Sheffield Hallam University: Top secret Ministry of Defence UFO photo now in Sheffield Hallam archives

David Clarke, an Associate Professor in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, has brought the photo into the public domain after meeting the RAF Officer who sent it to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) originally.

David, who wrote about the photo’s unearthing for the Mail Online, said to The Star: “It’s probably the most famous UFO picture ever.”

It was taken in Calvine in Scotland by two young chefs in 1990, who sent the photo, and five others, to the Daily Record, who then sent it on to the RAF and then the Ministry of Defence.

The Scottish RAF Officer who received the photo from the Record, Craig Lindsay, now aged 83, had the original photo still in his possession after sending photocopies to the MOD.

David said: “I rang him up and before I could even say anything, he said ‘I know what you’re calling for. I have been waiting for someone to call me about it for 30 years’.”

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Eventually, David managed to convince Craig to donate the image to Sheffield Hallam University, where it was confirmed as a genuine photo by one of David’s colleagues, who specialises in pre-digital photography.

David said: “He managed to analyse the photo and use the size of the objects in it to gauge the UFO must have been around 60-100 feet in length.

"I have no doubt it shows a secret American stealth program. Why it ended up over Scotland I don’t know. I just think these two young lads were in the right place at the right time.”

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The photo had been buried by the MOD at the time, with Craig telling David he’d been told to “keep your mouth shut and keep it to yourself”.

David said: “He’s now 83 and he wanted the truth to come out.

"I think if it wasn’t for Craig, we’d be none the wiser and he’s a real hero.”

The MOD hasn’t been keen to comment on the Calvine photo for all these years, leaving what the object is, and the two men who took the photo, unknown.