Erbray, FR being encounter — October 12, 1954

Thirteen-year-old Gilbert Lelay reportedly encountered an unusual object while cycling near Sainte-Marie-en-Erbray in October 1954. The story reached national newspapers through AFP on October 13. Many reports place it on the previous evening, supporting Hatch’s October 12 date, while another contemporary version says Saturday, October 9. Later catalogues also used October 16 and corrupted the locality into Sainte-Marie-d’Herblay. The boy described a luminous object in a meadow, elongated from one angle and rounded from another. A tall, ordinary-looking man in grey clothing, a darker hat and boots approached and warned him to observe without touching. Some versions add an apple-sized sphere emitting violet light. An open doorway allegedly revealed two red seats and coloured controls. The man re-entered, and the object rose vertically before leaving rapidly. Gilbert rode home frightened and told his parents. The account has been variously treated as a hoax, a misinterpreted conventional aircraft encounter or an unresolved claim. The accessible material does not establish a confession, and newspaper repetition is not independent corroboration. The native date is preserved alongside the conflicting chronology. The plate depicts a normal humanlike man and a safe opening moment, without turning the reported occupant into a small Grey or inventing additional beings.