Royan entity encounter — 1954

Mr and Mrs Labassière, whose surname appears in several spellings, reportedly observed an unusual display while driving from Saintes toward Royan around 21:00 in October 1954. The commonly used date is 18 October, although later sources also give 11 or 19 October. Contemporary newspaper accounts published on 20–21 October preserve the basic story, with differences in detail. The couple likened the aerial appearance to a swaying balance: one end glowed orange, the other red, with a brilliant green connection between them. They said the objects became stationary, separated and landed in a nearby field. Small figures allegedly crossed between the two vehicles and exchanged places before the objects departed with a dazzling flash. Some reports describe two figures in total, while others describe two from each craft; later authors also disagree about whether the green connection reappeared. No detailed faces, clothing, equipment or independently authenticated physical evidence accompanied the recovered sequence. Its presence in several later books does not create additional independent witnesses. The plate follows the two-figure version during the landed phase, without adding the earlier aerial bridge or later departure flash. Portraits, craft dimensions and surface details are illustrative, and the varying figure counts remain explicit.