Editing Rendlesham Forest Incident — Complete Timeline


== Rendlesham Forest Incident — Complete Timeline ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date / Time !! Event !! Type !! Source
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| December 25–26, 1980 (~3:00 AM) || British Astronomical Association confirms fireball meteor over southern England; security patrol at RAF Woodbridge east gate observes lights descending into Rendlesham Forest || Initial sighting trigger || BAA records; Halt Memo
|-
| December 26, 1980 (~3:00–5:00 AM) || Penniston, Burroughs, and Cabansag enter forest; Cabansag and Burroughs eventually identify lights as farmhouse and lighthouse; Penniston claims close approach to triangular craft || Night One main events || 1981 witness statements; Penniston subsequent accounts
|-
| December 26, 1980 (~4:00 AM) || Suffolk Police called; attend east gate; report seeing only Orfordness Lighthouse lights || Police response || Suffolk Police records; Halt Memo
|-
| December 26, 1980 (~10:30 AM) || Ground impressions found in forest clearing; plaster casts taken by Penniston; Suffolk Police attend; attribute impressions to animal activity || Physical evidence discovery || Halt Memo; police records
|-
| December 26–27, 1980 (Night Two) || Sergeant Bustinza and others report additional anomalous light phenomena in or near forest; Conrad dispatches additional personnel || Night Two events || Bustinza account; Halt memoir
|-
| December 27–28, 1980 (early hours) || Lt Col Halt leads investigation team into forest with Geiger counter, starlight scope, and cassette recorder; records the Halt Tape; observes flashing light and star-like objects || Night Three — the Halt investigation || Halt Tape; Halt Memo
|-
| January 13, 1981 || Halt writes and sends the Halt Memo to UK Ministry of Defence; subject: "Unexplained Lights" || Official documentation || Halt Memo
|-
| 1981 || Halt obtains witness statements from Buran, Burroughs, Cabansag, Chandler, and Penniston; original statements preserved || Witness statements || Released by researcher James Easton, 1997
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| 1983 || Ted Conrad quoted in OMNI Magazine acknowledging witnesses "saw something" || First public account || OMNI Magazine, March 1983
|-
| July 1983 || Brenda Butler obtains copy of Halt Memo through researcher network; introduces it to UFO community || Memo enters public record || Butler accounts; Sky Crash (1984)
|-
| 1984 || ''Sky Crash: A Cosmic Conspiracy'' published by Butler, Street, and Randles; first book-length treatment || First book || Sky Crash
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| 1984 || A copy of the Halt Tape falls into researchers' hands; original later obtained by Sci-Fi Channel || Tape enters public record || Multiple sources
|-
| 1984 || Nick Pope later confirms he was aware of Rendlesham files at MoD during his career; DI55 assessment document exists in MoD files || MoD awareness || Pope accounts
|-
| September 1994 || Jim Penniston undergoes regression hypnosis; claims to recover binary code transmission received from craft || Hypnosis disclosure || Penniston accounts
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| 1997 || Researcher James Easton obtains original 1981 witness statements from participants; publishes them || Statements become public || Easton research
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| 2000 || Georgina Bruni publishes ''You Can't Tell the People''; includes photograph of alleged landing site || Research publication || Bruni book
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| June 2010 || Halt signs sworn affidavit asserting extraterrestrial origin and government cover-up || Sworn statement || Halt affidavit
|-
| 2010 || Conrad gives statement criticizing Halt and Penniston; states base saw nothing like Halt's descriptions || Command dismissal || Conrad statement
|-
| 2014 || ''Encounter in Rendlesham Forest'' published by Pope, Burroughs, and Penniston || Major proponent book || Publisher records
|-
| 2015 || The Telegraph reports both Burroughs and Penniston diagnosed with PTSD related to the incident || Health disclosure || The Telegraph
|-
| Ongoing (2015–2025) || Burroughs pursues classified medical records; congressional intervention; VA grants service connection for heart condition || Medical records battle || Congressional records; VA determination
|-
| 2020 || Nick Redfern publishes ''The Rendlesham Forest UFO Conspiracy'' proposing government experiment theory || Alternative theory || Redfern book
|-
| 2023–2025 || UAP disclosure era renews mainstream interest; Rendlesham cited in congressional discussions of historical UAP cases || Modern context || Congressional records; news media
|}

[[Category:Ufology]]
[[Category:UFO]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Government Installations]]
[[Category:Rendlesham Forest]]
[[Category:Bentwater]]
[[Category:Sightings]]
[[Category:England]]