In December 1980, the twin military bases of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England, became the site of a documented encounter with unidentified lights. Over several nights, United States Air Force personnel reported seeing metallic objects and celestial phenomena that defied immediate explanation.
While the event is often discussed in the context of extraterrestrial theories, the factual record rests on official military memos, audio recordings, and police logs. The reports began with a security patrol and escalated to an investigation led by the deputy base commander, creating a detailed timeline of events that remains a primary focus of aviation and military history in the United Kingdom.
The First Encounter at East Gate
Around 03:00 on December 26, 1980, a security patrol near the East Gate of RAF Woodbridge observed lights descending into Rendlesham Forest. Thinking a civilian aircraft had crashed, three airmen—John Burroughs, Bud Steffens, and Jim Penniston—entered the woods to investigate. They reported a glowing, metallic object that illuminated the forest with colored lights.
Penniston described the object as roughly three meters (about ten feet) across and two meters (6.5 feet) high. As the men approached, the object moved through the trees. Local police arrived shortly after 04:00 but reported seeing only the distant Orford Ness lighthouse.
Physical Evidence and Radiation Checks
The following morning, personnel returned to the clearing and discovered three triangularly placed depressions in the soil. They also noted burn marks on the bark of nearby trees. Two nights later, on December 28, Deputy Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt led a second team into the forest to conduct a formal investigation.
Using an AN/PDR-27 radiation survey meter, the team recorded readings of 0.07 milliroentgens per hour in the depressions, which was higher than the background levels of 0.03 to 0.04 milliroentgens per hour found in the surrounding area. Halt recorded his observations in real time on a micro-cassette, noting a “flashing red light” and “star-like objects” in the sky.
The Official Halt Memorandum
The most significant piece of documentation is a formal memorandum written by Lieutenant Colonel Halt to the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) on January 13, 1981. Titled “Unexplained Lights,” the memo detailed the sightings, the physical indentations, and the radiation spikes.
The MoD reviewed the report and concluded that the events did not pose a threat to national security. Consequently, they did not launch a full-scale military inquiry. The “Halt Memo” was eventually made public in 1983 through a Freedom of Information Act request in the United States.
Explanations and Discrepancies
Skeptics and researchers have provided several factual alternatives for the sightings. Astronomers noted that a bright fireball meteor was visible over southern England at the exact time of the first sighting on December 26. Additionally, the Orford Ness lighthouse, located five miles (eight kilometers) away, was one of the brightest in the United Kingdom and sat directly in the line of sight of the observers.
Local police logs recorded that the “landing marks” in the clearing were consistent with those made by local animals. Despite these findings, the audio tapes and the official memo remain the primary source material for the event.