Southern Paranormal - Investigations
Museum of Army Flying Investigation
Saturday 22nd September 2007
Attendees :Julie Harwood, Maria Street, Steve Gilbert, Wayne Blyth, Alison Blyth, Sandy Rutter, Julie Martin, Dave Martin, Marie Holder, Mark Lines (L&E), Mark Pettet, Jeff Aldridge, Rab Gardner, Matt Hasler (L&E).
Guests of SP UK :Sheila Simpson & Suzanne Gilbert
Introduction
The museum built in 1976 featured strongly during the Battle of Britain campaign of 1940 and was subject to more than one bombing raid by the Luftwaffe.
However one such incident (on the then RAF base) at Middle Wallop may have given rise to its responsibility for grounding the spirit of a serving WAAF (women’s auxiliary air force) within the vicinity of the museum.
This incident took place during the evening of Wednesday August 14th 1940.
Earlier that day the sky appeared to be cloudy some light rain and not in keeping with the fine august weather. However at 5.45 pm that afternoon the skies were blackened by the appearance of 3 German Heinkel bombers. 609 squadron Spitfires were scrambled to deal with the attack and although minimal damage occurred it was the un-noticed arrival of a Junkers Ju 88 (Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft) that proved deadly. Dropping four bombs, one was to hit a hanger stripping the roof and blowing the heavy iron door away. The devastation left four aircraft destroyed and numerous casualties.
Unconfirmed reports state that among them was believed to be the WAAF trapped along with many ground and air personnel, trapped by the door with her watch still ticking.
Could it be her that is drawn to memories of the nearby museum? Or are other spirits from different times trapped here. This was a unique chance to the Southern Paranormal UK team to investigate some more.
Our thanks go to Alison Brierly who made our visit possible and also to Barry who gave up his Saturday night to join us.
Teams
Team 1
Julie
Wayne
Marie
Sandy
Team 2
Maria
Dave
Mark L
Suzanne
Team 3
Alison
Matt
Julie M
Mark P
Team 4
Rab
Steve
Jeff
Sheila
Vigil Areas
Vigil Area’s – 2 floors – Ground Floor & Mezzanine Floor (each floor splits into 2 vigil area’s that are separated by doors)
Ground Floor vigil areas include – explorers world and learning centre, the cinema, army helicopters (which we can get into to conduct vigils), Hamilcar tank carrier plane, (which we can get into to conduct vigils).
Mezzanine Floor vigil areas include –glider gallery, area 16, 1940’s (mock up) house and all other areas.
Team Room – Cinema
Equipment
Each team had access to -
1 night vision camcorders
at least 1 digital camera's
1 laser temperature gun
1 emf meters
Glass for divinations
Itinerary
7.00pm Team meet outside the museum
7.30pm Steve & Barry to do tour of the museum during which baselines to be conducted by – Rab, Marie, Jeff & Sheila and trigger objects set up by Sandy, Maria & Dave.
8.30pm Pre vigil break
8.45pm Whole Group Séance in D-Day hall
9.30pm Break (15 minutes)
9.45pm Vigil 1 – Mezzanine Floor
Team 1 – Far right (1940’s house & Gorham side)
Team 2 – Far right (1940’s house & Gorham side)
Team 3 – Far left (N.Ireland & Post WW2 display side)
Team 4 – Far left (N.Ireland & Post WW2 display side)
10.45pm Break (15 minutes)
11.00pm Vigil 2 – Ground Floor
Team 1 – Far right (WW2 Gliders side)
Team 2 – Far right (WW2 Gliders side)
Team 3 – Far left (helicopters side)
Team 4 – Far left (helicopters side)
12.00am Break (30 minutes)
12.30am Vigil 3 – Mezzanine Floor
Team 1 – Far Left (N.Ireland & Post WW2 display side)
Team 2 – Far left (N.Ireland & Post WW2 display side)
Team 3 – Far right (1940’s house & Gorham side)
Team 4 – Far right (1940’s house & Gorham side)
1.30am Break (15 minutes)
1.45am Vigil 4 – Ground Floor
Team 1 – Far left (helicopters side)
Team 2 – Far left (helicopters side)
Team 3 – Far right (WW2 Gliders side)
Team 4 – Far right (WW2 Gliders side)
2.45am Finish & pack up
3.00am Depart
Baseline Tests – completed by Rab, Marie, Jeff & Sheila
Early Flying / WW1 – Temp 25.5, High EMF reading on lighted displays – expected, rest of area EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Lots of display dummies which could be mistaken for humans / life figures in the dark.
