The Solway spaceman photo was taken by Jim Templeton.
The picture was taken on Burgh Marsh, situated near Burgh by Sands, which overlooks the Solway Firth in Cumberland, England.
On 23 May 1964, Jim Templeton took some photographs of his five-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, while on a day trip.
Templeton stated the only other people around were a couple of old women sitting in a car and his wife, Annie. He insisted that no one else was in the shot when he took the photos.
When the photos were developed, he was shocked to see in one photo what he described as a spaceman.
Aftermath and publicity
There was something that obviously concerned Templeton about the photo as he took it to Carlise police station. The police examined the photo and declared that there was nothing suspicious about it.
Kodak examined the photo and confirmed that it was genuine.
The Cumberland News picked up the story and within hours of this, it went viral, as we would say now!
The visit
Templeton claimed he was approached by two men who said they were from the government. The men refused to show any ID and said they were identified by number only! Which is odd and would have been a red flag for me!
Templeton took the two men to the site where the photo was taken. They must have asked him if he had seen the figure, to which he replied no. When he said this, the two men became very angry and drove off, leaving Templeton to walk home!
Templeton was adamant that the men were not actually official government personnel but someone playing a prank.
I do have some questions about this incident. If he didn’t believe that they were from the government, why did he get in the car with them in the first place? I am not saying I don’t believe him, but there is no way I would get in a car with two strangers who claimed they were from the government and wouldn’t show ID. I would politely shut the door.
A simple explanation?
Dr. David Clarke met the Templetons while researching one of his books. He states that he came away from the meeting believing that Jim Templeton was telling the truth and believed he caught something unusual in his photo. However, Dr. Clarke does not believe there is anything paranormal or mysterious about the photo at all.
Dr. David Clarke points out that the figure could actually be Annie, Jim’s wife, standing with her back to the camera. The photo was overexposed, which caused the pale blue dress she was wearing to look white. He also added that Annie had short, dark bobbed hair.
With the particular type of camera Templeton had, it would have been difficult to see everything that was in the shot, as you can only see 70% through the viewfinder. So if Annie had accidentally walked into the shot, he may not have seen her.
Templeton maintained that his wife, Annie, was standing behind him when he took the photo.
If you look at the way the figure’s arm is bent, it does appear that the figure is facing away from the camera.
A photo of its time?
Dr. David Clarke and many others have pointed out that UFOS was a popular topic during this time. For example, in 1947, there was the Roswell incident, and we cannot forget the space race that began in 1955.
Many books have been written on the subject of UFOs. In 1956, Gray Barker published his book, ‘They knew too much about flying saucers. This particular book discusses the idea of the Men in Black, who were said to appear to witness who saw UFOs, often warning them to keep quiet
Those who viewed the photo at the time may have seen a figure in a white suit wearing a helmet with a dark visor. A spaceman!
As Dr. Clarke rightly mentioned, if Templeton had taken the photo, say in Victorian times, the viewer may have seen a ghost. A popular subject at the time.
To our eyes, we may see an astronaut.
So are we seeing what we want to see—something that fits with the theme of our time?
What do you see?
A spaceman?
A hoax?
Or is it simply someone accidentally stepping in front of the camera?
Join the discussion and let us know here.
Look at more odd photos here.