The Warminster "Thing"

A Decades Long Mystery That Still To This Day Remains Unsolved.

By Rosie J. SargentPublished 10 months ago • Updated 10 months ago • 18 min read

Opening Sequence from the 1951 sci-fi film The Thing From Another World

The small garrison town of Warminster, once known for clothiers and wool, is home to a mystery of unexplained events. From strange sounds and mysterious lights to unidentifiable objects (or UFO's) in the sky. Located just 15 miles away from Stonehenge and west of Salisbury Plain, Warminster earned the title as the UFO capital of the UK.

The legend of the 'thing' gained national and international attention when Warminster Journal journalist Arthur Shuttlewood reported about the series of strange sonic sounds that occurred on Christmas morning 1964. Shuttlewood also wrote a few books regarding the mystery of the 'thing'. Thus, captivating the imagination of locals and curious travellers alike for decades.

The Warminster Thing is the first case in my Folklore Files series. Where I investigate strange stories, mysterious mysteries, of course - ancient myths (and sometimes, true crime). I aim to discover the fact behind the fiction and bring some sense to the peculiar.

This case is a very long mysterious mystery with many witness accounts of odd happenings. And I do mean it. So, I advise you, dear reader, grab a feast of snacks, a fresh hot drink and a blanket of choice.

Let's begin.

An Unassming Christmas Morning

At 1.24am early Christmas morning 1964, seamstress Mildred Head was getting ready to go to sleep. When she heard what sounded like,

"Twigs brushing up against the tiles of the roof until it reverberated like giant hailstones."

She eventually looked out of the window and saw nothing. When suddenly there was a loud humming sound, forcing Mildred to cover her ears. Before it faded quickly into what she described as a "faint whisper".

Around 6:12am Majorie Bye was on her way to Holy Communion at Christ Church, when she heard what she describe as a sonic sound wave emanating from the Bell Hill Area. Describing it as

"distant echoes of cackling laughter steadily increasing in volumes".

At first, she thought it was a lorry spreading grit on the hill, but as the noise grew louder, it came over her head and passed on across Ludlow Close.

Christ Church Warminster by Debbie Griffiths on the Christ Church Warminster Facebook Group

She said the noise sounded like "branches being pulled over gravel." There was a faint hum, loud enough to be heard over someone talking. The sky was dark but starlit, and she could see nothing above her.

Then, as she approached the church, she experienced a “sonic attack." She reported,

“sudden vibrations came overhead, with chilling in intensity [...] ponding at her head, neck and shoulders.”

Pinned down by “invisible fingers of sound.”

Post master Roger Rump reported a "ponding on the of his home," at the same time as Ms Bye's experience. He described a "terrible clatter," followed by

"A scrambling sound as if they (tiles on the roof) were being loudly slammed back into place. I could hear an odd humming tone. It was most unusual [...] lasted only a minute.”

Around the same time, just further on down the road in the direction towards Heytesbury, 30 soldiers in the Royal Welsh Battalion stationed at Knook Camp, also known as Larkhill reported hearing:

"As if a huge chimney stack from the main block was ripped from the rooftop, then scattered in solid chunks of masonry across the whole camp area."

Like Mildred Head, when the men looked outside, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Everything was as it should be.

Initially, people like Ms. Bye wanted to remain anonymous until Mildred Head's story was published. It is because of Ms. Head's story that at least thirty separate individuals reported hearing the same strange sonic sounds.

However, this wasn't the last of it. No, no, no.

Sonic Sounds, Bright Lights and Dead Pigeons

Allegedly two months after the strange sounds, scientist David Holton, who lived on Five Ash Lane, reported that a flock of pigeons had fallen out of the sky and have landed, dead, in his back garden after coming into contact with the 'Thing".

The newspaper report claims -

"They brushed into fatal contact with paralyzing sound beams in Cockerton, near Warminster..."

Neighbours and other members of the community also confirmed the high-pitched sounds. The newspaper continues to blame the thing for this incident.