Royal Flying Corps & helicopters – Temp 23 – 24, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Gulf War Display – Temp 23.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Possible fan creating a draught and squeaky floor.
Remembrance Rm – Temp 24.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Squeaky floor.
WW2 – Temp 24, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Squeaky floor.
Pegasus Bridge – Temp 20-21, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. String draught by door – source unknown.
1940’s House – Temp 22.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Hamil carrier – Temp 19.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Glider Gallery – Temp 19, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Gorham Room – Temp 19, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Trigger Object Experiments – Set up by Sandy, Maria & Dave
Model of a Spitfire Plane – placed near the WW2 Gliders display on the ground floor. This was covered by a motion sensing camcorder.
Model of a Lancaster Bomber was placed on the WW2 Helicopter (simulator ride) on the ground floor. This was covered by motion sensors.
A Union Jack Flag and Troops trench pocket game was placed in the 1940’s house. These were covered by motion sensors.
Results - Unfortunately despite thinking that one of the planes had moved, on later inspection it was found to be in exactly the same place. No other results to report.
Team / Vigil Notes
Team 1 – Julie, Marie, Wayne & Sandy
Vigil 1
On entering the mezzanine floor Julie experiences extreme pain in stomach like she has been stabbed. Has to sit down as in extreme pain. Almost at the same time Wayne feels a pain on his left side. Similar feeling to Julie.
10.05pm Team notice how much quieter the mezzanine floor is compared to when they were doing their séance on the ground floor when a lot of noise seemed to be coming from the mezzanine floor.
10.10pm No abnormal EMF readings, average temp 16.5, 2.5 degrees lower than when baselines were taken.
10.11pm Wayne hears 2 taps from behind Julie (glass cabinet number 6)
10.12pm Julie calls out asking for a response and a tap is heard immediately
10.13pm Julie calls out “are you a man” – no response is heard
10.14pm Julie calls out “are you a woman” – tap heard by all of team but team can not decide where the tap came from.
10.15pm Wayne asks – “If you are military can you shout us an order” – Marie gets “Get out!”
10.15pm All hear noise downstairs even though no team is down there, Julie and Wayne then hear 2 taps on the cabinet again. Julie now not in so much pain.
10.16pm Team hear 2 thuds/knocks from inside the suspended plane nearest to them.
10.17pm Team go in to the Gorham Room – all immediately feel uneasy
10.20pm 2 knocks heard behind Julie & Wayne. Team explore and find that the only way to re create this sound is if the painting (nearest the little window) is moved – but no one was stood close enough to move it even by mistake.
10.21pm Wayne feels a cold breeze around his legs – Temp is 19 in the room even though the team feel a lot colder.
10.22pm Julie is drawn to the painting of Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith
10.25pm Rods experiment – Julie, Marie and Wayne all hold the rods and all three experience movement.
Cross if someone present – Yes
Please cross to confirm your presence – Yes
Sir Thomas? – Yes
Do you want us to leave – no response
Do you want to talk to us – Yes
All team hear a knocking on wood sound
Was that you knocking? – 1 rod wavering
Is there anyone here no – no response
All team hear bangs from outside the Gorham room so go and investigate
10.30pm once outside the Gorham room all hear bangs from back inside the room so Sandy goes and stands in the room while rest remain outside.
10.35pm Sandy is becoming very agitated in the room and can feel someone with him as he is tingling all over
10.36pm It is so dark in the Gorham room that team outside can not see Sandy without putting the torch on
10.40pm Sandy is getting more and more uptight and sounds like he is about to fight someone – Wayne, Julie & Marie join him in the room
10.41pm Sandy is clenching his fists and getting angrier and angrier reporting that he wants to lash out and hit someone.
