British enthusiasts who had created the London UFO Research organization merged seven regional groups in 1962, forming the British UFO Association. In 1964 the body adopted the name British UFO Research Association, and in 1975 it incorporated as a guarantee-limited nonprofit.12
Committee members such as Harold Wilkins and Charles Bowen emphasised cataloguing sightings, while Jenny Randles later professionalised investigative protocols during her tenure as Director of Investigations (1982‒1994).23
Investigative methodology
BUFORA registers approximately four hundred annual sighting reports and assigns trained field investigators who must complete a modular correspondence course and pass a written assessment. Cases receive a numeric confidence rating after cross-checking meteorological, astronomical, and aviation data. The group publicly states that hoaxes or misidentifications account for roughly ninety-five percent of submissions.14
Publications and archives
The association has circulated periodicals without interruption since 1959, beginning with LUFORO Bulletin and later BUFORA Bulletin, Journal of Transient Aerial Phenomena, and BUFORA UFO Times. Digitised issues and technical papers are stored in a growing online archive accessible to members.15
Events and outreach
Annual conferences, held at Sheffield Hallam University since 1987, draw researchers, military witnesses, and sceptical scientists for moderated debate. Regional meetings, a telephone hotline named UFOcall, and media briefings aim to keep the public informed while discouraging sensationalism.26
Notable investigations
- The 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident, for which BUFORA investigators gathered witness sketches and radiation readings before Ministry of Defence disclosure.7
- A series of luminous sphere sightings near Warminster during 1973‒1974 later admitted as a hoax, prompting the association to tighten evidentiary thresholds.3
- Independent photoanalysis that debunked several purported "black triangle" images photographed over the Midlands in the late 1990s.4
Controversies
In 1995 BUFORA alone among established organizations endorsed a film purporting to show an alien autopsy at the Roswell incident. Subsequent expert scrutiny demonstrated fabrication and damaged the association's credibility, leading to internal reforms requiring multi-disciplinary review panels for extraordinary claims.8
Current status
Maintained entirely by volunteers, BUFORA continues to collect data, publish analytical articles, and advocate transparent release of official UAP files. The website offers sighting submission forms, investigator coursework, and a searchable article repository.1