Posted On: November 13, 2021

The year is 1983, the place, Basingstoke Canal in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The witness was fishing in the early hours of the morning. At this time the witness was approached by two small humanoid figures with helmets on. The humanoids and witness walked around the bend to a waiting 45 foot diameter craft which was sitting on the towpath. The witness entered the craft and after a short while was told he could leave. After the witness left the craft and it flew away at a high rate of speed.

On August 12^th, 1983, at about 00:15 hours, the witness, Alfred Burtoo, went fishing at Basingstoke Canal in Aldershot, Hampshire. At about 01:00 hours, the witness had a very unusual event. The witness stated:

“I saw a vivid light coming toward me from the south, which is over North Town. It wavered over the railway line and then came on again, then settled down. The vivid light went out, though I could still see a light through the boughs of the trees. I thought, well that can’t be an airplane; it’s too low, because it was at about 300 feet. During this time I had set the cup down on the tackle box and lit a cigarette, and while smoking it my dog began to growl. It was then that I saw two ‘forms’ coming toward me, and when they were within five feet of me they just stopped and looked at me, and I at them, for a good ten or fifteen seconds. Tiny, an obedient dog, had stopped growling by this time, on her master’s command. They were about four feet high, dressed in pale green coveralls from head to foot, and they had helmets of the same color with a visor that was blacked out. Then the one on the right beckoned me with his right forearm and turned away, still waving its arm. I took it that he wished me to follow, which I did. He moved off and I fell in behind him, and the chap that was on the left fell in behind me. We walked along the towpath until we got to the railings by the canal bridge. The ‘form’ in front of me went through the railings, while I went over the top, and we crossed Government Road then went down on the footpath.

Going around a slight left hand bend I saw a large object, about 40 to 45 feet across, standing on the towpath, with about 10 to 15 feet of it over the bank on the left of the path. And I thought, Christ, what the hell’s that? - didn’t think about UFOs at the time. When we got down there this ‘form’ in front of me went up the steps and I followed. The steps were off line to the towpath and we had to step onto the grass to go up them. Portholes were set in the hull, and the object rested on two ski type runners.

Going in the door, the corners weren’t sharp, they were rounded off. We went into this octagonal room. The ‘form’ in front of me crossed over the room, and I heard a sound as if a sliding door was being opened and closed. I stood in the room to the right of the door, and the ‘form’ that had walked behind me stood just inside, between me and the door. I don’t know whether it was to stop me going out or not. . I stood there a good ten minutes, taking in everything I could see. The walls, the floor and the ceiling were all black, and looked to me like unfinished metal, whereas the outside looked like burnished aluminum. I did not see any sign of nuts or bolts, nor did I see any seams where the object had been put together. What did interest me most of all was a shaft that rose up from the floor to the ceiling.

The shaft was about four feet in circumference, and on the right-hand side of it was a Z- shaped handle. On either side of that stood two ‘forms’ similar to those that walked along the towpath with me. All of a sudden a voice said to me, ‘Come and stand under the amber light.' I could not see any amber light until I took a step to my right, and there it was way up on the wall just under the ceiling. I stood there for about five minutes, then a voice said, ‘What is your age?’ I said, ‘I shall be seventy eight next birthday.’ And after a while I was asked to turn around, which I did, facing the wall. After about five minutes he said to me, ‘You can go. You are too old and infirm for our purpose.' I left the object, and while walking down the steps I used the handrail and found it had two joints in it, so I came to the conclusion it was telescopic. I walked along the towpath to about halfway between the object and the canal bridge, stopped, and looked back and noticed that the dome of the object looked very much like an oversized chimney cowl, and that it was revolving anticlockwise.

