Derek Dempster

Derek Dempster was a British Royal Air Force pilot and aviation writer who played a foundational role in UFO research during the 1950s. He co-founded the Flying Saucer Review in 1955 in London alongside Waveney Girvan, Brinsley Le Poer Trench, and others, serving as its first editor. As a Flight Lieutenant in No. 804 Auxiliary Squadron, Dempster brought military credibility to early UFO investigations. However, he struggled to maintain the publication's scientific rigor against growing influence from contactee advocates and occultist perspectives. After approximately one year as editor, he stepped down, succeeded by Brinsley Le Poer Trench. Despite his brief editorial tenure, Dempster's establishment of Flying Saucer Review as a dedicated UFO journal significantly influenced the development of organized ufology in the post-war period.