| Graham W Birdsall
7th April 1954 - 19th September 2003
Graham Birdsall researched thousands of hitherto classified UFO documentation which clearly demonstrates an ongoing government, military and intelligence interest in the UFO phenomena.
Graham W. Birdsall, Editor UFO Magazine, passed away suddenly on September 19th 2003, from a brain haemorrhage after he was taken ill at his home in Colton, east Leeds. He left a wife wife Christine, daughters Helen and Louise, granddaughter Katy, brother Mark and son-in-law Russel.
Graham was respected the world over by the UFO community. His gifted writing, eloquent presentations and eye for a story helped inform millions of the reality of this fascinating subject we call UFOlogy.
With younger brother Mark he founded - in the early 1980s - the news stand magazine empire, based at Stourton in south Leeds, which published UFO Magazine. The magazine went on to become the world's best-selling UFO publication, with a readership measured in the tens of thousands. It also staged an annual conference in Leeds.
Mr Birdsall became fascinated by UFOs in 1967 when as a boy he saw a strange object in the sky from the garden of his home in Leeds. He traveled the world lecturing on the subject to enthusiasts and frequently appeared on TV to discuss the latest sightings. The family continued to publish the magazine after his death with help from his son-in-law Russell Callaghan, who took over as editor. The magazine has since closed
Graham had been a fixture on the UK Ufological scene since the late 1970s when he and his brother Mark first became involved with Contact UK, and then their own organization, YUFOS (Yorkshire UFO Society). Their in-house magazine YUFOS Journal, turned into UFO Magazine and eventually became a worldwide newsstand title.
He commanded unprecedented respect in British UFOlogy in his capacity as UFO Mag chief. This newsstand publication which was effectively an extension of his personality and his personal crusade for truth. In compiling each monthly issue he drew upon a multitude of sources; the global, national and local media, reports from researchers, submitted articles by enthusiasts, and his own carefully penned accounts of progress in UFOlogy. He covered a broad spectrum of interests, from mainstream science to the most eclectic of alternative theories, believing that everyone had a right to be heard, no matter how disdainful their ideas might be to the mainstream media.
He was a large man with broad shoulders, and wore his responsibilities remarkably well, often speaking for the UFO Community on a global level. He traveled extensively to cover conferences and investigate reports. He tirelessly worked to direct and manage the annual Leeds International UFO Conference, the only conference in the UK worthy of the name. He kept a national magazine going despite the demise of the X-files and other attractions to the UFO subject. Most of all, he fought our corner within the world of the mainstream media, attempting to project a more positive and inclusive image for the subject.
UFO Magazine was always a family affair. His wife, Christine, was a co-director, and his right-hand man at UFO Mag Russell Callaghan became his son-in-law. His brother Mark, whose research interest tended more towards the activities of the Intelligence Agencies, went on to be editor of the publication 'Eye Spy'.
UFO Magazine became the world's top UFO publication, selling up to 35,000 copies at its height.
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