I then walked on to the spot where I had left my dog and fishing tackle, and the first thing I did when I got there was to pick up my cold cup of tea and drink it. And then I heard this whining noise, just as if an electric generator was starting up, and this thing lifted off and the bright light came on again. It was so bright that I could see my fishing float in the water 6 feet away from the opposite bank of the canal, and the thin iron bars on the canal bridge. The object took off at a very high speed, out over the military cemetery in the west, and then a little later I saw the light going over the Hog’s Back and out of sight. This was around 2:00”

Further Information:

The craft. The shape of the central room was octagonal and the ceiling very low. The floor appeared to be covered with a soft material of some kind because he was unable to hear his footsteps. The internal lighting did not appear to emanate from any particular source, with the exception of the beam of amber light underneath which he was asked to stand. The lighting in general was rather dim. There were no dials, controls, seats, or other objects seen, apart from the central column with its Z-shaped handle. Mister Burtoo said that the temperature inside the craft was a little warmer than outside, which would make it about 65° F. He noticed a faint smell similar to that of decaying meat. If there is any truth to some of the more outlandish hypotheses about the motives of UFO operators, it is perhaps just as well that Mister Burtoo was found to be too old and infirm for their purpose!

The Humanoids. The occupants moved like human beings, although they walked with a rather stiff gait, Mister Burtoo explained to me. No facial features could be detected since these were covered by the visors. The pale green onepiece suits also covered the hands and feet, and appeared to be molded onto their thin bodies, like plastic. Mister Burtoo did not notice if the gloves covered fingers. There were no belts, zippers, buttons or fasteners. All four beings were of the same size and unusually thin shape. Had any females been present, Mister Burtoo felt sure he would not have failed to have noticed! The beings spoke in a kind of, ‘singsong’ accent, similar to a mixture of Chinese and Russian.

It seemed that the Ministry of Defense was uninterested in this incident. They stated that, the majority of reports received here are often weeks old, and we simply cannot devote public funds to the detailed investigation of such sightings when no threat to national defense has been demonstrated.

This case has a witness with no obvious reason for lying about the incident. There is no two ways about it. The witness was either lying or was involved in something extraordinary.  I wonder what would have happened if the witness had not been, “too old and infirm”.

Resources: Summary from Above Top Secret, Timothy Good, 1988, Chapter Five.

Posted On: November 13, 2021

The year is 1983, the place, Basingstoke Canal in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The witness was fishing in the early hours of the morning. At this time the witness was approached by two small humanoid figures with helmets on. The humanoids and witness walked around the bend to a waiting 45 foot diameter craft which was sitting on the towpath. The witness entered the craft and after a short while was told he could leave. After the witness left the craft and it flew away at a high rate of speed.

On August 12^th, 1983, at about 00:15 hours, the witness, Alfred Burtoo, went fishing at Basingstoke Canal in Aldershot, Hampshire. At about 01:00 hours, the witness had a very unusual event. The witness stated:

“I saw a vivid light coming toward me from the south, which is over North Town. It wavered over the railway line and then came on again, then settled down. The vivid light went out, though I could still see a light through the boughs of the trees. I thought, well that can’t be an airplane; it’s too low, because it was at about 300 feet. During this time I had set the cup down on the tackle box and lit a cigarette, and while smoking it my dog began to growl. It was then that I saw two ‘forms’ coming toward me, and when they were within five feet of me they just stopped and looked at me, and I at them, for a good ten or fifteen seconds. Tiny, an obedient dog, had stopped growling by this time, on her master’s command. They were about four feet high, dressed in pale green coveralls from head to foot, and they had helmets of the same color with a visor that was blacked out. Then the one on the right beckoned me with his right forearm and turned away, still waving its arm. I took it that he wished me to follow, which I did. He moved off and I fell in behind him, and the chap that was on the left fell in behind me. We walked along the towpath until we got to the railings by the canal bridge. The ‘form’ in front of me went through the railings, while I went over the top, and we crossed Government Road then went down on the footpath.

Going around a slight left hand bend I saw a large object, about 40 to 45 feet across, standing on the towpath, with about 10 to 15 feet of it over the bank on the left of the path. And I thought, Christ, what the hell’s that? - didn’t think about UFOs at the time. When we got down there this ‘form’ in front of me went up the steps and I followed. The steps were off line to the towpath and we had to step onto the grass to go up them. Portholes were set in the hull, and the object rested on two ski type runners.

