Welcome to Mysteries over Martinis! This blog is a mix of unexplained phenomena and personal encounters served up with a mystery-themed cocktail. It’s a recipe for intrigue!

Old Fashioned Photo Bomb

Ingredients:

1.5 oz high quality rye or bourbon

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp water

2 dashes bitters

1 orange slice

1 maraschino cherry

Ice

In a shaker, muddle sugar, water and bitters. Add rye or bourbon. Shake with ice, and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

The Mystery of the Solway Firth Photograph

May 26, 1964 was a gorgeous spring day in Carlisle, England. Jim Templeton, a local firefighter, decided to take his wife and two young daughters on a family outing to a serene inlet known as the Solway Firth. Along their scenic stroll, Jim stopped at a clearing so he could snap a photo of his daughter Elizabeth in her new dress. Elizabeth sat on the ground posing with a small bouquet of flowers. He took a series of 3 photographs in quick succession while his wife and daughter Francis stood behind him. Nothing seemed odd about the family excursion until Templeton had his photos developed days later. The chemist who processed the pictures mentioned that the photos turned out great but it was a pity the best shot of Elizabeth was spoiled by the big man in the background. He was puzzled by this statement. He could not recall anyone being behind Elizabeth while taking the photographs.

Upon inspection, the first and third photograph appeared normal. However, the second one captured the image of a strange figure in the distance behind Elizabeth. It bears a striking resemblance to a person wearing a spacesuit and helmet. Templeton insisted that nothing could have encroached on his photo when he snapped it. His wife and Francis were situated behind him as he took the photographs of Elizabeth. He decided to contact the local police regarding the strange anomaly. They referred him to Kodak, the film manufacturer, to see if they could provide an explanation. Kodak could not find any evidence that the film had been tampered with and could offer no explanation for the image. In fact, Kodak was so confident in their analysis that they offered a lifetime supply of film to anyone who could debunk it or provide a suitable explanation. A prize which has never been claimed. The story made its way to the local newspaper and from there a media storm ensued.

“We went on a normal outing and picked our spot. We sat down and I said, ‘Now I’ll get some photos of you with the new dress on’, never expecting this to happen.” Templeton recalled in a BBC interview from 2008.

Many people have suggested that the image is not of a spaceman, but of a real human being. If you refer to the photo below, it appears to be the back of a man wearing a cap. It is possible Templeton did not notice the person in the background because the viewfinder on the camera he was using was known to only show about 70% of what was actually in the frame. Another explanation could be that he was so fixated on Elizabeth that he didn’t notice the intrusion. Others believe the image is of the mother, Annie Templeton. She is shown kneeling on the grass next to Elizabeth in the second photo below. This seems to be a completely reasonable explanation, but the story doesn’t end there. It gets weirder.

A short time after the story hit international headlines, Templeton claims that he was visited by two men while he was working his shift at the fire station. The men were dressed in black suits and had pulled up in a black Jaguar. They told Templeton they were government officials but did not offer any identification. They referred to one another as “Number 9” and “Number 11”. They asked Templeton to take them to the site where the image was captured. Once they reached the location, they bombarded him with questions about where he stood, where Elizabeth sat, the weather conditions and even the behavior of the animals. Templeton recalled that the animals were huddled together that day, which seemed odd because they usually were scattered all over the firth. Their next question baffled Templeton. They asked him where the second figure was located. Templeton responded that he did not see a second person. In fact, he’d never seen the first. This information seemed to agitate the men causing them to become hostile. Templeton became increasingly suspicious at this point and refused to cooperate any more. The men threatened him never to speak of the event. They retreated back to their car and left Templeton behind where he had to walk back to town.

The Men in Black (MIB) are a phenomenon typically reported after a witness speaks publicly about a UFO sighting. These witnesses claim to receive an unexpected visit by 2-3 men dressed in black suits, black hats who seem devoid of human emotion. Many describe them as intimidating and sinister. They urge witnesses not to discuss their encounters. Templeton described the men he spoke with as awkward and having broken grammar. The experience was very unsettling for him. One theory is that the MIB are not human at all. They have been described as having pale, plastic-like skin, over-sized eyes and robotic mannerisms. Another belief is that the MIB are part of a covert organization of the government used to suppress public information regarding UFOs and the existence of extraterrestrials. No government agency has ever confirmed the existence of the Men in Black. When the Ministry of Defense was questioned about Templeton’s visitors, they denied ever having anyone investigate the case.

