Within Allingham Files
How the Allingham Hoax Was Uncovered
The investigation linking Cedric Allingham to Patrick Moore and Peter Davies transformed the case from UFO report into a study of deception and authorship.
On this page
- The investigation by Christopher Allan and Steuart Campbell
- Links between Allingham, Moore, and Davies
- The unresolved question of motive
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Introduction
The investigation into the Cedric Allingham encounter changed the nature of the 1954 case. What first appeared to be a report of a British man meeting a visitor from Mars became, decades later, an investigation into authorship, identity, and the methods used to test extraordinary claims. The central discovery was that Cedric Allingham was not a verifiable individual but a constructed persona behind Flying Saucer from Mars, with investigators linking the deception to astronomer Patrick Moore and his friend Peter Davies.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCedric AllinghamCedric Allingham
The case became significant because the alleged hoax was not exposed through a single dramatic contradiction. Instead, researchers reconstructed a chain of clues: the absence of a genuine witness trail, similarities between Allingham’s writing and Moore’s style, problems surrounding the book’s photographs, and links between the supposed author image, Peter Davies, and Moore’s own surroundings. The investigation demonstrated how UFO claims could be examined through ordinary historical methods: checking identities, comparing documents, and tracing evidence back to its origin.[Magonia Magazine]magoniamagazine.blogspot.comMagonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?
The investigation by Christopher Allan and Steuart Campbell
The breakthrough came in 1986, when Christopher Allan and Steuart Campbell published their investigation “Flying Saucer from Moore’s?” in the Fortean journal Magonia. Their work focused on a question that earlier critics had raised but had not fully resolved: if Cedric Allingham could not be found, who had actually created the story?[Magonia Magazine]magoniamagazine.blogspot.comMagonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?
Earlier attempts to verify Allingham had already produced serious doubts. Researchers searching for the author found that he was unusually difficult to contact. His publisher gave explanations for his absence, including claims that he was receiving medical treatment in Switzerland and later that he had died, but independent confirmation of his existence remained absent. The supposed supporting witness, fisherman James Duncan, was similarly impossible to verify. These problems led some investigators, including Robert Chapman in the late 1960s, to question whether Allingham existed at all.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
Allan and Campbell approached the case as a reconstruction rather than simply a criticism of the UFO claim. They examined several surviving pieces of evidence:
- The writing style of Flying Saucer from Mars. They argued that the language, phrasing, and references showed notable similarities to the published work of Patrick Moore, the well-known British astronomer and broadcaster.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
- The author photograph. The image presented as Cedric Allingham showed a man standing beside a telescope. Investigators compared the scene with photographs connected to Moore and argued that the telescope and garden setting matched Moore’s own equipment and surroundings.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
- The alleged UFO lecture. Allingham was said to have appeared before a flying saucer group in Kent. The investigation later connected this appearance to Peter Davies, who reportedly admitted that he had impersonated Allingham at the event.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCedric AllinghamCedric Allingham
The conclusion reached by Allan and Campbell was that the book was an elaborate construction involving Davies and Moore. Their investigation did not rely on a confession from Moore; instead, it assembled a pattern of documentary and circumstantial evidence that pointed towards his involvement.[Magonia Magazine]magoniamagazine.blogspot.comMagonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?
Links between Allingham, Moore, and Davies
The suspected connection between Cedric Allingham, Patrick Moore, and Peter Davies rested on several overlapping clues rather than one definitive document naming the creators. Davies was identified as a key figure after correspondence sent through the publisher helped investigators trace him. According to accounts of the investigation, Davies acknowledged involvement with Flying Saucer from Mars but said that another person had written the main text, while he had helped disguise the author’s style. He also reportedly admitted that he had appeared publicly as Allingham.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
Patrick Moore’s connection was strengthened by the similarities investigators found between his writing and the Allingham text. Moore was already a prominent figure in British astronomy through his broadcasting work on The Sky at Night, and he had a reputation for scepticism towards claims of alien contact. This background made the alleged hoax particularly striking: the person suspected of helping create one of Britain’s best-known UFO deceptions was also known publicly as a critic of weak evidence in astronomy and UFO reporting.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPatrick MoorePatrick Moore
The photograph evidence became one of the most memorable parts of the investigation. The image in Flying Saucer from Mars showed “Allingham” beside a reflecting telescope, supposedly establishing his identity as an amateur astronomer. Allan and Campbell argued that the telescope and garden background corresponded with Moore’s own equipment and home environment, suggesting that the photograph was staged rather than a genuine portrait of an independent witness.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
The case also reflected the culture of 1950s flying-saucer reporting. Flying Saucer from Mars appeared soon after George Adamski’s widely discussed contact claims, and investigators later suggested that Allingham’s story functioned partly as a parody of the contactee literature of the period. By creating a convincing but false account, the hoaxers appeared to be testing how readily UFO groups would accept an extraordinary story supported by weak verification.[Magonia Magazine]magoniamagazine.blogspot.comMagonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?