On the 17th March 1965, Joan Brown reported that their roof had "quivered under an onrush of sounds" and their cat had vomited after hearing the strange sounds. Others in the area reported that livestock and their pets had been nervous or actually been injured.

Newspaper Article: Town Meeting on the 'thing', clip from BBC 1990 Documentary the Warminster Thing.

A few weeks later, on 25th March 1965, Ted and Gwen Davies were eating breakfast when they suddenly heard

"a noise like the flapping of birds' wings and a crackling noise near their chimney."

Then they heard a metallic grinding noise, causing their roof rafters to "shake and windows to rattle with what sounded like gale-force winds." They went outside, but there were no birds, and the air was still.

On 28th March 1965, after dropping his girlfriend off in Sutton Veny, 3 miles southeast of Warminster, Eric Payne heard what he described as:

"whistling noise that developed into a loud buzzing [...] It flattened treetops on either side of me... making a tremendous racket overhead. It sent shivers up my spine."

Mr and Mrs Marson were to experience a similar noise three times, twice on one particular night. Describing it as a

“great bouncing and bumping noise over our heads. As though a load of stones was being tipped against the roof and the back wall of the bungalow.”

They said it started with a "electric crackling and high-pitched droning sounds." Once again, as had other witnesses, they went outside the house and saw and found nothing.

In the week of the 19th May 1965 Hilda Hebdidge claimed to have seen a UFO/UAP (Unidentified Areial Phenomena) on two separate occasions, once above the Long leat Estate and second above Heytesbury she claimed the UFO/UAP was cigar-shaped and were "covered with bright lights which winked and blinked... in various shades of gold and yellow..."

Three Witnesses on the Third

On the 3rd June 1965 at 8:30pm Patrica Phillips and her family witnessed a "cigar-shaped glow" that allegedly hung in the sky for a good twenty-five minutes or more. There was a distinct dark circular patch or aperture at the base of the fiery object, which threw off a halo of red-orange light. "The craft was horizontal, not vertical," she insisted.

On the same day Harold and Dora Horlock, saw what they described as "twin red-hot pokers hanging downwards, one on top of the other, with a black space in between.' The newspaper reports that "at the angle of vision of the couple, this was obviously the same object as seen by Mrs Phillips and her family.

Later on that very evening, 17 people in different groups hanging out a Shearwater, South of Warminster, witnessed the cigar-bodied craft. It was Colin Hampton was so surprised he actually fell into the lake. Descriptions vary from orange-mauve to orange-red. Apart from these slight colour variations... the main descriptions agreed with Mrs Phillips.

Only Lights and No Noise

Lorry Driver Terry Pell was driving from Spalding to his destination in Warminster. With him were his wife and daughter, who were asleep in the camp. He was just passing Calloway Clump.

With no warning, a ball of crimson light flew from the hillside, hovering fifty yards in front of him, and then sped head-on towards his lorry. Mr Pell said that

"its speed and change of direction were almost unbelievable."

Claiming that the UFO had stopped just in front of the lorry, braking sharply to avoid the UFO.

Then the UFO moved backwards at the same speed as the lorry, which was still doing 30 mph. His last sight of the UFO was over the Clump, where it hovered for a few seconds before vanishing.

There's also another report by an Army Major who was driving back to his camp after attending a family gathering. He claimed that while driving 40mph past Calloway Clump, his car suddenly stopped.

Everything cut out from the engine to the electrics, when suddenly the car vibrated. The Army Major described experiencing pressure on his head and shoulders similar to Ms. Bye. Then, once the droning-humming ceased, everything returned as normal.

On the 29th August 1965, Gordon Faulker suddenly noticed the Thing.

"As it flew fast and low over the south of the town, I could just make out the unusual shape. It made no noise. Hurriedly, I got my camera free and pointed it at the craft, but the line of flight was too fast to follow.
So I held the camera well in front of it and pressed the trigger as it entered the view-finder. I did not dream I would get anything on film at all and I was amazed when I saw what came out."

Faulkner then sent the picture to the editor of the Warminster Journal.

