Sketch Plan of Locus of U.F.O. Incident, Dechmont, West Lothian, 1979.
Did you know that the West Lothian Archives have their very own X-files?
The West Lothian Archives hold a number of records charting the history of the local area and it’s people. They also hold a small collection of records describing visitors from far, far away.
On the morning of the 9th of November, 1979, forester Bob Taylor was working in the woods at Dechmont Law, Livingston, when he met with what he described as ‘robot-like creatures from a strange craft.’ His dog Lara was the only accompanying witness to this mysterious encounter which left Mr. Taylor unconscious, dazed and at the centre of what some consider one of the most significant UFO sightings of all time.
Mr. Taylor reported that two spheres covered in ‘stalks’ emerged from the bottom of the craft, made a sucking sound as they approached him, affixed themselves to his legs and emitted a smell so foul, it caused him to faint. Although Mr. Taylor insisted that the strange objects did not appear to bear any ‘menace’, he awoke quite shaken and with torn trousers. The incident was reported to the local police and it is the only known case in Scotland of an alleged alien encounter being the subject of a criminal investigation.
The Livingston UFO encounter has been widely reported and features in several books investigating claims of alien sightings. It has been thought that Mr. Taylor had an epileptic seizure caused by looking at a mirage of Venus. Could the encounter have been a complete hallucination? Many who knew Mr. Taylor insisted that he was a quiet and very honest man. What do you think?
To read records concerning Mr. Taylor’s account, view the gallery below.
