If one dares to venture beyond the crime-ridden streets of London and set one's cap northwards, a veritable feast of British wonders
lay ahead in your journey. For those living outside of the capital, there seems to be an inborn knowledge that today's world perceives
London as where the main population reside and the rest of the country is rolling fields, barren moors and hamlets of suspicious folk
who dabble in pagan ways.
So we'll cater for that impression and tell the tale of The Ilkley Moor Alien.
Tuesday 1st December 1987, and there was this fellow that the internet tells us went under the nom de plume of 'Philip Spencer'.
This chap was a retired Policeman that had worked in another part of the country-which is standard for many budding constables,
and now had returned to where his wife's family resided.
The small town of Ilkley in West Yorkshire was known as a spa town through it's long history, with alleged therapeutic waters bubbling
up from the deep underground fissures of the rocky land around it. Ilkley is supposedly the old British word for 'rock' and just south
of the town, White Wells Bathing House was the place to go for an invigorating respite sucked from that subterranean aggregate.
The surrounding moorland also holds vast amounts of ancient exposed stones that reveal strange carvings and hints of a time
when Londoners would have been correct when speaking of superstitious shepherds and wary villagers. The Twelve Apostles Stone
Circle (not the Scottish one) sits high on Burley Moor and for a visitor, the landscape it resides in endorses the feeling of an
uncultivated land and similar-minded people.
Ilkley can also boast that Yorkshire's unofficial anthem proclaims its name "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at". Which for those back in the capital
and the rest of the world, translates to 'On Ilkley Moor Without A Hat'! A lover's lament to another about the cold effects of being on
the moor without the appropriate head-wear.
Anyway, back to the account.
Philip Spencer decided on the first day of December to cross Ilkley Moor in order to visit his father-in-law's house East Morton.
There have been a number of reports of UFOs over the area, along with odd lights that seem to come and go. So Mr. Spencer
decided to take his camera and hopefully get some photographs of the strange light tricks of the moor.
It remains unknown whether he wore a hat.
Doubters speak of the close proximity to Menwith Hill Military Base and Leeds Bradford Airport as the cause for the lights. Some
even dare to speak of atmospheric ghost lights and flatulating boggy areas. But for the pragmatic Philip Spencer, a photograph of
the phenomena would be enough.
He had loaded his camera with ASA rated film to get the best quality pictures he could in the less than perfect lighting conditions
and set his feet on the narrow tracks that cross the bracken and heather-strewn terrain. Mr. Spencer had also brought along a
compass to help find his way across the moor on the off-chance the track led away from his destination.
It seems that as he scanned the landscape before him through his viewfinder, the objective of visiting his relations dissipated.
For there near a bush at the base of higher ground was a strange-looking being standing in the fog.
The small figure was on the track ahead of him and as Mr. Spencer took aim and photographed the small creature, the oddly-shaped
unknown slipped away from sight. Maybe it was instinct that Policemen carry with them to pursue the truth or maybe it was just a
level-headed curiosity of a practical man alone on the moors.
But whichever it was, Philip Spencer set-off after the shambling, squat stranger that didn't like cameras.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=5716]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=5716)
As he ran toward to where Spencer guessed the being had gone, he was stunned to see an unknown flying craft with a dome on top
rising up from the moor grounds ahead of him. In his astonishment, he watched the object speed away into the morning sky and the
camera in his hand was forgotten.
Mr. Spencer waited for a time to see if the UFO or the alien creature might return, but all was quiet across the moor.
Whether the retired Policeman continued to East Morton or not is unknown, but wondering about the creature he'd snapped, he made
his way to the nearest village to get his photograph developed.
During his journey, he noticed that his compass was pointing south instead of north and wondered if it was connected to the encounter.
Arriving at the village, he also noticed that his watch was two hours behind. Arriving at the village, Mr. Spencer realised his timepiece was
correct and that meant somehow out there on the misty swale, he'd lost time.
After the photograph was developed -a significant part of the account that was never investigated, the image of the creature on the moor
was very blurry, but it is still quite evident that there is some type of being present.
It wasn't long before the media and UFO investigators got wind of the encounter and that blurred photo became a must-see.
The image that Spencer took was first analysed by a wildlife expert. He concluded that whatever was in the photograph was not any
known animal. There was no way to ascertain if the subject of the photograph was a living creature or not just by looking at the picture.
