April 2002
Photos copyright © Tony Invergo, Tim Egercic, Ken Greene
I arrived in London on Tuesday, 9 April 2002 and after spending a couple of days there, I checked out of my B&B in the King's Cross section of London, got on the Hammersmith and City Line of the London Underground and headed towards Liverpool Street station. Once there, Ken Greene, who I hadn't seen in almost twenty-two years, found me standing outside of the ticket office. We had arranged to meet there prior to our trip and it seemed like the obvious place to meet up. I bought my round trip train ticket for 24 pounds and we departed on the 10 a.m. train to Ipswich. Ken, who had traveled all night from Newark Airport slept most of the way while I videotaped some of the trip and enjoyed the ride. Having taken trains out of London many times from 1979 - 1981, none of the scenery appeared familiar to me until we passed through a tunnel immediately before arriving at the Ipswich train station at 11:00. The taxi ride to our B&B on Woodbridge Road with tip cost nearly 7 pounds, more than the price it cost to go Bentwaters back in the early 80's. Along the way, our taxi driver pointed out our car hire place did not exist there anymore so we would have to consider other options on how to get around.
We checked in at the Lattice Lodge and were shown to our rooms by the owners Bill and Pauline. A few minutes later, Pauline brought a message to my room. I figured it was from Tony Invergo, but to my surprise it was from Don Laisure, a former D Flight SP and once roommate of mine who was now living and working in Ipswich. Don was someone else I hadn't communicated with in 21 years and I had no idea he was living in England. After failing to reach him at work and leaving a message, Ken and I began our 15 minute walk to Town Centre. Along the way, the B&B owner Bill stopped us on Spring Road and delivered a message that my friend had called and wanted me to call him. What service! After walking through Town Centre, then past the Football Stadium, we arrived at the train station and I tried to call the number Bill gave me, who I thought was Don. The number I dialed didn't work, so I called the original number Pauline gave me and was able to reach Don at his work number. I discovered later, Bill gave me Tony's cell phone number, but was one digit off. Don informed me he didn't find out about our arrival from the 81SPS website, but coincidentally he had called author Georgina Bruni in London the previous day and knowing my plans, she gave him my itinerary. He told us to walk towards town on Princes Street and he would meet us half way.
After Ken and I walked a few blocks and passing several people along the way, we were just discussing if I would recognize him when a man with a baseball cap appeared in view and I said "I think this is him". It was. After a handshake, a hug, introducing Don to Ken, and a few quick Bentwaters stories, we all headed into Town Centre and into Ipswich's indoor mall called the Butter Market Shopping Centre. Don works there as an undercover department store detective equipped with a sophisticated hidden two way radio. I'd mention the name of the store, but I don't want to blow his cover. We were shown around and then taken to another floor in the mall where we met Don's 18 year old daughter, Tasha who works in another store. Don requested a "holiday" from his boss for Friday to join us for the reunion and it was granted. Ken and I were invited to dinner at Don's that night and accepted.
After resting a bit, Don picked up Ken and I at our B&B at 6:00. We met Don's wife Linda and his 15 year old son D.L. and sat down to a great spaghetti dinner and some cold lager. Afterwards, we sat around and reminisced while drinking more beer and later I hooked up my camcorder to his television and I showed them the 1991 Unsolved Mysteries episode of the 1980 RAF Woodbridge UFO incident. I could tell D.L. was enthralled by our Air Force and UFO stories and he asked his parents if he could skip school the next day and go with us to the base. He was told "NO".
The next morning when Don came by to pick us up, D.L. was sitting anxiously in the car.
