UAP and Western Australia police

Hi all,

Introduction:

Australian UAP researchers have long been aware that in the 1950's and 1960's, the RAAF when investigating reports of UAP, used the resources of state police forces to interview witnesses. The evidence for this is to be found on RAAF "Unusual Aerial Sightings" files, held by the National Archives of Australia. However, until now, no one has ever located a whole state police force file on the subject.

Courtesy of Dr Stuart Hatch of GovHack 2015, (click here) who found a Western Australia police department file, number 64/2885, we now have one such file.

Part of front cover - WA Police file 64/2885

What is on the file?

This is a 55 page file, with documents on it in the date range 1951 and 1975. The following will give you an idea of what is contained therein.

Item one:

Memo dated 14 August 1975, from R Carr, Assistant Commissioner (Admin) to RAAF Pearce. Forwarding copies of reports in the Northampton area.

Memo dated 3 August 1975 from Sargent Johnstone, Northampton, to Superintendent Murphy, Geraldton. Reports by Valerie Casley, Hutt River Province; and Cheryl and Ronald Hoskin of a nearby farm.

Report details. At 1100hrs on 8 July 1975. Casley attended the Northampton police station to report a number of UAP observations. She and her husband had seen a "...strange orange coloured object in the air...it lands and seems to take off again." At 0900hrs 8 July 1975, while driving north to Northampton, she saw "...a very large white ball. This ball was about 2 to 3
cars round...it was present for about 10 to 15 seconds and then vanished. It did not move away just disappeared. The object was about half a mile away, to the east..." Soundless.

Between 2030-2100hrs about 18 June 1975, in the same area, "...an object shaped like cow horns was seen about 300 yards away on the ground. It appeared about 4 foot long with a bright light in the centre, with the lights getting less bright as they went to the horn shape." It then took off and slowly disappeared from the inside out. No sound. Seen by Valerie and Wayne Casley.

Witness sketch of the 18 June 1975 Hutt River Province object

Around 2030-2100hrs on 5 July 1975 in the same area, "... a big reddish coloured light was sighted about one mile west" of Casleys. It followed their vehicle, then disappeared. Six witnesses.

George McDonald and Patricia McDonald, in Feb/Mar 1975, at between 1830-1930hrs saw a strange object in the sky. Location - 5-6 miles NW of Hutt River Province. Could only be seen clearly when lightening flashed. Watched for 15 minutes. Moon, in other position and higher in the sky than the object. Witnesses got in car and tried to get closer. Travelled 6-8 miles NW of Hutt River, when it dropped below the horizon. No noise. "Exceptionally bright." White-yellowish in colour. Centre bright light was red and crescent shaped.

Cheryl and Ronald Hoskin who live on a farm 3 miles west of the Chillimony-Hutt River turnoff advised that for the last 15 months they had seen strange objects in and around their farm. .One night Ronald saw a "...bright reddish-orange light in the sky in one of their paddocks. Lit up farm equipment. Got higher in the sky, then vanished.

Item two:

Memo dated 31 October 1974 from Assistant Commissioner of Police to RAAF Pearce, forwarding UAP report from Koolan Island.

Memo dated 24 October 1975 from Senior Inspector at Broome to Commissioner of Police. Forwarding report.

Report details. Donald Percy Menhennett, Senior Constable at Broome, states event happened at 1845hrs 14 October 1974, an object flying NE of Koolan Island. Witnesses were Ronald V Lind; and J Campbell, plus Mr and Mrs D Newman. Clear sky at time.

Sketch by witness Lind - 14 Oct 1974 sighting

Lind's handwritten statement tells that on 14 October 1974 at 1845hrs he was looking SE from Cockatoo island, and saw "..a circular bright light travelling towards the Island." It was travelling fast, horizontally, until it disappeared behind land north of the powerhouse, approximately 15 miles NE of them towards Koolan Island. There was a oozing tail behind the object which was of a reddish-white colour. Behind the white front circular light was a white tail which turned to a reddish-white tail.

Item three:

Memo dated 30 Oct 1973 from Commissioner of Police to Department of Civil Aviation in Perth. Report by a Mrs Richardson of Donnybrook re a blue light on 7 Oct 1973.

Memo from Sargent at Donnybrook to Superintendent at Bunbury dates 18 Oct 1973 re Mrs Richards. Statement by John Adrian Richards about his wife's observation.

Report details. At about midnight 7/8th Oct 1973 his wife told him that upon arriving home she and seen a "...bright blue lighten our orchard." They did not investigate at the time. Later Mr Richards was driving through the orchard and found some burnt areas of ground. He called the police and they investigated. The police determined that Mr Richards had, the day before been burning off vegetation. They formed the conclusion that Mr Richards' own burn off could have caused the additional marks which he later found. Police stated that it was "...very much harder to explain" Mrs Richards observation of the blue light, although they suggested it was caused by a truck's lights on rising mist.

