Birmingham UFO Group Case Report
Author: Dave Hodrien
Release Date: 14/04/2023
Introduction
Bill (William) Whitlock is an 84 year old gentleman from Birmingham. He regularly attends our monthly meetings in Oldbury, and it was during one of these meetings that I learnt about a fascinating UFO sighting he experienced while on active national service back in 1962 when he was 24 years old. At a later meeting I arranged to interview Bill alongside his daughter.
The Malayan Emergency (Anti-British National Liberation War) was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya, a set of states in the Malay Peninsula and island of Singapore that were brought under British law in the late 18th to mid-20th century. The war began in 1948, and was between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces of the Federation of Malaya, British Empire and Commonwealth. The MNLA fought for independendce for Malaya from the British Empire. After the war officially came to an end in 1960, numerous British troops remained in the area to maintain peace, and Bill was part of one of these troops.
Below is a photograph of a case containing the medals which Bill received (The second row - the medals in the first row were recieved by his father who also served in the armed forces):
The title at the top of the frame indicates his identification number, and PTE stands for the position he held, Private. Below this is his name, William H. Whitlock. C Coy is the name of the troop he was part of, and below this is his regiment name, the Sherwood Foresters. The two medals Bill received were the Malaysian General Service Medal, and the Malaysian Pingat Jasa, which was given to him by the Malaysian Government. Sadly his original medals were stolen, the two shown in the photograph are replacements which had to be specially ordered.
Sighting Details
In the summer of 1962 Bill's regiment was stationed at the Far East Training Centre on the Northern edge of Singapore, near to Johor Strait which separates the island from Malaya. They were at the centre for jungle training. The centre was situated on a hill giving a stunning view of Malaya to the North.
One evening Bill and his regiment (up to 20 soldiers) were sitting outside in a line on the hillside after a long day of training, facing towards Malaya. Suddenly a silver metallic domed-disc shaped object flew right overhead, brightly reflecting the sunlight! It was immediately noticed by some of the soldiers, who then pointed it out to the others. The object was at an altitude of approximately 1000 feet, and appeared to be quite large in size. Bill estimates it was about 250 feet across, similar to the length of a large commercial airliner.
It began to move away from them, first heading over the Johor Strait and then out over the Malayan jungle. It was travelling on a straight and level course at approximately 150-200 mph, and certainly appeared to be under direct control. There was no detectable sound coming from it. Bill and his regiment watched the UFO move away into the distance for about 10 minutes. They were fascinated by it, and as they watched it they discussed what it could be.
After the sighting was over, the officers of the regiment actually contacted other nearby camps to inquire as to whether it was anything that had been sent up by them. To Bill's knowledge, none of the other regiment's contacted were able to explain what had been observed.
Sighting Analysis
This is an incredible sighting of what appears to have been a genuine domed-disc shaped craft. It certainly appears to have been a solid silver-coloured object, so unusual atmospheric phenomena such as lenticular clouds or earth lights can be discounted. Due to their military background, Bill and the many other witnesses would have been very familiar with various types of aircraft in the area, both military and civilian. It certainly impressed the officers of the regiment enough to ring up other nearby camps to confirm nothing unusual had been launched, so it was clearly something out of the ordinary.
I asked Bill if it could have been a large inflatable of some kind, but he says that the path it was on was too straight, there was no noticeable drift to it at all. The shape of the object does not fit with it being a blimp, and it was moving too quickly for a drifting object.
Given it's appearance and movement, it seems likely that this was an advanced craft, possibly of extra-terrestrial origin. I have investigated many other cases where craft of this appearance have been witnessed, it is of course very much the "classic" flying saucer! It is great that it was witnessed by not just Bill, but also the rest of his regiment. As the UFO disappeared into the distance over the jungle, there is the possibility that it was also witnessed by others from different vantage points.
Unfortunately Bill has not kept in touch with any of his old regiment. Searching for the incident online has not come back with anything, so at present I am unable to speak with any of the other witnesses, but welcome the opportunity should it arise.
The sighting made a lasting impression on Bill, and decades on he still clearly remembers what he and his regiment witnessed. His genuine excitement in sharing the details with me was wonderful to see. I am extremely grateful that he has come forward to share this information and get this stunning sighting down on record. If you have any information relating to what was seen, please get in touch.
Copyright Dave Hodrien 2023