Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 23:49:37 -0700 (PDT)
To: stories@ghosts.org
yourname Jacki
email venus1968@aol.com
Location: Lakenheath, Suffolk County, England
This story a part of Obiwan's UFO-Free Paranormal Page. Please do not copy or distribute without permission from Obiwan and/or the original author!
In 1991, I was in the US Air Force and stationed in England at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath. This base isn't in the most "happening" part of the UK but it is in Suffolk County, which is reported to be the most haunted. I think every base has its legends but I feel I experienced Lakenheath Charlie, first hand.
Being young and stuck in farm country leaves not much to do but hang out and drink beer. Unfortunately, I was not a beer drinker so I was left with "hanging out". I was assigned to a dormitory that housed all the unaccompanied (single) Security Police of the base. Since their job requires them to man shifts 24 hours a day there were always a bunch of people around regardless of the time of day or night.
On one occasion, a group of us were in the dayroom (a common room with a TV and cooking area) just BSing and watching British television. Around 3am we had somehow gotten off on the subject of ghosts and strange occurrences. One of the guys began to tell the story of Lakenheath Charlie. It goes something like this...
Being as the base was on British soil and the Americans were just "guests" we still had to respect the right to "foot paths." These are foot (and now bike) trails that have been used for ages by the British to get around the countryside. Regardless of the security at the base, whenever a British citizen wanted to walk on the footpath we had to give them entry to the base. Protocol was that they were announced by the gate guard and followed by security past the flightline until they exited the base on the other side.
One night, Charlie enter the base on his bike but the gate guard was distracted and forgot to radio to the patrol that they had someone on the footpath. Charlie was hit and killed by a landing plane.
The guy telling the story then proceeded to tell of a night when he was a new Airman on duty with a riding patrol on the flightline. The tower radioed them that there was a guy riding a bike on the flightline without authorization. They cruised the area and reported back that they had seen nothing. The tower had night vision goggles (that pick up images in the dark by heat) and replied that the individual was indeed still there and nearing their vehicle. There were 4 men in the humvee and one got out with his radio to confirm the sighting. Still seeing nothing he again reported this to the tower. The tower replied "He's less than 50 feet in front of you." Agitated and a little scared, the Airman insisted that there was nobody in front of him. The tower came back with, "He just rode past you and is headed for the back gate." Freaked out, the Airman jumped back in the humvee. The others in the vehicle had heard the transmission on their radio and all swear that they saw nothing.
Besides his late night rides, Lakenheath Charlie is rumored to cause lights to go off and on in hangars and lock and unlock doors that were checked as secured by more than one person.
When the story was finished we all had goose bumps and watery eyes. One guy wasn't so moved. He piped up with "That is such a bunch of s***. That is a made up story meant to f*** with Jeeps (Junior enlisted personnel)." Before he could finish his sentence, the curtains blew up and a loud crashing noise came from the kitchen area just a few feet behind us. The windows were all closed so no breeze could be to blame and the crashing noise was a broiler pan that I had used earlier and had placed in the sink to soak. It was now on the floor.
Needless to say, we didn't tell midnight ghost stories anymore and I think we all had a new respect for Charlie.
Jacki, Travis AFB, CA
Obiwan notes: This could well be a coincidence, but the story of Charlie sure does lend an air of spookiness to the proceedings. We really don't have enough information to decide either way. It is hard to conclude that there was really a ghost in the room with them, but it makes a good read!