I called Tony Invergo on Don's cell phone and Don gave him directions on where to meet us. Since it was near a co-op, we all went in to buy some supplies to get us through what we expected to be a long day, but we only bought water. Tony arrived with his family a few minutes later and I handed Don my camcorder as he caught Tony and I meeting for the first time since March, 1981. Although we worked different flights, Tony and I knew each other because we arrived and departed RAF Bentwaters on the same day. Upon returning to the states in 1981, Tony, Bob Scarlett and myself all missed flights out of Philadelphia so we shared a room at a Holiday Inn in Essington, PA, just south of the airport. The next morning, Bob caught his flight home to Minnesota, Tony departed straight for Plattsburgh AFB, and I got on a TWA flight to Pittsburgh. That was the last time we all saw each other....until now. Tony introduced me to his wife of 13 years, Laura and his children Sally, age 12, Andrew, 4 and Elizabeth, 15 months. They have been living near Birmingham, England for over 4 years working as Bible teachers and this was the first time he traveled back to the old base.
After chatting for a few minutes, Tony and his family followed us in Don's car down the A1214 to the A12. Don pointed out we were traveling on a new road and the old A12, unseen, ran parallel to the new one. Nothing seemed familiar to me until we went through the town of Eyke. Deadman's curve that led up to the Eyke church had been removed and now was a basically a straight road that led up to the base.
Domestic Side
We turned left into the old base housing area, then made a right that took us down into the former domestic side of the base. We parked in the former Camelot Theater, now Angel Theatre parking lot and began to look around and take pictures. A high chain link fence separated the parking lot from where the bowling alley used to be and a smaller wooden fence lay between us and the barracks. We were tempted to go around the wooden fence, but demolition crews were hard at work on the other side, so we decided to try another time. The most amazing site for me was seeing a closed down Burger King with a drive-thru across from the Theatre.
Bowling center - now an empty lot
Tim, Ken, Tony outside barracks that are about to be demolished.
Tony Invergo at the bus stop.
Tony Invergo at old barracks, building 753, RAF Bentwaters.
Technical Side
After fifteen or twenty minutes of taking pictures, we exited the domestic side of the base and drove to the technical side. We stopped at the gateshack and reported to the guard that we were visiting the base and he directed us to the control tower. There, Linn Barringer was already inside waiting for us. I was introduced to Linn via email by Lori Rehfeldt late last year and he was very helpful in answering all of my questions and was just as much a part of the reunion as the rest of us. Linn signed a waiver for all ten of us and we were introduced to Kathy Mayes who works for the owners of Bentwaters Parks Ltd. I had been corresponding with Kathy via email a few weeks prior to our arrival to ensure we would have visitation privileges, but with Linn as our escort, she assured me there was no problem. The current owner of Bentwaters, Bill Kemball arrived and we had an impromptu ceremony where Tony, Don, Ken and myself presented memorabilia to a museum they are starting.
Don Laisure presents picture to Bill Kemball, as a donation to the Museum.
Tim Egercic hands over memorabilia for the Bentwaters Cold War Museum.
Tim, Linn, Don studying an aerial photograph of RAF Bentwaters.
Table of memorabilia, destined for the Bentwaters Cold War Museum.
Tony Invergo, Tim Egercic, Bill Kemball, Don Laisure, Ken Greenley - presentation to Bill.
After some picture taking, we all went up to the top of the control tower. The only other time I went up there was in 1980 when I was on a PP post during an alert at night. We took some pictures and chatted awhile with Mr. Kemball and then departed the control tower area to begin the real tour. Mr. Kemball had to leave us to give a group of college students a tour of the base.
Tim, Don, Ken, Tony at the welcome sign, RAF Bentwaters.
Linn had his convertible Mazda, so I rode with him as Don and Tony (and company) followed in their vehicles. Had we gone straight across the runway, we would've gone into Echo Napa, but Linn turned right onto the runway and flew down the runway going 90 mph leaving Don and Tony in the dust. We went as far as we could before running off of the end. The west end of the runway was being bulldozed and Linn pointed out how deep the layers of cement went down....about 3 feet.
From there, we passed through the Fox Napa where I pointed to a building that my friend Bob Kozminski and his ART member, Ray Bousquet were falsely accused of breaking into by our old D Flight Shift Commander. As Linn led the convoy of vehicles, he asked where I wanted to go next and I answered the WSA, but as we exited the Fox Napa, I spotted CSC and requested he stop there first.