The unresolved question of motive
Although the identity investigation produced a strong explanation of how the Allingham story was created, the exact motive remains less certain. The most common interpretation is that Moore and Davies intended the book as a practical joke and a demonstration of how easily uncritical UFO enthusiasts could be persuaded by an apparently detailed account.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCedric AllinghamCedric Allingham
The timing supports this interpretation. During the early 1950s, UFO books and contactee claims were attracting large audiences, often combining dramatic personal testimony with photographs, alleged witnesses, and claims of communication with extraterrestrial beings. The Allingham story copied many of these features closely enough to appear credible while including clues that investigators later interpreted as deliberate satire.[Magonia Magazine]magoniamagazine.blogspot.comMagonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore's?
However, the absence of a full public admission from Moore left part of the story unresolved. Sources discussing the investigation note that Moore denied responsibility and did not publicly confirm his role, despite the evidence assembled by Allan and Campbell and the later acceptance among many researchers that he was central to the hoax.[en-academic.com]en-academic.comCedric AllinghamCedric Allingham
This uncertainty is part of what has kept the Allingham case historically interesting. The mystery was not only whether a Martian had landed in Scotland, but how a fictional witness could acquire the appearance of reality through a book, photographs, a supposed lecture, and supporting testimony. The investigation into Patrick Moore’s connection transformed the case from a UFO claim into a study of authorship, evidence evaluation, and the vulnerabilities of investigative methods when faced with extraordinary stories.[Encyclopedia.com]encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.comAllingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
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Endnotes
1.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Cedric Allingham
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Allingham
2.
Source: encyclopedia.com
Title: Allingham, Cedric | Encyclopedia.com
Link:https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/allingham-cedric
3.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Patrick Moore
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Moore
4.
Source: en-academic.com
Title: Cedric Allingham
Link:https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/10959477/
6.
Source: magoniamagazine.blogspot.com
Title: Magonia Magazine MAGONIA ARCHIVE: Flying Saucer from Moore’s?
Link:https://magoniamagazine.blogspot.com/2013/10/allingham.html
7.
Source: pelicanist.blogspot.com
Title: first read waveney girvan
Link:https://pelicanist.blogspot.com/2013/12/first-read-waveney-girvan.html
Additional References
8.
Source: threadinburgh.scot
Link:https://threadinburgh.scot/2023/08/14/the-thread-about-the-scottish-flying-saucer-craze-of-1950-when-ufos-appeared-over-the-forth-and-buzzed-the-country-from-end-to-end/
Source snippet
Spaceships over Edinburgh: the thread about the Scottish flying saucer craze of 1950 – ThreadinburghAugust 14, 2023 — Image: The Lossiemo...
Published: August 14, 2023
9.
Source: spookyisles.com
Title: Cedric Allingham’s Flyer Saucer: A UFO Hoax But A Good One | Spooky Isles
Link:https://www.spookyisles.com/cedric-allingham-ufos/
Source snippet
October 6, 2023 — CEDRIC ALLINGHAM’S FLYER SAUCER: A UFO HOAX BUT A GOOD ONE By: Neil Nixon 6 October 2023 Moray, Scotland Image: Cedric...
Published: October 6, 2023
10.
Source: history.denverlibrary.org
Link:https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/western-history/man-who-hitched-ride-venus-allegedly
Source snippet
Man Who Hitched A Ride To Venus (Allegedly) | Denver Public Library Special Collections and ArchivesOctober 19, 2022 — The Straith Letter...
Published: October 19, 2022
11.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuCnwkGv_cg
Source snippet
Remarkable UFO Stories (part 1) - Lossiemouth (Update: Cedric Allingham was a hoax)...
12.
Source: marcianitosverdes.haaan.com
Title: cedric allingham 5
Link:https://marcianitosverdes.haaan.com/2023/12/cedric-allingham-5/
Source snippet
Allingham (5) | Marcianitos VerdesDecember 23, 2023 — Chapman sólo pudo confirmar que Allingham había dado la conferencia mencionada ante...
Published: December 23, 2023
13.
Source: marcianitosverdes.haaan.com
Title: cedric allingham 9
Link:https://marcianitosverdes.haaan.com/2024/01/cedric-allingham-9/
Source snippet
Allingham (9) | Marcianitos VerdesJanuary 6, 2024 — El escritor Robert Chapman hizo varios intentos de rastrear a Duncan y ponerse en con...
Published: January 6, 2024
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Lossiemouth Incident Part 2: The Author (Paranormal & Mystery)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ycVLUrymwg
Source snippet
The Lossiemouth Incident Part 1: A Man From Another Planet (Paranormal & Mystery)...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Remarkable UFO Stories (part 1)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ivY6824PJE
Source snippet
Patrick Moore on Sci-Fi and alien life...
16.
Source: tomhascallcole.com
Link:https://www.tomhascallcole.com/Flying%20Saucer%20from%20Mars.html
17.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Patrick Moore on Sci-Fi and alien life
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6wO-Sp3Zyo
Source snippet
Carl Sagan On Alien Civilizations In The Universe...