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The 1954 French flap:

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SEPTEMBER 30, 1954, QUINCY-VOISIN, SEINE-ET-MARNE:

Reference number for this case: 30-sep-54-Quincyvoisin. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

REPORTS:

[Ref. 1689:] "LE PROVENCAL" NEWSPAPER:

SAUCERS (CONTINUED)

The "flying mushroom" prevented the courageous roadmender from approaching within less than 150 meters

Coulommiers (A.C.P.).

Bernard Goujon, roadmender of the Bridges-and-Roadways in Coulommiers, and a fellow worker, Armand Pichet, will from now on believe in the "flying saucers" or at least in "flying mushrooms". Here is why:

"Thursday evening, states Goujon, we were picking, Pichet and me, on the road of Maisoncelles in Meaux, close to the airfield of Quincy-Voisin when, around 5 p.m., within 500 meters from us, it happens that we see a kind of enormous mushroom shining like aluminum."

Bernard Goujon is a strong solid 30 years old chap, coloured, certainly not very subjected to hallucinations, and he does not chicken out. While his comrade hides in a ditch, he rushes through the fields towards the craft.

On three crutches

"As I advanced, he explains, I distinguished it more clearly: it resembled a large mushroom of three meters in diameter approximately, resting on three crutches. On the higher part, there was a cabin on which three portholes were arranged."

Still running, Goujon arrives at a hundred and fifty meters near of the craft, and at this point in time the "thing" happened:

"Suddenly, he says, I felt stopped short in spite of me. I feel

    Continued on page 4
    under the headline
    THE SAUCERS

THE SAUCERS

Continued from the first page

on all my body, electric ticklings, my sight gets blurry and... I experience the most awful fright of my life."

Numerous testimonies

Thirty or forty seconds passed, then the machine rose slowly, rotated and disappeared at full speed without noise, neither flame, nor smoke.

The account by Goujon was confirmed not only by his comrade Pichet, but also by many cyclists who were on the road and who observed the extraordinary craft too.

All the travellers of a bus also saw the flying saucer of Foussignargues

Bessèges (C.P.).

We reported in our Friday issue under which conditions M. Louis Roche, roadmender domiciled in Revêty, had seen, as well as his wife, a mysterious luminous craft posed in a meadow near his country house.

Many testimonys came to corroborate these assertions.

In the same night of Sunday to Monday, a bus returning from Vals-les-Bains passed in FoussignarguesFoussignargues around 02:30 in the morning and continued its travel in the direction of Gagnières.

At the crossroads, a passenger stopped, Mrs. Julien and one [illegible: of her sons]. These two people regained Besseges by foot. At this point in time Mrs. Julien pointed out to her son a sort of rocket going downward, of yellow and red color with a white circle in the bottom.

During this time, the travellers in the bus which hasted towards Gagnières saw, at the same hour, a red light in the sky.

These various statements correspond to those of Mr. and Mrs. Roche. We made a point of reporting this back with objectivity.

A written question to the Minister for the Air in connection with the "flying saucers"

Paris (A.F.P.).

In a written question, Mr. Jean Nocher, deputy of the Loire, shared with the Secretary of State to the Air the emotion caused in the public by the many and various testimonys concerning the "flying saucers."

He asks him "whether his predecessors at the Secretariat of State to the Air had been concerned, as in the United States and in the U.S.S.R. since long years, to open an investigation on the presence of unidentified flying objects in our atmosphere.

"If yes, he asks him the publishable results of these investigations, if not, he asks him to constitute a largely wide commission with all the interested scientific branches in order to study this phenomenon objectively by separating the truth from the mistales and the possible hoaxes."

[Ref. 72:] "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE" NEWSPAPER:

WHEN ARRIVED AT 150 METERS OF THE SAUCERS, I FELT PARALYZED AND MY SIGHT WAS DISTURBED
States a road worker of Seine-et-Marne.

Several roadmenders of the Highways Departments which worked under the rain on the road from Coulommiers to Meaux, not far from the airfield of Quincy-Voisin, stated to have seen a flying saucer. One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30 years old, claimed to have seen a strange apparatus of oval shaped, measuring approximately 3 meters in diameter, and 2,50 meters height, in a field on the left of the road, at approximately 200 meters of him, at the bottom of a small wood of poplars. He said it was landed on the ground on three rather high crutches. Its higher part comprised a small translucent cupola that seemed made of plastic. The entire machine was of a metal shining like aluminium. Mr. Goujon told that he had wanted to approach the craft, but when he came at approximately 150 meters of it he felt irritations as if an invisible electric ray had been darted on him. I felt as if paralyzed, he said, and my sight was slightly scrambled. I then saw the saucer rise very slowly, without noise, in the same manner than a falling leaf to 25 meters off the ground. It stayed there one moment then, still without noise and without any luminous trail, then it disappeared at high speed. Traces deep of approximately 10 centimetres were found on the ground.