Central Security Control - CSC
Exterior of the CSC, RAF Bentwaters.
Gun barrels inside the CSC, RAF Bentwaters.
Tony, Ken, Don, Tim by the CSC (WSC), RAF Bentwaters.
The place was as Lori Rehfeldt described it. Dark, dingy, with sheep excrement all over the floors. As everyone walked inside, I secretly gave Tony's daughter Sally a two way radio. I told her to turn it on and go inside and stand near her father. They were all in the Battlestaff part of CSC when I transmitted from the parking lot outside "WHISKEY ONE TO SECURITY CONTROL". Tony admittedly freaked out and wondered aloud "Where is that coming from?" I came in shortly thereafter and revealed I was behind the joke.
We toured all through CSC. The armory, the breakroom, offices, and the guardmount area. We took quite a few pictures and video then departed for the WSA.
WSA - Weapons Storage Area
I think this was the moment we were really looking forward to. If you worked Security, you were normally posted half of the time in the WSA and with Ken and Tony as Tower operators and myself and Tony being certified Alarm Monitors, revisiting the WSA was a momentous occasion.
I propped myself up in the passenger seat with my camcorder as Linn drove slowly down the road from CSC and into the WSA. We parked the cars across from the old Fire Team standby room and proceeded to start from the ECP (Entry Control Point) and work our way around. I pointed out to Linn an empty area where my old building, the Alarm Room used to be. I had D.L. take a picture of me in front of the fence where it once stood as everyone else roamed through the old ECP, Whiskey 3.
From there, we began a counter clockwise sweep of the area. Using the two way radios, Tony and I made transmissions using the call signs of old patrols, based on our location at the given time.
Entering the WSA (Weapons Storage Area), RAF Bentwaters.
WSA - ECP Whiskey 3.
Double fence lines to the WSA, RAF Bentwaters.
Old FT Room in the WSA at RAF Bentwaters.
Tim, Tony, Don, Ken standing in "hot row" inside the WSA at RAF Bentwaters.
Don took us to a maintenance building not too far from the ECP where he said snacks were sold. Tony and I didn't remember that, but Ken remembered sending the ART teams to pick up things for him when he worked in the tower.
As we cut across the infield towards the new Alarm/Fire Team building where Whiskey 6 (the smaller watch tower) once stood, we heard horses along the NMSA fence line. I guess they were the new guards of the place now....they definitely alarmed us.
The Alarm/Fire Team building which was built after I left in 1981 was somewhat impressive, although all of us military minded folk in the tour group wondered why it was put in a wide open area, along the fence line and subject to an easy attack. The maintenance building with the snack bar had more protection. I guess we know now which was more important. Anyway, like Lori Rehfeldt said about her Woodbridge gateshack, it wasn't my Alarm Room so I quickly lost interest, and we departed and walked down the HOT ROW, where we once stored the nuclear weapons. A few of the structures on the 600 (or HOT) ROW were opened and we looked inside. One particular structure had two old automobiles in it, so we had Ken stay inside while we closed the doors. Then, Tony and I videotaped Don talking to our cameras "Well, if you wanted to know what we were really protecting in these structures, I'll show you". Opening the doors, Ken is seen doing a Price is Right hand gesture towards the cars. Well okay......you had to be there!
Next stop, Whiskey 2.
While Ken, Don, D.L., Tony and Sally proceeded up the tower, I walked back to Linn's car to grab something. I noticed a car pulled up and parked next to Linn's. A tall gentleman got out and said "Tim?". Thinking it was someone of Mr. Kemball's employ, I said "Yes?". "Jon Saunders". Jon, a Martlesham Heath resident, Bentwaters enthusiast, and Woodbridge UFO incident researcher, found out about our reunion on Ken Kern's website and emailed me late last year. He requested to join us on our base visit and we finally got to meet.