10.43pm Marie and Julie also start to feel up tight although Wayne still reports feeling anxious and a little worried.
10.47pm Sandy reports that he feels worse when he faces the painting of Sir Thomas (and others) but when he turns back to team he feels a bit better.
10.48pm Marie feels as though she has been prodded in the back
10.50pm As Sandy is getting visibly more and more angry team decide to leave the area so he can calm down. Once out of the room Sandy’s mood (almost immediately) returns to normal. His hands are actually hot and a little sore where he has been clenching them so tight into a fist.
Vigil 2
Ground Floor – Team 1 & 2 work together and sit in the D-Day Main Hall
11.25pm Area seems a lot quieter than when séance was held at the beginning of the night
11.30pm After team call out Marie & Julie hear 2 small taps.
11.31pm Julie can smell rolling tobacco
11.32pm Marie hears a breathing noise from behind her
11.40pm Loud tap heard by all from display area – Wayne goes to investigate but can find no cause
11.41pm Maria calls out and a loud tap is heard. She calls out again and Maria and Marie hear the same noise.
11.45pm Julie feels like she wants to lie on the floor with her hands behind her head in the surrender position. Marie calls out saying “we are not going to surrender” and Maria & Marie hear a tap.
11.50pm Maria asks if any spirit there thinks there is still a war going on. Julie hears in her mind a gruff mans voice saying “of course there is a bloody war going on”
11.52pm Maria calls out that it is now 2007 and Julie hears the same mans voice say that he thinks Maria is mad and that we are all a bit simple.
11.53pm Maria calls out again explaining that “we won the war” and “it is now all over”. Julie hears laughing and then all the team hear the sound of the double doors at the end of the area move loudly. Wayne, Julie & Marie go to investigate but no one is there. After problems with the walkie talkies (kept turning themselves off) we ascertained with the other teams (Alison & Rab) that no one had been near the double doors in our area.
12.10am Marie starts to get the uptight feeling she had upstairs and shortly after hears a man clearing his throat. No male members of the team reported having doing it so source unknown.
Vigil 3
Julie, Wayne, Marie & Sandy – Northern Ireland display area
Ouija experiment –
Julie opens including a protection
Is there a male with us – no movement
Is there a female with us – Yes
Please spell your name for us – N L E P
Did you live in the 1900’s – Yes
What was the year you died – 1954
Marie feels a tickle on her back
Did you just tickle Marie – Yes
Are you behind Marie – Yes
How old were you when you died? – 6
Wayne and Julie think her name is Nellie and she is unable to spell
Is your name Nellie? – No response
Is your name Penelope? – Yes
Wayne has a tickling sensation on his back
Do you like it here? – No
Are you here because of something that is here? – Yes
Are you being kept here? – No response
Are you Irish? – No response
Are you still with us? – No response
Is there anyone else here that wishes to communicate? – 2
Does that mean there are 2 other spirits that wish to talk? – Yes
Are you males? – Yes
From the 19th century? – Yes
What was the year you died? – 1856
What age were you when you passed? – 55 & 56
Are you Germans? – Yes
Is your name Magnus? – Yes
Are we communicating with 2 of you now? – Yes
Is Magnus one of your real names? – No
Are you having a bit of a joke with us? – Yes
Does anyone want to speak to us anymore? – No
Do you want to use the board anymore? – No
Session is closed by Julie using protection
Vigil 4
Team sit in helicopter used for simulator while air raid siren is sounded
Julie gets goosebumps all over Temp 21.5, no EMF fluctuations
Bang heard on tail of the helicopter by Wayne and Julie (who are sat in the rear)
Wayne & Julie get out to investigate and another loud bang is heard coming from the end of the helicopter (near the display behind simulator)
Team 1 swap with team 2 and sit in the other helicopter
Team hear what sounds like wind from outside even though it’s a calm night. Later the sound, sounds like a plane taking off
Team hear a loud bang come from the other team sat in the simulator
Loud crack sound from behind helicopter team 1 are sat in. Team 2 believe it is team 1 until they tell them it wasn’t. Team 1 exit helicopter to investigate and hear a loud bang coming from where medals are displayed but can not find a source for the noise. Noise is followed by a loud click.