Further Afield

Between the years of 1966-1977 the reports slowed down. The most interesting report from 1967. On the 24th October, Police officers Roger Willey and Clifford Waycott of the Devon Police reported a high-speed UFO sighting near Hatherleigh Devon, England. Describing it as a flying cross, diamond shaped light.

While on nocturnal patrol, thanks to a series of robberies happening in the area, the officers spotted a mysterious bright object hovering silently in the sky. As they began following it, the object accelerated rapidly, maintaining distance at speeds of 90mphs towards Warminster.

Hatherleigh, Devon to Warminster, Wilshire

Another account comes fascinating account happens ten years later on the Iron Age hillfort, Cley Hill. Reported by Weird Wiltshire, the eyewitness claims, while visiting the Hill for a vigil, they and their group of friends suddenly were surprised when they saw a:

"light coming towards us up the lane [...] I was trying to figure out what it was when the light disappeared from view going down [...] then popping up again [...]
I shouted to my mates to look, ‘what is it?’ We watched and saw a very bright ‘arc-light’ perfectly formed and round like an orange corona around its circumference [...]"

"It approached us steadily before bouncing up and down, disappearing as it dipped and reappearing again [...] I was getting pretty scared but one of my braver mates tried to attract this light thing with his torch. It was already coming towards us, growing larger by the second, and noiseless I may add [...]
With that, we picked up our gear, threw it in the back of the car and jumped in. We wheel span out of the gated field like a bat out of hell and sped away from the area and whatever that ‘thing’ was. It was definitely coming our way and we did not want to wait around and find out more."

Context

Whenever I look into a particular case, I think it is highly important to consider the context of the events. While I agree something odd had been/still is occurring in the Warminster area, I disagree with what people believe they saw. The cliche, not everything appears as it seems I feel, is applicable here.

The Swinging Sixties was a time of social shifts, artistic innovation and breaking away from tradition. By the mid-sixties, the political landscape in Britain was dealing with a shift in power. The 1964 General Election saw a Labour Party landslide, removing the Conservatives after 13 years in power.

Britain was facing new challenges that, in retrospective, echo a lot of what is happening today. The economy was sluggish and dormer British colonies in the Caribbean and South Asia, was changing the demographic makeup of cities. Leading to a rise in led to racial tensions and the rise of far-right groups.

Other former British colonies, particularly in Africa, were gaining independence. Marking the rapid decline of the British Empire and its international 'influences' across the globe.

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, exacerbate this (i.e. the space race), pushing the UK further into a new global position.

The Evening Telegram reporting on the Labour Landslide at the UK General Election 1964

However, despite the challenges Britain faced, the arts flourished in this decade. Youth subcultures dominated the scene, with London Fashion leading the runways. Bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were taking the world by storm.

An entire generation of science fiction writers were born. As well as TV and film with shows like Doctor Who first airing in 1963, and the BBC launched its second channel, BBC 2.

Progressive technological advancements were underway with the Concorde Supersonic Jet; a joint venture between Britain and France. Morever justice reform marked a key milestone when the Abolition of Death Penalty Act was introduced in 1964 and enacted in 1965.

Mid-sixties Britain was caught between the need to maintain the traditions of the past and embracing the change of a progressive future. These events and cataclysms should be considered when examining the evidence presented to the case.

Imagine you are Marjorie Bye on your way to church on Christmas morning, when suddenly a noise you've never heard before sweeps you off your feet, immobilising you and you cannot see the thing that's cause it.

I think naturally you would assume it was aliens or a UFO of some sorts. However, I have the advantage and privilege of being in the future, and can consider other explanations as to the what behind the 'thing'

Theories Behind the 'Thing'

Welcome to the theories behind the thing. Here we are finally. How are you doing? It's a lot, isn't it? If you're still here, congratulations. Well, there's more, much, much more.

Theory One: "Sing me a song for a lass that is gone."

Have you ever heard of ley lines? Those supposed energetic alignments that connect ancient sites like Stonehenge, or the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

Believers claim these leys correspond with a global energy grid of electromagnetic forces. Believing that ley lines may can facilitate time travel and/or are portals to other dimensions. Although skeptics believe this idea is rooted more in Celtic and Druid folklore, and pseudosciences, rather than well...fact.