A recreation of the setting of the photograph was undertaken, and it was estimated that the figure was about four feet tall.
An analysis of the photograph was done by Kodak laboratories in Hemel Hempstead. They concluded that the object was indeed
part of the original shot, and not added later.
The photograph was then shipped to America to be enhanced by computer, and analysed. Dr. Bruce Maccabee, optical physicist
with the United States Navy and a keen UFO researcher, gave his expert conclusion: "I had great hopes that this case would prove
definitive. Sadly circumstances prevent it from being so."
It must be said that Philip Spencer made no money from his photograph, and relinquished all rights to the photograph to UFO investigators.
With Spencer being a well respected man, and not given to making up stories, it can be said with certainty that he lost about an hour on the
moor, saw an unknown flying object of some type, and took a photograph of some unknown creature on that chilly Tuesday morning.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=5717]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=5717)
The above photograph shows UFO researcher Arthur Tomlinson standing in the exact spot where the ‘creature‘ stood.
Shortly after the sighting, Spencer began to tell a UFO investigator named Peter Hough about strange “starry dreams” that he was
experiencing. Hough, being familiar with abduction cases and missing time, suggested to Spencer that he could use hypnosis.
A session was scheduled on March 16th, 1988 with Dr. Jim Singleton and UFO researcher Arthur Tomlinson.
What follows is part of the transcripts and commentary (in parenthesis) from Peter Hough from the session that night:
And to most, that was it. The creature on Ilkley Moor was never explained and media's interest moved on. Philip Spencer had lived
through a UFO encounter and the event -if we accept his interpretation during hypnosis, was a warning that we should mend our ways.
The Channel Tunnel construction was initiated by France and the UK and Kylie Minogue releases her single 'I Should Be So Lucky'.
Christmas came and went and 1988 promised another year of the all the things that makes the UK what it is.
But before Philip Spencer took his hypnosis session in March of 88, there was someone who was still interested in that blurry picture.
Just a month or so after that unusual trek across Ilkley Moor, there was a knock of Mr. Spencer's door.
It was a Friday evening and on opening the door, Philip Spencer was greeted with the sight of two men of middle age wearing similar
attire to what many refer as 'The Men In Black'. Both men showed Spencer their Ministry of Defence identification badges that showed
their names were dubiously Jefferson and Davis.
Spencer, not knowing what to expect from the two visitors-but appreciated officialdom, invited them inside. One of the alleged agents,
Jefferson, told him that they had come to discuss his encounter the month before on the Ilkley Moor.
This took Mr. Spencer by surprise, since he had only told three people at that time about what had occurred in the Moor, and all were
civilians.
The two men were very well versed on the case, and asked him a number of questions about what had happened in December, 1987.
Not sure how to react, and yet afraid to offend them in case they were officially government officials, he told them about the photograph
he had taken.
Spencer, not wanting to have the photo confiscated, lied to the two men, and told them that a friend of his had the photograph.
In fact, the UFO investigator Peter Hough had the photograph, and was having it analysed at the time.
Almost immediately the two men seemed to lose interest in questioning Spencer any further.
They left almost as quickly as they had arrived.
It seems that the two 'Men in Black' -even though they had knowledge of the Ilkey Moor events, did not realise there had been a photo
taken until Spencer told them so. When they realised that the image of the alien was not immediately accessible to them, they had no
more business with the eyewitness.
The photograph appeared in all the tabloids and Philip Spencer's statement was butter-patted to suit the narrative of the silly-season.
By 1989, sceptics were announcing that the squat creature standing on the sheep track was actually an insurance salesman taking a
short-cut to visit a client. There are even comments of the mysterious salesman pushing a bicycle in the photograph!
So what was it...? A human mistaken for an alien, a cardboard cut-out for the sake of fame or what the retired Policeman said it was?
The traditional 'little green man'?!
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=5718]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=5718)
lay ahead in your journey. For those living outside of the capital, there seems to be an inborn knowledge that today's world perceives
London as where the main population reside and the rest of the country is rolling fields, barren moors and hamlets of suspicious folk
who dabble in pagan ways.
So we'll cater for that impression and tell the tale of The Ilkley Moor Alien.
Tuesday 1st December 1987, and there was this fellow that the internet tells us went under the nom de plume of 'Philip Spencer'.
This chap was a retired Policeman that had worked in another part of the country-which is standard for many budding constables,
and now had returned to where his wife's family resided.