AND NOW, FLYING SNAILS

Two ladies of Perth (Scotland) which, before telling their adventure, swore to have taken only tea, saw two of these phenomena travelling in the sky. They had, the stated, a round shape followed by a tail and irrisistibly evoked snails, but snails which would have been in an extreme hurry... Not wanting undoubtedly to be beaten in the field of the topicality, Mrs. Coolen from Halifax claims on her side to have seen strange object flying in the sky, in the shape of beer quill, with yellow tails. These bottles flew ten times faster than the fastest plane, if one believes this witness.

ROUTINE APPEARANCES

Let us announce for the record, these being of disgusting banality, a flying cigar equipped with powerful lights resembling neon lights, above Jordan, and also six red saucers, from where a bright light emanated, which flew over the chain of Karawankeuen, in Carinthia.

[Ref. 1655:] "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE" NEWSPAPER:

DAILY SAUCERS
In the Nord, a mystifier built machines with yellowish and orange reflections!

A retired miner, of Beuvry-les-Béthune, known in his commune as a prankster, did not miss the occasion offered to him by the mystery of the flying saucers, to have fun on the residents of the nearby localities...

Inspired by the system of the Montgolfier, the restired chap manufactured machines which reached three meters in diameter. The envelope was made of strong gray paper sheets, carefully stuck. At the "saucer's" base was a small receptacle in which a tuft of packing soaked with a flammable liquid rested. It was then enough to ignite the packing to make the machine to rise and disappear at the liking of the winds, surrounded by yellowish and orange reflections. It is after the discovery, close to a haystack in which one of these machines had nearly set fire, that the gendarmes were brought to suspect the pensioner. One was to discover besides at his place many "flying saucers" models, prototypes which their inventor was preparing to launch in the sky of the Nord. The mystifier claimed that he already had built and launched more than one thousand of these machines. The ex-miner will undoubtedly be condemned to infringments for dangerous recreations.

THE FLYING SAUCER OF MAISONCELLES WAS THE RESULT OF THE IMAGINATION OF A ROADMENDER

Roadmenders who worked at the edge of the road of Coulommiers-Meaux, had stated to have seen, several days ago, in a field, community of Maisoncelles, a flying saucer resting on three crutches. One of them, Mr. Goujon, had even claimed that within 150 meters of the machine, he had been paralysed by an electric ray. The Gendarmerie of Coulommiers decided to question the witnesses. Several retracted immediately by declaring that they had a bad sight, that they were not sure of what they had seen, or that they saw nothing at all. The principal interested, Mr. Goujon remained very firm in his statements. So the Gendarmes took him along on the location, in the presence of some scientific personalities, on the other hand one photographed the holes left by the machine.

ON BOARD FLYING SAUCERS, GEOGRAPHERS OF ANOTHER WORLD DRAW UP THE MAP OF THE EARTH!

In the worldwide controversy on the flying saucers, a man comes to take a categorical position, which will not fail to cause many comments. Mr. Duncan Fletcher, vice-president of the astronomical association of Kenya, and a known astronomer, claims that "on board flying saucers, visitors from another world observe the earth and probably draw up the geographical map of it! For Doctor Flecher, innumerable reasons militate in favour of the existence of many planets able to harbour life. This life probably differs in a very considerable way of life as we know on Earth. Are the beings visiting the earth large or small, do they have blood in the veins, do they even have veins? Many questions which will have a response only to the moment when these beings decide to contact the humans. The most encouraging fact of the affair, added the Nairobi scientist, is that the unidentified flying objects do not appear to be piloted by beings having hostile intentions with regard to the inhabitants of our planet...

[Ref. 1386:] "EVENING STAR" NEWSPAPER:

In France, Rumors Are Flying...
Or Maybe They Are Saucers

PARIS. -- Readers of the classical ad columns of the Brest Telegramme blinked recently at the following notice:

REWARD

Offer of 10 million francs (1000000) to any one who brings me a live inhabitant of planet Mars. Contact PRE in LOCRONAN (Finistère).

