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Twelve - In Memoriam Mrs. Margaret Fry
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Margaret Ellen Fry (née Costello) was born on the 9th of April 1926, to British parents, her father in the military serving in India where Margaret was actually born and raised in her formative years. Her life at first in India was one of privilege, a large house, grounds and personal staff. When eventually uprooted and relocated to Britain, she at first thought the small and crowded streets were composed of houses which children might play in. She'd seen nothing like it previously and at first was no fan of this fused group of nations.
It is safe to say her ufological interests were solidified totally once she experienced along with others, the Bexleyheath UFO. She was also wise to the seedier side of the British state when her father who once here worked in the atomic energy industry, himself died and in her words to me 'stripped the house of almost everything'.
It took months and in some cases years to get back the personal effects taken and some were never to be seen again. The paranoia and secrecy of the day left nothing to chance. This left a very bitter taste in her mouth.
Armed with these experiences, her interest in UFOs grew and grew. In time she surfaced as one of the UK's leading researchers, gathering what could be gathered under a very primitive system compared with today's high-tech' world, trying to make sense of a subject purposely refuted by the military and subject to organised ridicule. Despite this, she and other dedicated researchers refused to buckle under the pressure and soldiered on.
She eventually ended up in North Wales and it was here she uncovered details of the Berwyn UFO event on the 23rd of January 1974, a case now synonymous with her name. Little did she know what uncovering that gem would lead to.
By the early 1990s, there was a full on campaign of disinformation being fed to UFO researchers to way-lay them. Margaret Fry was no stranger to subterfuge.
I came to know Margaret in late 2002/early 2003, thus I have had the good fortune to have known this remarkable woman for some 20 years. That was a taster for me, as others who knew her for many, many decades would experience even greater honours from knowing her and sharing her belief in extraterrestrial visitation to Earth.
It is safe to say her ufological interests were solidified totally once she experienced along with others, the Bexleyheath UFO. She was also wise to the seedier side of the British state when her father who once here worked in the atomic energy industry, himself died and in her words to me 'stripped the house of almost everything'.
It took months and in some cases years to get back the personal effects taken and some were never to be seen again. The paranoia and secrecy of the day left nothing to chance. This left a very bitter taste in her mouth.
Armed with these experiences, her interest in UFOs grew and grew. In time she surfaced as one of the UK's leading researchers, gathering what could be gathered under a very primitive system compared with today's high-tech' world, trying to make sense of a subject purposely refuted by the military and subject to organised ridicule. Despite this, she and other dedicated researchers refused to buckle under the pressure and soldiered on.
She eventually ended up in North Wales and it was here she uncovered details of the Berwyn UFO event on the 23rd of January 1974, a case now synonymous with her name. Little did she know what uncovering that gem would lead to.
By the early 1990s, there was a full on campaign of disinformation being fed to UFO researchers to way-lay them. Margaret Fry was no stranger to subterfuge.
I came to know Margaret in late 2002/early 2003, thus I have had the good fortune to have known this remarkable woman for some 20 years. That was a taster for me, as others who knew her for many, many decades would experience even greater honours from knowing her and sharing her belief in extraterrestrial visitation to Earth.
She was old school. A pioneer of Ufology in Britain who became a global name within the subject, giving talks and tirelessly chasing down witnesses to UFO events in a world of handwritten or typed letters at the mercy of snail-speed postal services. A tedious if exciting business which required more than a modicum of patience.
In her last few years, her memory had deteriorated but she was still very mentally alert. She passed on the 8th of August 2021 amidst a large family of multiple generations. Myself and researcher John Hanson were delighted to be the only non-family members present at her funeral. We were further delighted to be the recipients of her years of work, something she had confirmed in her will a decade earlier. She lies at rest with her husband Ron in St Hilary's church, Llanrhos, Llandudno.
Scott L. Felton.
In her last few years, her memory had deteriorated but she was still very mentally alert. She passed on the 8th of August 2021 amidst a large family of multiple generations. Myself and researcher John Hanson were delighted to be the only non-family members present at her funeral. We were further delighted to be the recipients of her years of work, something she had confirmed in her will a decade earlier. She lies at rest with her husband Ron in St Hilary's church, Llanrhos, Llandudno.
Scott L. Felton.
Scott Felton constructs a memorial to Mrs. Margaret Fry
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