End of investigation.
Team 2 – Maria, Dave, Mark L & Suzanne
Vigil 1
1940’s house
Strong smell of Eucalyptus in entrance area
10.08pm Maria asks out for a knock on the floor and all team hear a knock on the floor near them
10.12pm Maria feels cold to her right side
10.13pm Dave calls out
10.18pm Dave & Maria hear footsteps like someone is creeping around
10.19pm Maria hears a breath being exhaled
10.21pm Suzanne and Dave hear the sound of something being dragged
10.26pm Team hear very prominent footsteps
10.33pm Maria calls out for the former owner of the Norton Bike on display, to come forward and the chain barrier around the display starts to sway – seen by all team
10.53pm Team move out onto main balcony – nothing else reported
Vigil 2 (with Team 1 in D-Day hall)
Maria gets the name Mickey or Mike Parker and asks for a sign to confirm – hears tap
Julie feels the need to surrender by lying on the floor
Marie says “we will not surrender” and taps heard
For other notes please see team 1 notes for vigil 2
Vigil 3
Suez display area
12.54am Dave calls out – loud taps heard
Maria and Suzanne hear paper rustling and all team hear moving around downstairs even though there is no one down there
Maria calls to check no one is down there – no reply but sound of moving around still heard by the team
1.08am Maria calls out and all team hear a metallic sound
Vigil 4
2.00am Air raid siren sounded
2.13am Loud noise heard while in first helicopter, confirmed it was not team 1 who were in the same area
2.20am Change to simulator helicopter
2.23am Loud taps heard and Maria gets the impression of a underground base
2.25am Team hear noise like someone drumming their fingers. Check with team 1 and it was not them
2.28am Drumming noise heard again
2.30am Dave sees the figure of a man walking along the balcony yet there is no team up there
Team 3 – Alison, Matt, Mark P, Julie M
Vigil 1
9.55pm EMF starts clicking near one of the cameras in a cabinet
10.00pm Bang heard by team from far corner where the green light is
10.07pm Banging sound re occurs and at the same time a bang is heard from downstairs even though no one is down there
10.10pm Alison keeps has “come on lads look lively” running through her head
10.12pm Creaking heard but on investigation it is believed to have been coming from group 4
10.15pm Loud bang heard to group’s right
10.16pm another loud bang from similar area is heard just as before
10.20pm Team move to then Hussein area of the display
10.25pm two taps are heard from the Hussein corner
10.27pm Noises from the Hussein corner continue mainly in the form of taps
10.29pm more tapping is heard by the team followed on this occasion by a loud bang. Rustling is also heard next to Matt (on his right)
10.30pm Prominent bang is heard from Right after Steve (Team 4) asked for a loud noise to be made
10.35pm Team hear a sighing noise coming from behind them
10.37pm some of the team hear water splashing at the same time as some of them hear a bang near Matt
10.40pm Banging and tapping heard from the Hussein corner this time by Matt
Vigil 2
11.35pm Lower floor, loud bang heard by all of team
11.56pm Julie & Matt hear a loud banging noise coming from one of the corners
12.00am Matt feels a cold spot on stairs
12.06am Bottom of the stairs Julie hears various clicks and bangs when Steve calls out in German
12.15am Creak sound comes from upstairs –metal floor
No other notes made for Vigils 3 & 4
Team 4 – Rab, Steve, Jeff & Sheila
Vigil 1
Team 4 worked with Team 3 on this vigil please see above notes also
10.00pm Temp 22
10.30pm Loud clicks heard from middle door
10.35pm Steve sees red light on doors opposite staircase
10.40pm Loud clicks heard from middle door again
10.45pm Alison gets name Thomas Welbury
10.50pm 2 separate clicks heard from either side of the middle door / pegasus bridge, next to staircase
Vigil 2
11.20pm All team sit in helicopter 2
11.35pm Team move to outside of the helicopter
12.00am Team try calling out in German and English but get no response
Vigil 3
12.45am Jeff and Steve only – Mezzanine floor
1.00am They tried rolling some coins and asking for them to be rolled back but sadly no response
1.05am joined by rest of team. Rab could feel cold spots and could sense some movement
1.15am Team move to the 1940’s house but nothing is experienced
1.30am Jeff gets name Lance Corporal Robert Johnson but no further info is picked up by the team
Vigil 4
1.55am Team 3 & 4 together
2.05am Air raid siren goes off
2.10am After siren team call out but no response is heard
2.30am Motion sensor goes off – but this is ascertained that it was another team
2.31am Loud bang from upstairs – this was not another team as all were downstairs
Personal Reports
Julie Harwood
I had been looking forward to this location for a long time as Museums seem to hold that air of intrigue and mystery. Maybe that is because exhibits often come from all over the place and so if residual energy exists in objects, then you never know what you are going to get and where it is coming from.