It may that that Mr. Pre has his tongue in his cheek and a good more than 10 million francs in his pockets. But considering what is going on in Europe these says you never know...

Cedric Allingham, if his interest has been more mercenary than scientific, might have warmed up. Mr Allingham is a [unreadable]. He is also a professional ornithologist and an amateur astronomer. His big chance came last February 18, about 3:30 p.m. on his course of a stroll between [... unreadable]

[(Allingham claimed to have met Venusians...] chances of earning Mr. Pre's reward, he has no corner on the Martian market. Within recent weeks, European newspapers have been flooded with scores of hardly less intriguing reports:

On the night of September 10, near Quarouble in Northern France, an oblong machine about 10 feet long landed on a railroad track a few yards from the house of farmer Marius Dewilde. Two small man-like creatures emerged, dressed in costumes that looked like divers' suits. As Mr. Dewilde walked towards the machine, he was paralyzed by a green light. By the time he recovered, the machine was high in the sky. Further investigations showed symmetrical scrapes on the wooden railroad ties, suggesting that the object had rested on a tripod undercarriage.

The same evening a farmer named Antoine Mazaud of the Plateau of Millevache in Southern France turned in a similar report to the local authorities. Walking home, Mr. Mazaud had found himself suddenly face to face with a small, mysterious stranger, wearing something that looked like a crash helmet. Farmer Mazaud prudently extended his pitchfork. The stranger, on the contrary, held out his hands in a gesture of friendship, walked up, uttered a few sounds, and kissed Mr. Mazaud on the cheek. Before the farmer could recover his poise, the amiable intruder has climbed the roadside hedge and entered a cigar-shaped contraption which took off with a faint buzzing sound.

On September 24 at 10 a.m. in the Gardunha Mountains near the Spanish border, three Portuguese peasants were stratled by a fast flying sphere which landed in a field 200 yards from them. This time, two tall creatures emerged in shiny metallic outfits and started collecting grass and stones in a brightly polished box. Spotting the peasants, they strolled over and invited the men by gestures to climb into their machines, where moving shadows could be seen behind the semitransparent center section. when the offer was declined, the strangers disappeared through a hatch. A few seconds later, the sphere took off vertically and rapidly disappeared. [In Portugal, a hoax, case file here.]

"Flying Mushroom"

On September 30 at 5:10 p.m. Bernard Goujon and Armand Pichet were working on the road between Maisoncelles and Meaux when a "flying mushroom" eight feet wide settled gracefully nearby. Mr. Pichet, from a vantage point in the roadside ditch, urged Mr. Goujon to "run over and have a look." According to Mr. Goujon's report to the gendarmes, the mushroom seemed to be made out of aluminum and rested on three crutches. It took off as he approached "spiraling like an autumn leaf" and was lost in the clouds. Next morning the

authorities duly noted three deep imprints in the ground.

On October 5 at 7:16 a.m. another roadworker named Gustave Narcy was bicycling to work near Wassy near Paris when he noticed an unusual looking creature climbing out of a 30-foot cigar. Mr. Narcy's description was very precise. The stranger was 3 feet 11 inches tall. His body was covered with hair. He was wearing a large orange corset and a helmet made of plush. A moment of mutual staring ensued after which Mr. Narcy said good-morning. The stranger, apparently unreassured, scrambled back into his fuselage and flew away. An investigation of the spot revealed skid-marks on the grass and a strange milky substance.

Reports like these are run-of-the mill, chosen at random from literraly hundreds of similar incidents that have been brought to public attention within the last few weeks. The stories have an interesting mixture of variety consistency. The flying whatnots are always luminous by day or night. They are described as saucers, mushrooms, cigars, barrels, spheres and chamber pots. The pilots vary in size as well as wardrobe, ranging in size from dwarfs to giants. In all cases, the visitors have been pictured as mannerly but timid. In several cases the use of harmless weapons has been reported - in several others the intruders have shown an interest in collecting vegetable and mineral specimens near at hand.

The scientists have come up with plenty of explanations. A report from Russia that the past summer has been unusually hot on Mars has led to the journalist deduction that the Martians are coming over for a breath of fresh air. The summer in Western Europe has been anything but hot. In Africa, the vice-president of the Astronomic Association of Nairobi suggests that Mars in conducting a geographic survey of the Earth, concentrated presently on Europe and Africa. Professor Herman Oberth, the German scientist who designed the V-2, has a theory that the unearthly visitors are really intelligent plants called "Uranides", millions of years more advanced than human beings. The politicians are also getting into the act: in France Jean Nocher, Gaullist deputy from the Loire District, has formally demanded an investigation by the Secretary for Air.

