St. Helens: Boys see silvery UFO with periscope
Three boys in Parr, St. Helens, UK, observed a shiny silver object descend to 70 feet, featuring a red flashing light and a periscope-like extension that swiveled before it ascended into a cloud moving against the wind.
Background
Witnesses and Location
On July 22, 1963 at 20:30, 12-year-old Michael Holland, Paul Lightfoot, and Keith Kerfoot were playing on waste ground opposite Redgate Drive in Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, UK.
Sighting
The group noticed a gleaming silver object that came down and halted at about 21 metres. A red light flashed on top like that of a police vehicle. A periscope-like boom appeared, turned, and retracted. The object then climbed rapidly into an oddly coloured cloud that was moving against the wind.
Significance
The case is regarded as a classic encounter with an unfamiliar object by child witnesses. No known conventional explanation fits the manoeuvres described. Cited in Flying Saucer Review (May/June 1964).