However, some believers like to link this theory to Nikola Tesla's wireless energy system. Claiming the Wardenclyffe Tower’s Location in Shoreham, Long Island was positioned on ley lines to amplify its power.

Moreover, this type of phenomena is what attracts UFOs, and that is why sightings are more frequent in these areas like Glastonbury or Arizona. Or in this case, Warminster.

Warminster Thing Mural, painted by unknown artist in 2015

In the 1990 BBC documentary about the Warminster Thing, the narrator claims a pilot of a Harrier Jet on 22nd October 1987 was found in the area near Stonehenge surrounded by four crop circles. He's jet was found empty still flying at the tip of Southern Ireland, and eventually crashed into the Atlantic.

Many see as evidence to support the ley line theory. However, this claim has never been corroborated, and is one of the most controversial parts of the entire documentary.

Furthermore, Wiltshire is a county known for many things, including crop circles. These circles are allegedly pathetically aligned with these famous 'leys', that pseudoscientist Graham Hancock known for his Ancient Apocalypse series on Netflix, claims cannot be man-made. Over years of researching different samples, he states:

"That the formation of crop circles generates an intense heat that makes the cells of the plants swell up and bend, and that transforms the composition of the soil [...] scientists have concluded that crop circles appear within seconds, otherwise the fields would catch fire, especially at the end of the summer when the crops have turned to straw."

On a response I received about the 'thing', there was a claim that in the 1990s people came forward claiming to have pranked the town and admitted to making crop circles. Which can also see people doing on the BBC Documentary.

Now there's a lot behind the ley line theory and crop circles so I won't go into it too much here, because it would require a whole separate piece. However, if you like this sort of stuff and you are interested in that sort of thing and would like me to cover it, let me know in the comments.

Theory Two: The Miltary Being the Miltary

Another popular theory is that the sounds of the 'thing' were actually a military test on an unsuspecting town. Particularly tests focusing on infrasound and acoustic weapons. To which, the military were testing.

However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) have continued to deny formally investigating UFO's and or in this instance the thing. Despite reporting that there were aware of the strange happenings in the area.

Nick Pope, a former MOD official in the 1990s, has stated that the MOD took strange phenomena seriously if they involved potential defense or national security threats.

In an article written by Strange Outdoors wrote:

"On 17th August 1965, a large explosion was heard on the Boreham Field housing estate. A series of jolts and explosions resulted in an orange flame in the sky shaped like an electric bulb. Windows in two houses were broken. The nearby military bases denied knowledge."

One of the consistent traits in association with the thing is how everything always appears as it should. Nothing changes and nothing is broken. This is the only eyewitness account I have found where homes have been damaged or broken. I also find it odd that the article mentioned the military's denial. The Boreham Housing Estate sits directly next to Salisbury Plain.

The MOD have also stated that they did not have that technology (at that time). Additionally they never opened a formal investigation into the reports at Knook Camp.

All of which appears contradictory and suspicious. I have put in Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding any investigation into the Warminster Thing. Let's hope I get a response.

Theory Three: A Hoax or Hysteria?

The third and final theory is the belief that the 'thing' could have been nothing more than either mass hysteria/delusion event or a town-wide hoax.

I have intentionally avoided this articles focus on Arthur Shuttlewood, the journalist who made the thing famous, and I have my reasons for this. Shuttlewood was known for 'embroidering' his stories to make them well more entertaining.

Arthur Shuttlewood: The Warminster Mystery

On 25th June 1965, a letter written by Gordon Creighton was published in the Warminster Journal:

"It is evident that a good deal of nonsense is being talked by some of your correspondents – and the only person who is on the right track with his thinking about the matter is David Holton."

To remind you, Mr Holton was the gentlemen who found the flock of dead pigeons in his garden. Shuttlewood reported the flock dropped dead in February 1965 two months after the 'thing'. This is incorrect.