Shortly after the photo frenzy emerged, another strange story surfaced in Woomera, Australia. Woomera was the location of the test facility running trials with the Blue Streak rocket. Blue Streak was Great Britain’s first intercontinental ballistic missile. It was designed to serve as a nuclear deterrent weapon in the Cold War. The warhead was supposed to be tested shortly after Templeton took the famed photo. It had to be aborted during the countdown because a camera at the facility showed two unknown figures dressed in white roaming around the launch pad. These men could not be accounted for. According to Templeton, the test facility requested a copy of the negative. He was then told that the two figures looked similar to the image in his photograph. Could there be a connection between the two men spotted at the launch site and the two figures the MIB questioned Jim Templeton about? These two events occurred just days apart. Geographically, there seemed to be no connection. However, it was discovered that the missile was assembled at RAF Spadeadam base, which is situated only 25 miles from Solway Firth.

The plot thickened once more. Not long after the famous “Solway Firth Spaceman” photo was taken, a UFO was unknowingly captured on film in Big Sur, CA. A squadron was dispatched from Vandenberg AFB to film the test launch of the Atlas rocket. This rocket, like Blue Streak, was an intercontinental ballistic missile. Lt Robert Jacobs was the cameraman filming the test launch. After the launch, he had the footage developed for analysis. Once it was complete, Jacobs was called in by his superior officer to review the footage. When he arrived, there were two men dressed in dark suits who never identified themselves. The four men watched the video. Jacobs described what he witnessed, “Something flew into the frame. What I saw was a circular object. It was a classic flying saucer and it shot a beam of something at our warhead. You have to imagine this thing is flying along at several thousand miles per hour and something comes in to the frame chasing it.” He continues to describe the UFO as encircling the missile while shooting beams at it. Jacobs was asked what he thought it was. He said, “It looks to me like we got a UFO.” His superior office responded, “You are never to say that again. As far as you’re concerned, Lt Jacobs, this never happened.” He was then reminded of the severity of a security breach and asked to leave. The footage has never been seen since.

These instances could all be a series of coincidences. Perhaps, Templeton failed to observe someone invading the viewfinder of his camera and the final result gives the illusion of a spaceman. It’s possible the two subjects at the launch site were two workmen who may have been wearing protective gear giving the appearance of spacemen. The photograph was certainly top of mind so it would have been easy to make that leap. The incident at Big Sur could have been mistaken identity or even a hoax. These are the most logical explanations, but let’s explore some of the more intriguing theories.

The Men in Black story throws a wrench into the mix. Although, MIB reports go back to 1945, I’m not sure how publicized the phenomenon would have been in 1964. There’s a chance Templeton was aware of the MIB claims and made it up to deepen the mystery. It seems unlikely, though. He never once tried to monetize on his experience and he stuck with his story until he died in 2011.

World War II marked the beginning of an influx of UFO activity. Many believe this is because the threat of nuclear weapons caused concern among our intergalactic and/or inter dimensional counterparts. The detonation of catastrophic weapons would surely have an adverse effect beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The concept that these nuclear missiles may have been purposely tampered with to prevent disastrous events is fascinating. Some people believe extraterrestrials are responsible for the image on the photograph of Elizabeth Templeton and the interference with the two missiles. However, there’s another theory that has arisen. If you asked yourself who would benefit most from the prevention of cataclysmic events on our planet, the answer is simple. It would be humans. There are people who have theorized that the “spacemen” are time travelers coming back in time to prevent the worst disasters ever known to mankind. It’s a wild claim but the universe seems to be a far stranger place than we realize. It’s now been 50 years and the Solway Firth Spaceman photograph still keeps many people guessing as to what Jim Templeton captured that sunny day in England.

If you’ve had a mysterious encounter you’d like to share, please e-mail me and be sure to like the Mysteries over Martinis Facebook page. Weirdness is always welcome!