The Solway Firth Spaceman
A father took a photo of his daughter on the marsh, and when it was printed, a figure in a white suit stood behind her.
What was reported
On 23 May 1964, Jim Templeton, a firefighter, took photographs of his five-year-old daughter Elizabeth on Burgh Marsh, near the Solway Firth. One of the prints showed a tall figure in what looked like a white spacesuit and helmet standing behind her. Templeton said no one else was there.
Kodak found nothing wrong with the film. The picture was widely published, and Templeton later said he was visited by two men in suits who questioned him.
Explanations offered
Analysts noticed that Templeton's wife, Annie, was with them in a pale blue dress. They suggest the figure is her, seen from behind, overexposed into white and too far back to look her size. Templeton never accepted this.
- When
- 23 May 1964
- Where
- Burgh Marsh, Cumbria, England
- Witnesses
- Jim Templeton and his family
- Status
- Probably explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.