The Charlton Crater

In July 1963 farmer Roy Blanchard found a crater measuring approximately 1 foot deep and 8 feet across in one of his potato fields at Manor Farm, Charlton, Wiltshire. At the centre of the crater was a hole some 3 feet deep. The discovery of the crater proved to be of great interest to the press and television news. The Army, and various scientific experts arrived at Manor Farm to conduct an investigation of the crater. Perhaps the crater was connected with an unexploded wartime bomb? The Army bomb disposal squad determined that there was no bomb. Metal was found in the crater which was later identified as magnetite, in the Charlton area magnetite occurs naturally in the ground. Roy Blanchard was convinced that there was only one possible explanation as to the crater's origin, a Flying Saucer! Although Mr Blanchard admitted 'I didn't actually see it', he then added 'but what else could it have been? Obviously some craft from outer space since it sucked out my barley and potatoes when it took off.'



A rather curious character by the name of Dr Randall, who claimed to be an Astro Physicist, informed the press that the crater had been formed by a flying saucer from Uranus! The press reported the Dr's claims, and so fuelled speculation about the strange nature of the crater. Questions about the crater were raised in the House of Commons, it was conluded that as it stood the business could not be entirely explained .


Note both of the images that appear on this page are taken from the Channel 5 television documentory The British UFO Files.