The incident actually happened on the 16th April 1964, a good 8 months before the unassuming Christmas morning. David Holton himself stated that these strange 'things' have been going on for years, way before Shuttlewood got his hand on it.

This, to me, immediately calls Shuttlewood's credibility into question, making his accounts totally unreliable. Which is why I am not surprised that people think it may just be an elaborate hoax to boost the town's local trades and attract more visitors.

In the summer months of 1965 roughly 8,000 people visited Warminster in just one weekend. For those of you who have never been to Warminster, it is quite a small area that has lots of little villages that are dotted around it and fall under its provinces. Including the village I live in.

The town benefitted from this; that cannot be denied. But, people were becoming concerned about their safety, worrying it might be something sinister. The town council held a public meeting, and had to turn people away because of overcrowding.

When asked to attend the meeting and share his evidence (David Holton) he denied his invitation.

He claimed to be in contact with a French scientist who was investigating four cases similar to the thing in France. Reported in a newspaper on 21st August 1965:

"This meeting is not the right way to go about it. This is a serious matter [...] If I gave evidence at this meeting - which is not official - I would have to reveal names of witnesses people who have helped me..."

And on that note, I am going to come to my final thoughts...

Final Thoughts

So we made it. Almost. If you're still reading this, give yourself a pat on that back because that was a lot, so I'll do my best to summarise concise and snappy.

My first suspect is not aliens. Although I am not ignoring the fact there is a correlation between UFO sightings and military bases. I wanted to approach the theories by debunking them, rather than find evidence to support them. I feel this is the most effective method to somehow getting to the truth.

There are many cases in the UK that are uncanny to the Warminster Thing, from Broad Haven in Wales reporting cigar shape like UFO's, Todmorden and the police officer whose car stopped, and he lost time, to Rendlesham Forest, and Livingston in Scotland.

All within the proximity of. a military base, all of which the MOD and RAF have repeatedly denied knowledge of the strange happenings. Despite former officials confirming teams dedicated to the study of this phenomena solely for the purpose of national security and defenses.

If I were the MOD and I wanted to test something on an unsuspecting public, I too would choose Christmas Day. It's ideal.

I also believe that selected individuals of the town who may or may not have had influence saw this strange event as an opportunity to make money and name for themselves. Hence the need to exaggerate accounts. As there have been a far few false reports with some admitting to lying or pranking the town/newspaper.

I wondered for a while if the water supply had been contaminated or somehow the whole town was drugged. There was nothing. I also wondered what could cause pressure headaches, dizziness, immobilisation? To be sure, acoustic weapons were the answer, which are now used to disperse crowds (or protesters).

However, I will say this; I've lived in the South West of England the allege ufo hotspot for the majority of my life. I also live in the Warminster area and have done for a few years now.

I have seen some odd things, spooky things, unexplainable things, but I have never seen a UFO. Never heard the strange sounds. Or bright lights in the sky. And if it is out of the ordinary, it's usually coming from the direction of Salisbury Plain.

I do not doubt the eye witnesses and what they experienced. I just doubt what they perceived it to be. Given what we know about the context of that time, it makes sense why everyone decided it was aliens. Even more convincing when officials and authority figures are also reporting their unexplained experience.

Until I get a response from my FOI request, I cannot confidently say the thing is just the military. I also cannot 100% that it was a hoax. There are still many questions that are left unanswered. Thousands of the same reports spanning across decades across the county and beyond. On that note, the mystery is still annoyingly unsolved... for now.

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Thank you for giving me your time. This was my first case since the White Lady of the Iron Bridge. This took way longer than what I expected it too. I started my research mid-December 2024 and I'm still getting sent things in response to the 'thing' and other unearthly strange happenings.

I actually had to leave a lot out, because there's just so so much. If you want something more in depth or want me to cover anything that picked your interest like the ley line theory and crop circles, please let me know.

Down below, I have listed all sources and references used in this research. As well as the YouTube video about The Warminster Thing.

Thank you and don't forget to leave a like, comment and subscribe.

Stay safe out there.

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