UFO files: Soldiers' UFO sighting swiftly resolved The incident, details of which are revealed in newly released official documents from the National Archives, involved men from the Royal Irish Regiment. They were on fire picket duty at Tern Hill barracks, near Market Drayton, in Shropshire, when they saw the mysterious objects at about 11pm on June 7, 2008. The lights changed apparently changed colour and moved slowly across the sky. Thirteen "rotating cubes" were reported. The documents reveal that the men informed their superiors, although they did not make a formal written report on the matter. They did, however, pass on the sighting, including a video recording, to the Press, leading to coverage of the incident. The video was requested by the Ministry of Defence's UFO desk, which studied it, but extraterrestrial involvement was swiftly ruled out after a hotel manager from near the base said that Chinese lanterns had been released after a wedding party at the venue. The UFO official wrote back to a captain at the regiment, stating: "Given the reports of the nearby hotel setting off Chinese Lanterns at around the time of the sighting at Tern Hill... I do not intend to investigate the matter any further.