Carol listened engrossed, leaving her flower arranging momentarily.  “So what happened?”

“I turned from watching the ‘fireworks’ in the night sky and lit up a roll-up to smoke and I noticed a strange light in the sky behind our lines.  It seemed to dart about like a fly around a light bulb.  I’d never seen anything like it.  The light seemed to swirl, flicker and intensify.  I remember thinking ‘definitely not a plane,’ then I turned to ask my comrade to my left what he thought of it only to hear a crack and saw him fall.  He had been shot in the face by a German sniper and the back of his head was mush.  I ducked for cover, knowing there was nothing I could do for him and I was stunned for some time.  I don’t know how long for.  These things shake you.  Then some of the men came running crouched over along the trench shouting ‘They’ve come to air lift us out of here.  They’ve come to help us.  Come on.  Come on.’  They ran on past pointing back behind or lines.  ‘Come on Bill, come on.’  I chanced a look over the top and the odd light I had been puzzled by was nearer now, circled then shot off like a rocket.  I heard voices of my comrades calling to me but didn’t want to put my head too far up over the edge of the trench in case I ended up like poor Ted, dead beside me. 

Carol was riveted and waited for him to continue, while he paused as though wondering how to explain things.

“I heard someone call my name and shout ‘Quick.  We’re going,’ so I chanced another quick peek over, lifting my head higher up that time.  There was a golden glow and red alternating flashing lights and I saw shapes of the men in the glow and heard their voices, sounding happy and free.  I didn’t know what I was watching.  I couldn’t explain it and I couldn’t move because I was not sure what to make of it or if it was a trap of some kind.  So, I dodged back down again, rifle in hand and wondering ‘what the hell is this?’ and I saw the thing go straight up into the sky, hover a while, zig zag and then shoot off rapidly like a rocket.”

“And what was it?” Carol asked.

“You tell me!  In those days nobody had heard of UFOs let alone seen one.  How do you make sense of anything you never saw or heard of before?  All I knew at the time was I had no explanation for it and over the following hours I questioned my own sanity, thinking was I losing my marbles like the other poor sods.”

“And, now you think it was a UFO?” 

“It certainly wasn’t a plane.  No plane moves like that.  I wouldn’t admit that to everyone, but what other explanation is there?  I truly believe that those men were rescued from certain death by at least two spaceships manned by friendly aliens whose minds and technology is far superior to our own.  Those referred to as missing, presumed dead are not all buried in the mud somewhere in collapsed trenches.  Some are somewhere out there,” he pointed off into the night sky. “They’re somewhere out there.”