The small town of Ilkley in West Yorkshire was known as a spa town through it's long history, with alleged therapeutic waters bubbling
up from the deep underground fissures of the rocky land around it. Ilkley is supposedly the old British word for 'rock' and just south
of the town, White Wells Bathing House was the place to go for an invigorating respite sucked from that subterranean aggregate.
The surrounding moorland also holds vast amounts of ancient exposed stones that reveal strange carvings and hints of a time
when Londoners would have been correct when speaking of superstitious shepherds and wary villagers. The Twelve Apostles Stone
Circle (not the Scottish one) sits high on Burley Moor and for a visitor, the landscape it resides in endorses the feeling of an
uncultivated land and similar-minded people.
Ilkley can also boast that Yorkshire's unofficial anthem proclaims its name "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at". Which for those back in the capital
and the rest of the world, translates to 'On Ilkley Moor Without A Hat'! A lover's lament to another about the cold effects of being on
the moor without the appropriate head-wear.
Anyway, back to the account.
Philip Spencer decided on the first day of December to cross Ilkley Moor in order to visit his father-in-law's house East Morton.
There have been a number of reports of UFOs over the area, along with odd lights that seem to come and go. So Mr. Spencer
decided to take his camera and hopefully get some photographs of the strange light tricks of the moor.
It remains unknown whether he wore a hat.
Doubters speak of the close proximity to Menwith Hill Military Base and Leeds Bradford Airport as the cause for the lights. Some
even dare to speak of atmospheric ghost lights and flatulating boggy areas. But for the pragmatic Philip Spencer, a photograph of
the phenomena would be enough.
He had loaded his camera with ASA rated film to get the best quality pictures he could in the less than perfect lighting conditions
and set his feet on the narrow tracks that cross the bracken and heather-strewn terrain. Mr. Spencer had also brought along a
compass to help find his way across the moor on the off-chance the track led away from his destination.
It seems that as he scanned the landscape before him through his viewfinder, the objective of visiting his relations dissipated.
For there near a bush at the base of higher ground was a strange-looking being standing in the fog.
The small figure was on the track ahead of him and as Mr. Spencer took aim and photographed the small creature, the oddly-shaped
unknown slipped away from sight. Maybe it was instinct that Policemen carry with them to pursue the truth or maybe it was just a
level-headed curiosity of a practical man alone on the moors.
But whichever it was, Philip Spencer set-off after the shambling, squat stranger that didn't like cameras.
As he ran toward to where Spencer guessed the being had gone, he was stunned to see an unknown flying craft with a dome on top
rising up from the moor grounds ahead of him. In his astonishment, he watched the object speed away into the morning sky and the
camera in his hand was forgotten.
Mr. Spencer waited for a time to see if the UFO or the alien creature might return, but all was quiet across the moor.
Whether the retired Policeman continued to East Morton or not is unknown, but wondering about the creature he'd snapped, he made
his way to the nearest village to get his photograph developed.
During his journey, he noticed that his compass was pointing south instead of north and wondered if it was connected to the encounter.
Arriving at the village, he also noticed that his watch was two hours behind. Arriving at the village, Mr. Spencer realised his timepiece was
correct and that meant somehow out there on the misty swale, he'd lost time.
After the photograph was developed -a significant part of the account that was never investigated, the image of the creature on the moor
was very blurry, but it is still quite evident that there is some type of being present.
It wasn't long before the media and UFO investigators got wind of the encounter and that blurred photo became a must-see.
The image that Spencer took was first analysed by a wildlife expert. He concluded that whatever was in the photograph was not any
known animal. There was no way to ascertain if the subject of the photograph was a living creature or not just by looking at the picture.
A recreation of the setting of the photograph was undertaken, and it was estimated that the figure was about four feet tall.
An analysis of the photograph was done by Kodak laboratories in Hemel Hempstead. They concluded that the object was indeed
part of the original shot, and not added later.
The photograph was then shipped to America to be enhanced by computer, and analysed. Dr. Bruce Maccabee, optical physicist
with the United States Navy and a keen UFO researcher, gave his expert conclusion: "I had great hopes that this case would prove
definitive. Sadly circumstances prevent it from being so."
It must be said that Philip Spencer made no money from his photograph, and relinquished all rights to the photograph to UFO investigators.
With Spencer being a well respected man, and not given to making up stories, it can be said with certainty that he lost about an hour on the
moor, saw an unknown flying object of some type, and took a photograph of some unknown creature on that chilly Tuesday morning.