Jon and I walked up the Whiskey 2 tower where I took pictures and captured some video footage. Jon pointed out which direction RAF Woodbridge was as I told him the story of Rick Bobo watching the UFOs from this post one early morning in December 1980. The tower was definitely higher than the tree tops and there was an excellent view of the skyline.
We exited the tower and WSA and decided to go eat at Jay's Diner, which is located not far from where the old post office was. First we circled the WSA on a new (to me) taxiway that had many aircraft parking pads and led us back to the west end of the runway. Linn fired the engine and we once again hit 90 mph down the runway. Jon's car and Don's Mazda both coughed and panted trying to keep up but in the end was no match for Linn's Miata. Tony was several minutes behind in his minivan (and family in tow) so we waited for him and Linn led the four car caravan to Jay's.
Once inside, we all ordered and finally had a chance to relax. Prices were very reasonable, the food was good and the dining area easily accommodated our group of eleven. For less than four quid, I had a hamburger, chips and a drink.
"Bunker Hill" post.
After lunch, we drove through the Echo and Alpha Napas. I pointed out to Linn a PP Post high up on a hill we referred to as Bunker Hill. I told him of the time I was posted there during an alert and my flight chief, Ray Gulyas sneaked up on me in the middle of the night. We drove past where Alpha 3 ECP used to be, over to Hangar 74 and the haunted church which Linn pointed out was not abandoned and was still in use. Heading back towards CSC, we parked the cars by the bag nasty building in search of the rumored under ground facility. If there was one, based on my conversation with Adrian Bustinza, I believed it was in this area. We searched five separate buildings armed with flashlights and never found anything that led underground, but we did find an unusual structure, surrounded by concrete walls. The building didn't have conventional doors, and we had to enter it by crawling through a large hole in the side about 3 feet off the ground. Inside was very strange. There were small narrow corridors with rooms that looked to be decontamination chambers. This is similar to what Larry Warren described in his book Left at East Gate. Unfortunately, most everything was dark and I didn't bother to bring my video camera.
After leaving those buildings, we went into another facility in the old Alpha Napa that was a clone of the one we were just in, although we didn't have to crawl in because it adjoined a normal building. Jon Saunders pointed out that this building was photographed and mentioned in Left at East Gate.
We departed Bentwaters via the new Butley gate and headed for RAF Woodbridge and Rendlesham Forest, site of Britain's Roswell.
It was a nice ride from Bentwaters to RAF Woodbridge. I have a good memory, but I kept telling Linn the whole way that nothing looked familiar. I just knew we would be turning left at some point on a road that would take us to the east end of RAF Woodbridge. We parked the cars not far from the road, and with Jon as our guide, we ventured out through the forest towards Capel Green, site of the famous 1980 UFO landing area. It was a good twenty minute hike, but I recognized the area when we arrived. Never actually having visited this area while stationed here, I reviewed my Left at East Gate CD-ROM and watched a video of the Rendlesham case on a TLC documentary and familiarized myself that way. While someone was holding one two way radio near my camcorder, Don videotaped me as I hopped the fence and walked out into the farmer's field to Ground Zero. Using the other radio, I gave a brief account of Larry Warren's story on what happened the night of 29 December 1980.
After I was through trespassing, Jon led us on a different route back. We didn't walk very far before Jon pointed out Orfordness Lighthouse, what some skeptics call the real UFO. He also pointed to a path that led to "Colonel Halt's UFO landing area", but due to time constrictions, we had to pass. On the way back, I finally had a chance to talk privately with Tony and he told me a very interesting story of how he first got into Bible study and teaching, but I'll let him share that story with everyone else if he chooses.
Once back at the parking area, we said our good-byes and thank you to Linn. Not thinking, I forgot to have my picture taken with him. Oh well. Next time Linn!
After Don dropped off Ken and I back at the Lattice Lodge, we walked a few blocks down Woodbridge Road to Papa Noel's Fish and Chips shop for take-out. On the way back, we picked up some lager and took it all back to the B&B where we possibly ate the best cod ever. We were too exhausted to go drinking at the pub across the street, so we turned in early to prepare for Day Two of our base visit.