Going in the door, the corners weren’t sharp, they were rounded off. We went into this octagonal room. The ‘form’ in front of me crossed over the room, and I heard a sound as if a sliding door was being opened and closed. I stood in the room to the right of the door, and the ‘form’ that had walked behind me stood just inside, between me and the door. I don’t know whether it was to stop me going out or not. . I stood there a good ten minutes, taking in everything I could see. The walls, the floor and the ceiling were all black, and looked to me like unfinished metal, whereas the outside looked like burnished aluminum. I did not see any sign of nuts or bolts, nor did I see any seams where the object had been put together. What did interest me most of all was a shaft that rose up from the floor to the ceiling.

The shaft was about four feet in circumference, and on the right-hand side of it was a Z- shaped handle. On either side of that stood two ‘forms’ similar to those that walked along the towpath with me. All of a sudden a voice said to me, ‘Come and stand under the amber light.' I could not see any amber light until I took a step to my right, and there it was way up on the wall just under the ceiling. I stood there for about five minutes, then a voice said, ‘What is your age?’ I said, ‘I shall be seventy eight next birthday.’ And after a while I was asked to turn around, which I did, facing the wall. After about five minutes he said to me, ‘You can go. You are too old and infirm for our purpose.' I left the object, and while walking down the steps I used the handrail and found it had two joints in it, so I came to the conclusion it was telescopic. I walked along the towpath to about halfway between the object and the canal bridge, stopped, and looked back and noticed that the dome of the object looked very much like an oversized chimney cowl, and that it was revolving anticlockwise.

I then walked on to the spot where I had left my dog and fishing tackle, and the first thing I did when I got there was to pick up my cold cup of tea and drink it. And then I heard this whining noise, just as if an electric generator was starting up, and this thing lifted off and the bright light came on again. It was so bright that I could see my fishing float in the water 6 feet away from the opposite bank of the canal, and the thin iron bars on the canal bridge. The object took off at a very high speed, out over the military cemetery in the west, and then a little later I saw the light going over the Hog’s Back and out of sight. This was around 2:00”

Further Information:

The craft. The shape of the central room was octagonal and the ceiling very low. The floor appeared to be covered with a soft material of some kind because he was unable to hear his footsteps. The internal lighting did not appear to emanate from any particular source, with the exception of the beam of amber light underneath which he was asked to stand. The lighting in general was rather dim. There were no dials, controls, seats, or other objects seen, apart from the central column with its Z-shaped handle. Mister Burtoo said that the temperature inside the craft was a little warmer than outside, which would make it about 65° F. He noticed a faint smell similar to that of decaying meat. If there is any truth to some of the more outlandish hypotheses about the motives of UFO operators, it is perhaps just as well that Mister Burtoo was found to be too old and infirm for their purpose!

The Humanoids. The occupants moved like human beings, although they walked with a rather stiff gait, Mister Burtoo explained to me. No facial features could be detected since these were covered by the visors. The pale green onepiece suits also covered the hands and feet, and appeared to be molded onto their thin bodies, like plastic. Mister Burtoo did not notice if the gloves covered fingers. There were no belts, zippers, buttons or fasteners. All four beings were of the same size and unusually thin shape. Had any females been present, Mister Burtoo felt sure he would not have failed to have noticed! The beings spoke in a kind of, ‘singsong’ accent, similar to a mixture of Chinese and Russian.

It seemed that the Ministry of Defense was uninterested in this incident. They stated that, the majority of reports received here are often weeks old, and we simply cannot devote public funds to the detailed investigation of such sightings when no threat to national defense has been demonstrated.

This case has a witness with no obvious reason for lying about the incident. There is no two ways about it. The witness was either lying or was involved in something extraordinary.  I wonder what would have happened if the witness had not been, “too old and infirm”.

Resources: Summary from Above Top Secret, Timothy Good, 1988, Chapter Five.