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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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