Family history research led me to something weird about my great-grandmother

This is a bit different from the usual encounter posts, but it's been bothering me and I thought someone here might have insights. I've been doing family history research during lockdown (like everyone else) and I came across something odd about my great-grandmother, Margaret, who lived in Bodmin, Cornwall.

She had a large gap in official records between 1943-1945. Born 1898, married 1920, normal life, then suddenly nothing. No ration book records, no census data, nothing. Then she reappears in 1945 working as a nurse. Her later life was apparently entirely normal - good career, solid marriage to my great-grandfather, lovely family.

When I asked my nan about it (she's 87 and still sharp), she got very quiet and said it wasn't her story to tell, but that Margaret "had an experience during the war that she never discussed." That's literally all she'd say. Refused to elaborate when I pushed.

Here's the paranormal bit: Bodmin area had documented UFO sightings during the war and after. The Bodmin Moor sightings are well-documented. I started wondering if Margaret's disappearance and the local UFO activity were connected. Obviously this is total speculation, but it's been nagging at me. Anyone have experience with family mysteries like this? How would I even start investigating something like this?

This is genuinely fascinating. Bodmin Moor is absolutely a hotspot - serious activity documented there in the 1960s especially. But 1943-45 is early for the modern UFO era, though there are accounts from that period. Have you tried accessing National Archives records? Sometimes military records from wartime contain clues about unusual events.

Could have perfectly mundane explanations - relocation for war work, hospital posting, all sorts of things. But the fact that your nan wouldn't talk about it suggests something that was considered unusual or sensitive even decades later. Might be worth approaching family carefully. Sometimes there are reasons things weren't discussed.

Worth checking local Bodmin newspapers from that period if you can access microfilm. Libraries often have archives. If something significant happened, there might be contemporary reporting that could give you direction. The West Briton might have records.

Her later life was apparently entirely normal - good career, solid marriage to my great-grandfather, lovely family.

This detail is important. If something genuinely traumatic happened, there would usually be signs in her psychological state or relationships afterward. The fact that she went on to live a good life suggests whatever happened, she either processed it or... well, had some way of dealing with it. Not sure where that leads you investigatively though.

This is really interesting from a genealogy + paranormal crossover perspective. Have you looked into whether there were any government facilities or testing sites in that area during 1943-45? Sometimes people's records got scrubbed for security reasons. Could be mundane military secrecy rather than anything paranormal, but worth investigating.