Item four:

Memo dated 5 May 1972, from District Superintendent Perth to Chief Superintendent.

Report details. Telephone message 1730hrs May 1972 from a Mrs V Murray of Mosman Park who saw "Something which may have been a flare...bright pink with smoke...slowly descending..." There were other reports received.

Item five:

Memo dated 24 Feb 1970 from a/g Commissioner of Police to Department of Civil Aviation re UAP in Morawa district.

Report details. Between 235hrs 14 Feb 1970 and 0015hrs 15 Feb 1970; and then again at 0430hrs 15 Feb 1970. William Charles Luscombe and wife Jean were travelling from Perenjori to Morawa. Near Bowgada there was an object to the east of Goomalling-Mullewa Road. Near Morawa they stopped this car to look at an object which disappeared shortly after this. It "...resembled a giant battleship with power lights...and in particular a powerful search light..."

Sidney Allen Olden, farmed at Bowgada reported that at about 0430hrs he saw a light in the sky"...a very bright large object....to him it appeared like a huge ship shaped mass, pointed at both ends and with lights all around the perimeter...it appeared stationary..." Soundless.

Item six:

Report details. 11 Mar 1970 telephone message. Constable Cape-Proctor at 1445hrs was at Christmas Creek Station, 60 miles east of Fitzroy Crossing. He saw a vapour trail 30-38,000 feet. Travelling NW at high speed. The trail broke then reappeared, then smoke followed to the ground. Checks revealed no missing aircraft. DCA received similar reports front he area. Possible satellite re-entry.

There are no papers dated 1955-1969 on the file then papers from 1954.

Item seven:

Memo dated 8 July 1954 from Commissioner of Police to RAAF Pearce re sighting from Denmark, WA.

Report details. Mr and Mrs E R Tonkinson saw a star-like object low on the NW horizon, changing colours. 9 Jun 1954.

Item eight:

Memo dated 21 Apr 1954 from Commissioner of Police to RAAF Pearce re sighting at Cunderdin district of WA,.

Report details. 1715hrs. 1954 Mrs VM Fulwood and her two children saw a strange object in the sky, to their west. It was round and flat, silver in colour with the Sun shining on it. It was moving fairly slowly. It appeared to be rotating up and down similar to the movement of a bird. Duration 3 minutes. Travelling east to west. It disappeared right into the glare of the Sun. Soundless.

Newsclip of one of the Cunderdin sightings

Item nine:

Memo dated 16 Nov 1953. Inspector O'Brien, Wyndham to D C Broome.

Report details. At 0545hrs 31 Aug 1953 a Mr C W McPherson of Wyndham and Mr R Stacey saw an object travelling eastwards at great speed. There was no sound. It left blue smoke in the sky at 30-40 degrees elevation for 5 minutes.

Item ten:

Memo dated 6 Mar 1953 from Commissioner of Police to RAAF Pearce re sighting around Jan 1953.

Report details. Mr R Hunter and Mr K McNamara were out fox hunting. They were 3 miles NE of Dalwallinu when they sighted an object travelling north. It passed over them. It continued northwards for 6-7 minutes, then veered SW, then continued west for 15 minutes and disappeared over the horizon. In shape, it was round, surrounded by a ring of white light. In Dalwallinu the object was seen by a Mr L Angel and K P Jeffries at about 2130hrs in the western sky. It was moving surrounded by a ring of white light. After 10 minutes it disappeared leaving a white halo of, light in the sky.

Newsclip of the Dalwallinu sighting

Item eleven:

Memo dated 24 Jan 1952 from Commissioner of Police to RAAF Pearce re a sighting.

Report details. Mr C A Bolton, Bridgetown saw a "strange aircraft." It passed over him at an estimated 2000 feet. It had orange coloured light and a green light on it but no wings. The object was first seen near the horizon in the east, tracking east to west. It gained altitude rapidly.

This concludes a summary of what was on the file.

Police documents on RAAF file of the era:

A check of National Archives of Australia file series PP 474/1 control symbol 5/5/Air, titled "RAAF Pearce, Unusual Aerial Sightings 1951-1957 reveals the originals of WA Police file documents, and additional RAAF correspondence, in the following cases:

NAA file series PP474/1 control symbol 5/5/Air

1. 28 Nov 1951. Bridgetown.
2. 31 Aug 1953. Wyndham.
3. 4 Feb 1954. Cunderdin.
4. 9 Apr 1954. Cunderdin.

This RAAF files also contains some Western Australia Police Department documents which were not found on the WA Police file, namely:

1. Eucla; Mundrabilla Station and Mandura. 28 Nov 1957.
2. Marble Bar. 4 Jul 1957.