My team was team 1 and consisted of Wayne Marie Sandy and myself. Often the people I had in my team have a quiet night on investigations so I was interested to see how this group of very analytical people would cope.
After a group séance in the D-Day Hall I was left hopeful for an eventful night as people seemed to be picking up on possible residual energy in the building however I was concerned about the amount of background noise we had including clicks and taps which we had to consider may be part of the settling down process of a metal hanger. The only thing I experienced was the image in my mind of a tall skinny man standing behind Julie M resting his hands on her shoulders in a very unthreatening way. It was interesting because Dave and Julie did feel like someone was stood behind them. Towards the end of the vigil we all heard a terrific bang and presumed it must have been Barry as we were all together but on investigation and after speaking to him, it could not have been him and we were left with no explanation for the noise.
Our first team vigil was up stairs on the right of the Mezzanine floor and was the Glider Gallery and the Gorham room. Team 2 our area team headed off to the 1940’s house and so we decided to stay put and see what we could experience. It is important for me to note that as soon as I got onto the mezzanine floor I had the most unbearable and lifelike pain in my stomach like I had been stabbed. I had to sit down it hurt so much. What I did not realise at the time is that Wayne also had this feeling. It was so life like it literally had me doubled up in pain and unable to walk without stooping. We headed down towards the Gorham room and after about 20 minutes I noticed this pain start to subside. We settled outside the Gorham room and the first thing we noticed was how quiet it was. All the taps and knocks we had heard during our séance had gone. You could have heard a pin drop! We then started to call out and were getting a few taps in response. One of the taps came from the Gorham room so we all ventured in. The feeling in this room was so oppressive and I think we all noticed it straight away. It made me feel nervous and made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. It was Wymering dining room all over again for myself and Wayne. It was pitch black and as we called out we heard 2 knocks come from behind me and to the side of Wayne. The only way we could replicate it was by pulling one of the paintings away from the wall slightly and letting it drop back to the wall. Wayne and I were stood close to it but not close enough to physically pull it in the dark. Sandy was getting very agitated by this point and you could hear it clearly in his voice. He could sense something that was making him tingly but did not know what. We called out but none of us really wanted to be in there and Marie and I commented how it made you want to back in to a corner or not look behind you. We called out again and heard a sound coming from the glider gallery and so we went back out to investigate. Once outside we felt we were being teased as then we heard a knock from back in the Gorham room. I asked if anyone wanted to stand in there on their own and after a minute or so Sandy decided to brave the area by himself. From the minute he went back in there he started to get crosser and crosser and reported the feeling of wanting to fight. It was so dark in the room the only way we could see him in there was by shining a torch in and when we did he was stood there in a ready to fight pose with his fists clenched. After about 10 minutes that seemed like an hour we went back in with him and myself and Marie started to feel tense and cross but not to the degree that it was effecting Sandy. Wayne remained silent most of the time backed into a corner and when I did look round, shining the torch in his general direction to see where he was he looked like he was stood in the corner looking like a scared rabbit in headlights. I was particularly drawn to one particular painting in this room and I have no idea why. It was the painting of Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith. I had no idea who he was but felt like I knew him for some reason and that he could be a very authoritarian man. When we took pictures there were in fact light anomalies around this painting and the others close to it.