Saturday morning, Tony and his family picked us up around 10 a.m. and we began our journey back to the bases. Fortunately there were signs pointing the way, because I don't think any of us recalled exactly how to get to RAF Woodbridge. Once there, it looked pretty much the same as it did 21 years ago, but I never realized how small the domestic side along the main road was. Proceeding up the main drag, we got as far as the old base chapel when we were forced to turn around. A fence stretched across the main road that led up to the flightline and our old training area. We parked the car and walked up to the fence behind the old Charlie Napa where I took a picture of Ken and Tony. We quickly got bored and completed our tour of Woodbridge in about 10 minutes. On to Bentwaters.
We entered through the old main gate of the domestic side and parked. Tony and I got out and began taking pictures of the BX, Commissary and what used to be the Stereo Shop and NCO Club area. Demolition crews have been leveling the domestic side for several months now. After receiving permission from the site supervisor, we drove over to the barracks area. This place has a lot of memories and I remarked how seeing the barracks again was just as important as visiting the WSA. I spent most of my two year tour living in building 754, so I was determined to go back to my old rooms...and I did, videotaping the whole time. I first went to the bottom floor where Cervantez and then Meyer and I roomed, then up to the second floor where Don Laisure, then Freddie Brown and I stayed. Both rooms were opened, but the room next door where Clarence Washington and Dock Rhodes stayed on the top floor was locked. As I had done so many times in the past, I banged on the door and called out to them "for old times sake". Building 756 was another dorm I lived in near the end, but it had been completely remodeled with exterior corridors. From the outside, 755 and 756 looked more like "No Tell Motel" than military barracks. Bathrooms were in the middle and shared by two rooms at opposite sides of the building. Tony and I walked down (what we thought was) the old path between where the bowling alley and the chow hall once stood towards the bus stop. Tony and I took pictures of each other by the bus stop, then realized the bus stop we used wasn't brick like this one, but was green metal. Oh well!
After spending over an hour there, we took a few more photos and began to leave. Very soon, the barracks will be gone and I was glad we got a chance to see them before they too were leveled. I pointed to the sidewalk and remembered the last time I walked down it in that same direction. It was my last day at RAF Bentwaters in 1981. Mine, Tony's, Bob Scarlett's, Todd Ray's, and Kirk Meyer's. Several friends from D Flight saw us off because that was the tradition we upheld back then. Don Laisure insisted on carrying my heaviest suitcase all the way to the pick up point. The Grabowski's, Karl and Diane showed up with a going away present I had to refuse because my luggage was completely full. Many pictures were taken and a lot of handshakes were exchanged, then we boarded the Motorcoach probably never expecting to return.
After leaving the domestic side, we went to our new favorite eatery, The Jays' Cafe for lunch and then bid Bentwaters a fond farewell and wondered how soon we could plan another trip back here.
Our next stop was Sutton Hoo, not too far from RAF Woodbridge. Discovered in 1939, a 7th century king and his 27 meter ship were found in a large burial mound. Excavated by English archeologists, it contained the richest Anglo-Saxon grave-goods known from that period in England and is considered the greatest treasure ever discovered in the U.K., which is now in the British Museum in London. The ship that was buried centuries ago, was hauled up a steep slope from the River Deben and a large burial chamber was erected in the middle of it. The great ship burial was the largest mound, but the cemetery contained 19 total mounds and numerous other burials, including another ship and a horse.
Due to the large amount of weekend visitors, it took us over an hour to tour the exhibition hall and the actual burial grounds. Afterwards, Tony drove Ken and I back to our B&B where we said our good-byes and agreed to stay in contact and exchange photographs taken during the trip.
