Mystery of the Solway Firth Spaceman photo

Image: Jim Templeton from BBC Look North 2008 interview

Back in the year 1964, a fireman captured one of the most controversial photos ever taken in Burgh Marsh, this area overlooks Solway Firth in Cumbria, England. It is here, where the infamous Solway Firth Spaceman photo was taken. The day was sunny, as a father named Jim Templeton took some photos with his wife and daughter.

At first, Jim didn’t think much about the photos he had taken. Like anyone would hope for, they would want the photos to look good, after being developed. Back then, digital photography was nothing more than mere fantasy at the time. Some things however, inevitably come true.

Jim’s famous photo, was believed to be an accident—due to his wife standing with her back towards the camera. Her dress then, would appear white from the overexposure that happened while the shot taken. This is still just an assumption and not a fact.

Jim’s photo, would bring him worldwide attention for years to come, often from many magazines, newspapers and ufologists alike. When Jim received his photos back from the Kodak company, he was shocked to see a spaceman standing behind his daughter. The first publication that printed a story about Jim’s photo, was the Cumberland News (a local newspaper). Within hours, it was spread across the world.

These were his words, “I took three pictures of my daughter Elizabeth in a similar pose—and was shocked when the middle picture came back from Kodak, displaying what looks like a spaceman in the background.”

After receiving so much attention over his photos, eventually he would be visited by several government men, who simply refused to provide any kind of identification about who they were except the numbers 9 and 11. (Was this some kind of past connection to the American 9/11 incidents?)

It is believed, that these men were/are in fact The Men in Black. An anonymous group of men (dressed in dark clothing) who pursue and possibly threaten people, who have been visited by aliens and/or other paranormal type encounters.

While communicating with them, Jim said these men behaved rather unusually. They insisted that Jim ride with them to the photo location. Jim then explained that he had not seen the figure while taking the photo. These men suddenly became very angry, leaving Jim to walk home. Considered not only a fireman and photographer, Jim was also a local historian as well.

Later in life, Jim would pass away on November 27th, 2011. His photograph remains one of the greatest mysteries in paranormal history to date. There have been supposed claims of this being solved, yet no real evidence has been openly accepted yet. Jim’s photo has since become iconic in the paranormal community.

(Source: Wikipedia)