The above photograph shows UFO researcher Arthur Tomlinson standing in the exact spot where the ‘creature‘ stood.
Shortly after the sighting, Spencer began to tell a UFO investigator named Peter Hough about strange “starry dreams” that he was
experiencing. Hough, being familiar with abduction cases and missing time, suggested to Spencer that he could use hypnosis.
A session was scheduled on March 16th, 1988 with Dr. Jim Singleton and UFO researcher Arthur Tomlinson.
What follows is part of the transcripts and commentary (in parenthesis) from Peter Hough from the session that night:
Quote:JS– I want you to cast your mind back to the 1st December last year when you set off across the moor.
I want you to clear your mind back to that and I want you to re-experience that. I want you to tell me
what you experienced.
Spencer– I’m walking along the moor, oh! its quite windy. There is a lot of clouds. Walking up towards
some trees. I see this little something, can’t tell, but he’s green it’s moving up towards me.
Oh! I’m stuck I can’t move and the creature still coming towards me.
I’m stuck and everything gone fuzzy.
I’m, I’m floating along in the air I want to get down!
I still can’t get down and I don’t like it.
I’m going round this corner and this green thing is in front of me.
Oh God! I want to get down! (long pause) (breathing faster)
There’s a there is a big silver saucer thing there’s a door in it.
And I don’t want to go in there. (worried sound in his voice) (sigh) Everything gone black now. (pause).
JS– you say everything gone black?
Spencer– Mmm! I can’t see anything like I’m asleep, can’t hear anything.
(short pause) There’s a bright light now.
Can’t see where it’s coming from?
I’m in a funny sort of room I can hear this voice saying don’t be afraid.
I don’t feel afraid anymore.
I can still see this green thing but I’m not afraid anymore of it.
I’m being put on a table.
I can move now if I want to, but I don’t feel frightened any more and there’s a beam like a pole it’s above me
it’s moving up toward me. It’s got a light in it like a fluorescent tube. It’s coming up from my feet I can hear
that voice again saying “we don’t mean to harm you and don’t be afraid.
” Makes me feel warm as it moves up me it’s coming up over my stomach towards my head.
Close my eyes I don’t want to look at it in case it hurts my eyes.
It’s gone! (pause) there is something my nose feels funny (shows movement of nose) that’s gone as well,
I’m standing up now I don’t know how I got stood up?
I can see a door there is one of these green creatures motioning for me to come with him.
Don’t really want to go with him. I’d rather stay here I don’t feel afraid in here (pause).
JS– Can you tell me what’s happening now?
Spencer– I’m walking towards a door there is still a bright light there is light all around want to know where
its coming from its just bright all around. Walking down a corridor there is a window.
Oh! God!(sounds shocked)is that real? (deep sigh) (pause) (sounds afraid) don’t want to be up here want
to be down there?
I can hear that voice again saying you’ve got nothing to fear.
Its pretty though didn’t realise it looked so pretty.
(What Jon was looking at through the window was the earth seen from high in space just like the Apollo astronauts
saw. I’ve gone past the window now I’m walking down a corridor. (long pause)
JS– What’s happening now?
Spencer– Come to the end of the corridor.
There’s a hole opened in it so I can walk through. I’m in a big room-a big round room, I’m on a raised platform
against the wall. My camera and compass are trying to get away from me. Going towards the ball.
It’s difficult to pull them back down again, and this balls moved round with strange its got some blocks on it he
says we can't stay in here to long he wants us to go out again the holes closed in the wall its gone strange he says
I’ve got nothing to fear but Id still like to go home (pause) its got such big hands.
JS– What’s happening now?
Spencer– Going down a corridor again.
Its very bright still I wish I knew where the light was coming from.
And there is another door, going through a door it’s an empty room two of those green creatures have come with me.
There’s a picture ,it’s starting to move on the wall wonder how they get the pictures?
JS– Can you tell me what’s happening at this point?
Spencer– I’m looking at the pictures on the wall. (long pause)
JS– Pictures on the wall?
Spencer– Mmmm. Creatures seem concerned at the damage that its doing.
Picture changing now there’s another picture, another film he’s asking me a question he says do you understand?
I said yes. It’s time to go. Everything gone black. I’m walking up the moor again,
I’m walking near some trees. Some movement –I can see something.