Ken and I rested up awhile, then walked downtown to the Butter Market Shopping Centre to see Don and to tell him of another great day we experienced out at the base. From there, Ken went to the train station to get schedules while I waited for him across the street at the pub. Sitting down and drinking my bitter, I realized I was finally drinking my first English beer in a pub since arriving five days ago. Ken came in not long after and ordered a cider, while I finished up my bitter then quickly got a refill. It was a long walk back to the B&B and plans to call Jon Saunders and go out "pubbing" ended when I got back to my room and layed on the bed. When Ken called me on the two-way radio at 8:00 p.m., I told him I couldn't move and was skipping dinner. Thus ended day three in Ipswich.
Sunday morning, Ken took a train trip to Ely and I went to town centre to have lunch with Don. We ate in a pub not too far from where he worked and exchanged old Bentwaters SP stories. I invited him out to the Lattice Lodge that evening where I was to meet Robert McLean to discuss the 1980 UFO incident. Robert read about our reunion and found me through the 81SPS website and wanted to share with us his theory on the event.
Ken got back from Ely later that day and Robert arrived at the Lodge around 6:00 p.m. I let him watch the Unsolved Mysteries episode on the side screen on my camcorder before any serious discussion began. Jon Saunders and Don arrived a short time later and with transcripts from the famous Halt tape and a map of Suffolk County on the floor, Robert shared with us his theory of the lights Colonel Halt and the others had seen those nights in December, 1980. He meticulously pointed out where Halt was on the map when he was talking into his recorder and came to the conclusion the Orfordness Lighthouse and a Lightship in the North Sea were the lights Halt and the others were chasing.
After Don left, we went to a pub up the street where we met Jon's friend, Jon "OJ" Marsden. OJ began telling us of past UFO type experiences he had in the Rendlesham forest area. (Look for OJ's story on the 81SPS website in the near future.) Close to midnight, Ken and I said our good-byes to Jon, OJ and Robert and that ended our final full day in the Ipswich area.
The next morning at the train station, Ken and I said good-bye and saluted each other. I got on my train back to London and Ken later boarded his to Cambridge. The reunion, which Ken and I had been planning since last summer....officially ended.
Arriving in London around noon, I checked into a B&B and just rested most of the day. Georgina Bruni gave me directions to her flat where I was to have dinner at 6:00 with her, Nick Pope (author and Ministry of Defence employee) and their friend Michelle. This would be my first time actually meeting Georgina. She obtained my email address from author Peter Robbins and first contacted me several years ago while doing research for her book "You Can't Tell the People". I was instrumental in pinpointing the exact dates of the sightings, putting her in touch with tower operator Rick Bobo, helping her understand the work schedule of the different flights, and giving her my recollection of those nights which earned me a chapter in her book. Upon arriving at her flat and meeting her for the first time, it was more like saying "Hi" to an old friend and it was the same with Nick when he later arrived.
After a delicious dinner, Nick and Georgina watched the Unsolved Mysteries episode on my camcorder screen while Michelle nodded off and I leafed through privileged research material. Nick and Georgina remarked several times how the Americans did such a good job recreating the stories of Colonel Halt and John Burroughs. Nick gave me two of his autographed books and afterwards, we talked mostly about what brought us together....the Rendlesham case. We could have talked about it for hours, but I was worried about missing the last underground train out of Knightsbridge, so at 11 p.m., I reluctantly had to leave. I arranged to stop by the next day to pick up several autographed copies of "You Can't Tell the People" and then Nick made sure I got on the correct underground line and in the right direction.
My final day in London was spent touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Later, I went over to Georgina's to pick up autographed copies of her book for several of my friends back in the states, some, who put their orders in with me over a year ago. I walked Georgina out to Brompton Road, where she caught a taxi to take her to an important function that evening and again had to say "good-bye" to another friend. From there, I went to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square to spend most of my remaining British pounds on last minute souvenir shopping.
Early the next morning, I caught the Thameslink train south to Gatwick Airport and left England feeling a lot differently than I did back in 1981.
This time, I knew I would be returning.....and it wouldn't take me twenty-one years.