All of which, probably, proves very little. Except that people in Europe today have more serious things to worry about than rearming the Germans. And that if Mr. Pre of Locronan is daft, he has, at least, plenty of company.

[Ref. 415:] MICHEL CARROUGES:

Michel Carrouges indicates that on September 30, 1954, at 05:10 p.m. whereas the sun set at 05:30 p.m., close to the airfield of Coulommiers-Voisin in the Seine-et-Marne, roadmenders Goujon and Pichet worked under the rain, picking the road.

Suddenly Goujon sees withing 500 meter from there, in the fields, "a kind of enormous mushroom shining like aluminum." He immediately thinks that it is a flying saucer, leaves his comrade there and runs towards the machine through the fields.

His remarks reported in the newspaper France Soir for October 3, 1954 are quoted:

"I distinguish the saucer more and more clearly. It indeed resembles a large mushroom of three meters in diameter approximately. On the higher part, a cabin with three portholes and the entire machine rests on three crutches posed in triangle."

But arrived within 150 meters, he suddelny feels paralysed, with his sight scrambled, and he feels electric ticklings.

After 30 or 40 seconds, he saw the machine taking off slowly up to 20 or 25 meters of altitude, then it "disappeared suddenly" "as if sucked by the clouds."

Goujon also specifed that there was no engine noise at all during this takeoff. The observation was confirmed by Pichet, the other roadmender, and also by cyclists who rode on the road and also saw the object.

[Ref. 438] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

The two authors indicate that in Maisoncelles-en-Brie in the Seine-et-Marne, on September 30, 1954, according to newspaper clips and their personal file, two roadmenders of Coulommiers, Bernard Goujon and Armand Pichet, worked on the road of Coulommiers in Meaux when their attention was suddenly drawn by a curious craft which lost altitude quickly and landed 300 meters from them, beside a square of poplar. Automatically, Bernard Goujon looked at his watch and noted that it was 05:10 p.m..

The authors report his account:

"I wanted to go closer. But when I arrived at approximately 150 meters, I was literally nailed on the spot by an invisible force. I have however much better considered this machine: it rested on three crutches, and was approximately 6 meters in diameter. A few seconds later, it rose from the ground in the most complete silence. It became very luminous, and moved away very fast, at a speed quite higher than that of planes."

[Ref. 557:] PIERRE DELVAL:

In his chapter on the cases of paralysis or drousiness of UFO witnesses during their experience, Pierre Delval indicates 12 cases from the French flap of 1954, among those, that in Coulommiers-Voisin in the department of the Seine-et-Marne on September 30, 1954 at 05:30 p.m..

Bernard Goujon, roadmender, aged 30, was under the rain when his colleague Armand Pichet showed him a shining object posed with 500 meters from there in a field.

Pichet became afraid and hid, Goujon decided to go to see more closely.

The object resembled a mushroom posed on three crutches and had a cupola on the top with three portholes.

When Goujon was within 150 meters of the "thing", he was stopped in the middle of his race and in impossibility of making any move, not being able neither to advance, nor to move back.

He felt ticklings, as if he were electrified, and at the same time, his sight was scrambled.

30 to 40 seconds later, the craft took off and the witness recovered the use of his members.

There was an investigation by the gendarmerie which allowed the discovery of three traces laid out in triangle, those of the crutches. The account by Goujon was confirmed by Pichet as well as by cyclists who passed on the road.

ILLUSTRATION:

I thought that this illustration of this sighting came from the French press of the time, specifying that I did not have the exact source. Fortunately, a colleague scholar ufologist found out. He wrote to me (April 2006):

"In the case of Coulommiers-Meaux, the very realistic illustration (in the Radar or Detective style) does not seem to come from the French, but Italian, press." He found it in in the Michel Figuet files as full page with a mention "Giornale de Misteri", and he will check if he can give more details later on.

EXPLANATIONS:

Not looked for yet.

KEYWORDS:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Quincy-Voisin, Seine-Et-Marne, Meaux, Coulomiers, road workers, Bernard Goujon, Armand Pichet, multiple, silvery, silver, shiny, dome, cupola, effects, traces, paralysed, close encounter, landing, aluminium, rashes, electric, blinded, sight, Gendarmes, official, investigation

REFERENCES:


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