Dubbed ‘Britain’s Roswell’, the Rendlesham Forest mystery has captivated UFO enthusiasts ever since it took place 42 years ago.
On three separate nights over Christmas, military personnel were convinced they had seen strange flashing lights near to a Royal Airforce base in Suffolk.
Numerous theories have emerged regarding what they saw that night, including pranks, a distant lighthouse and even time travel.
But former detective Gary Heseltine claims to have uncovered new information about the incident that brings everything we thought we knew into question.
Controversially, he believes the mind-boggling 1980 event may have taken place over five or six nights, having tracked 17 different sightings.
On three separate nights over Christmas, military personnel were convinced they had seen strange flashing lights near to a Royal Airforce base in Suffolk
‘In simple terms, the Rendlesham case is very different from most other UFO cases because it’s not one event, it’s a series of events over consecutive nights,’ Heseltine told MailOnline.
Former detective Gary Heseltine claims to have uncovered new information about the incident that brings everything we thought we knew into question
‘For a long time it was believed there were only two events on two nights. Then over time more details came out, and we were pretty happy that it was three events over three nights.
‘As a former detective, when I re-investigated this, I did it in a chronological way as best I could to break down the incidents and the different people involved.
‘And, in the conclusion of my book, there were 17 different timed events involving numerous personnel over what is likely to be now a five to six day period.
‘New information came to me that dates the first incident to be the 23rd of December – nobody had ever heard of that.’
Back in 1980, military personnel claimed to see lights hovering in the sky and descending into the woodland on three separate nights just before New Year.
While they were allegedly convinced these shapes were alien spacecraft, it has since been brushed off as a scaremongering prank played on the US air force by Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS).
At the time, the SAS were said to have regularly tested the US security by probing the nearby perimeters of RAF Woodbridge, which allegedly stored nuclear warheads at the time of the Cold War.
On one occasion, the Brits were allegedly subjected to a brutal interrogation and beaten up by US security before being released 18 hours later after authorities intervened.
However, Heseltine claims there was more to this incident than what has been made public, suggesting that it all started with airman Steve Wagner on December 23.
Just before Christmas Eve, it’s said that Wagner investigated a strange incident near the East Gate of RAF Woodbridge as something had reportedly ‘come down’ amongst the trees.
Alongside two others, Wagner reportedly went out to investigate and in Heseltine’s book ‘Non Human‘ it’s claimed they found something quite unexpected.
Just before Christmas Eve, it’s said that Wagner investigated a strange incident near to the East Gate of RAF Woodbridge where something had reportedly ‘come down’ amongst the trees
Controversially, Gary Heseltine believes the mind-boggling 1980 event may have taken place over five or six nights, having tracked 17 different sightings
‘The airman Steve Wagner says what they came across were depressions in an equilateral triangle in this little clearing near the trees,’ Heseltine told MailOnline.
‘What he said was really significant because the depressions were all the same size and shape – they were approximately 5ft wide.
‘So the 23rd of December – if the day is accurate – and he said “I’m pretty certain it was before Christmas”, it’s a lot bigger than what happened on the night of Christmas night into Boxing Day – so hugely significant.’
As 42 years have now passed, Heseltine has largely relied on the corroboration of witness accounts to evidence these claims.
Alongside Wagner, the former detective has also investigated a number of other key witnesses including Jim Penniston, Ed Cabansag, Larry Warren and Sergeant Adrian Bustinza.
He now claims that three separate unexplained events also took place on December 27, six on December 28 and one on December 29.
One of his boldest claims regards US Lieutenant Bonnie Tamplin, who allegedly encountered an ‘unknown object’ near the site while driving.
This reportedly caused her to crash into a ditch, having lost complete control of her car.
The former detective even claims she was relieved from her duties after the incident and returned to the US in distress.
Heseltine’s claims come just as the US Senate is expecting to consider a bipartisan measure regarding UFO sightings.
Numerous theories have emerged regarding what they saw that night, including pranks, a distant lighthouse and even time travel
The 64-page UFO Disclosure Bill seeks to make all information relating to ‘unidentified anomalous phenomena’ (UAPs) public.
Heseltine believes that legislation such as this will help boost the legitimacy of extraterrestrial sightings at a time when they are often disregarded as bogus.
He thinks there is a chance that the UK may one day follow suit in its own legislation.
‘In my lifetime I’ve never seen this level of build up to something that appears to be genuinely happening,’ he added.
‘There is such an excitement building that we might get official confirmation that we are dealing with a non-human intelligence.’
