques Vallee Type: B |
[Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU:
Jérôme Beau indicates that on October 12, 1954, at 10:30 p.m., Gilbert Lelay, 13, saw a phosphorescent cigar in a pasture and a man near it, wearing a gray suit, boots, and a gray hat. He held a flashing sphere and told Gilbert in French not to touch it. He went back inside the craft, which flew in loops and vanished.
Jérôme Beau indicates that the source is "Carrouges, M. 103"
There is a date problem with all the ufological sources:
Quincy and Durrant wrote it was on October 16, other sources indicate October 12.
The only trace of a correct date is given by the young witness himself in the Ouest-France newspaper: the boy said it was Saturday, so the case was on Saturday, October 9.
There initially seemed to be a time problem:
The majority of the authors indicate the event's time as 10:00 p.m., others at 04:00 p.m.
The article of the newspaper Ouest-France seems to be the reliable source: the boy was returning from an uncle's while following by bicycle his parent's car. The late hour thus does not have anything odd anymore.
There is a location problem:
All the sources give the place as being Sainte-Marie d'Herblay in the Val d'Oise, except Figuet and Ruchon who seem, according to a short summary of their case file, to locate it as being Erbray close to Chateaubriant in the Loire Atlantique.
And indeed, "Erbray close to Chateaubriant in the Loire-Atlantique" exists, whereas there is no Sainte-Marie d'Herblay in the Val d'Oise. There is a Herblay village there, and schools or churches named Sainte-Marie abound, but it does not seem that there is any village or city strictly named Sainte-Marie d'Herblay there. I thus consider that the real place is the one indicated by Figuet and Ruchon.
Obviously, Durrant was right when he wrote that the case might have been poorly documented.
The case was not investigated. It was simply summarized with errors from one ufology book to the other. The credibility is quite low: this is a story by a 13 year-old kid, whose parents did not believe, without any corroboration neither by other witnesses nor by some physical trace. The content of the story seem incompatible with some explanation by a helicopter (the ball in the man's hand, the hat, the luminosity of the apparatus etc.) unless the journalists were seized by inventive delirium, but it is also not credible as some contact with space visitors, as I hardly find acceptable that their craft might really be piloted by human beings in grey trousers and hats talking with the accent of Britton horse merchants before "slamming the door" of their craft etc.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ufology | Severe | August 11, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | No investigation seems to have been conducted. | - | - |
| 2 | Ufology | Severe | August 11, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Only one witness, 13 year-old kid. | - | - |
Possible invention.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | August 11, 2007 | Creation, [af1], [of1], [hw1], [jg1], [mc1], [jv1], [hd1], [fr1], [bh1], [fb1], [go1], [ar1], [jb1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | August 11, 2007 | First published. |