A green creature. I’ve shouted to it. It’s turned round. I don’t know what it is.
I’ll photograph it it’s turned around now. It’s moving quick want to know what it is.
I’m running after it, it’s gone round a corner, I can’t see it now.
There’s … There is a saucer (laughingly), big silver saucer! It’s disappeared? I’m walking on down gone past the trees.
JS– What’s happening now?
Spencer– I’m going home. It’s ten o’clock on the town hall clock. Can’t really understand it was only eight o’clock.
JS– You mentioned some green creatures. Would you try to describe them to me?
Spencer– It’s quite small. He’s got big pointed ears, it’s got big eyes. They’re quite dark, he hasn’t got a nose he’s
only got a little mouth. And his hands are enormous. And his arms are long. He’s got funny feet.
JS– Funny feet?
Spencer– They’re like a V shape like two big toes. Must be difficult to walk like that. He shuffles rather than walks.
I don’t feel afraid of him although he looks odd.
JS– You mentioned big hands? Can you say anymore about the hands?
Spencer– It’s got three big fingers, like sausages. Big sausages. They’re just very big. Bigger than my hands.
JS– About how tall would you say these creatures are?
Spencer– It’s about four foot. Comes to the lump on my stomach. He’s about as high as –just a bit bigger than my
stomach is.
JS– Okay. Now I wonder if I can ask you another question? you mentioned a film?
Spencer– There were two films.
JS– Two films?
Spencer– One was lots of scenes of destruction like on the news. Can see lots of waste going into the river, and
people like Ethiopians who are starving. It’s not very good, it’s not very nice.
JS– Want to say anything more about that film?
Spencer– It’s much of the same thing, only different.
JS– What about the other film then? Do you want to tell me about it?
Spencer– I’m not supposed to.
JS– I’ll leave that up to you entirely, do you want to say anything about that?
Spencer– I’m not supposed to tell anyone about the other film, it’s not for them to know.
JS– Is there any thing more?
Spencer– No.
And to most, that was it. The creature on Ilkley Moor was never explained and media's interest moved on. Philip Spencer had lived
through a UFO encounter and the event -if we accept his interpretation during hypnosis, was a warning that we should mend our ways.
The Channel Tunnel construction was initiated by France and the UK and Kylie Minogue releases her single 'I Should Be So Lucky'.
Christmas came and went and 1988 promised another year of the all the things that makes the UK what it is.
But before Philip Spencer took his hypnosis session in March of 88, there was someone who was still interested in that blurry picture.
Just a month or so after that unusual trek across Ilkley Moor, there was a knock of Mr. Spencer's door.
It was a Friday evening and on opening the door, Philip Spencer was greeted with the sight of two men of middle age wearing similar
attire to what many refer as 'The Men In Black'. Both men showed Spencer their Ministry of Defence identification badges that showed
their names were dubiously Jefferson and Davis.
Spencer, not knowing what to expect from the two visitors-but appreciated officialdom, invited them inside. One of the alleged agents,
Jefferson, told him that they had come to discuss his encounter the month before on the Ilkley Moor.
This took Mr. Spencer by surprise, since he had only told three people at that time about what had occurred in the Moor, and all were
civilians.
The two men were very well versed on the case, and asked him a number of questions about what had happened in December, 1987.
Not sure how to react, and yet afraid to offend them in case they were officially government officials, he told them about the photograph
he had taken.
Spencer, not wanting to have the photo confiscated, lied to the two men, and told them that a friend of his had the photograph.
In fact, the UFO investigator Peter Hough had the photograph, and was having it analysed at the time.
Almost immediately the two men seemed to lose interest in questioning Spencer any further.
They left almost as quickly as they had arrived.
It seems that the two 'Men in Black' -even though they had knowledge of the Ilkey Moor events, did not realise there had been a photo
taken until Spencer told them so. When they realised that the image of the alien was not immediately accessible to them, they had no
more business with the eyewitness.
The photograph appeared in all the tabloids and Philip Spencer's statement was butter-patted to suit the narrative of the silly-season.
By 1989, sceptics were announcing that the squat creature standing on the sheep track was actually an insurance salesman taking a
short-cut to visit a client. There are even comments of the mysterious salesman pushing a bicycle in the photograph!
So what was it...? A human mistaken for an alien, a cardboard cut-out for the sake of fame or what the retired Policeman said it was?
The traditional 'little green man'?!
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.