For our second vigil we joined forces with team 2 and sat in the D-Day hall where we had conducted our group séance. Again compared to earlier in the evening this area was very quiet and all the taps and knocks had gone. Then we started calling out and all began to hear taps. Maria felt there was a man called Mickey or Mike present and so we tried to address him. I felt like I should be lying on the floor and it took me a while to work out but I wanted to lie in a surrender position with my hands behind my head. When Maria called out asking if spirit thought the war was on I heard a gruff voice in my head say “of course there is a bloody war on”. I also then felt many men around us but one man in particular thinking that we were all a bit odd especially Maria who had just called out that it was 2007. The feeling I got was that he thought we were a bunch of village idiots. The last thing I remember imagining him do was laugh heartily and then we all heard a loud noise coming from the back of the area like someone had opened and then forcible shut the double doors. On investigation we discovered it was not the other teams and Barry was with us so he could not have been the source of the noise.
Our third vigil was back upstairs and we made our way to the Northern Ireland display. We decided to conduct a Ouija board experiment and so we opened it up with some protection and started calling out. We were amazed at the quick response we got and it appeared we contacted a girl called Penelope who was aged 6 and died in 1954. She did not want to talk much and so we also seemed to contact some other spirits who liked to mess around and again I got the impression they thought we were a bit crazy. Marie and Wayne were both tickled on their backs during the Ouija and when we took photo’s of this area there were 3 light anomalies which was a strange coincidence as we had been told there were 3 spirits with us, the little girl and 2 men (possibly Germans).
Our final vigil was down in the helicopter area and while team 2 went and sat in one we sat in the simulator. It was probably one of the creepiest experiences I have ever had. Nothing paranormal happened but at just gone 2am Barry had arranged to play the sound of an air raid siren through the tanoy and hearing that and sitting in a WW2 helicopter really creeped me out. Wayne and I who were sat in the back said it really made us feel like we should be grabbing our weapons and preparing to fight. After the siren we called out and heard a loud knock on the back of our helicopter. We knew all of team 2 were in the other helicopter so we jumped out to investigate and could not find the source of the noise. We then went and sat in the other helicopter but I did not experience anything there apart from a loud knock which team 2 thought was us. We got out to investigate again and heard the sound of what can only be described as either wind howling round the hanger (though it was a still foggy night) or a plan taking off! Very strange. It was so loud it had to be something.
For my team and me it was a great night and I would not hesitate in booking a return visit. Thank you to Alison and Barry from the Museum of Army Flying for making our trip possible, it was a real honour.
Wayne Blyth
First impressions of this imposing location were that it certainly looked interesting, and I was looking forward to getting down to business, as museums are “right up my street”
Myself, Alison, Julie and Sandy arrived quite early and were greeted by our host, Barry, and, after the rest of the team arrived, we were treated to an after hours tour. This enabled us to get our bearings in preparation for the night ahead.
Whole Group Seance
This vigil was as a whole group in the cinema area. The team arranged themselves in a circle and settled for a while before protection was applied. I was filming the event so stood out. All through the vigil, there were several loud knocks and bangs, which, although they sounded as though they were surrounding us, turned out to be coming from both top corners only. I would be inclined to believe that this was just the building settling down.
I heard a couple of names being mentioned by team members, and it will be interesting to know if they are confirmed. Also of note, is the number of cold spots. However, this was a huge building and it cannot be ruled out that there would be gaps, or vents to the outside.
Vigil 1
Upstairs to the Gorham room.
There was something about this area which really gave Julie and myself the shivers. Whether it was because it was extremely dark, I don’t know. We did compare it with our investigation at Wymering Manor, which, for anyone who has read our reports from there will know, was an extremely scary (irrationally so) location for us. Please head on to the investigations page to read how scared we were.
While Julie was standing in the right hand corner, there was a knock behind her, which we managed to replicate by pulling the painting gently from the wall and letting it fall back against it. It was exactly the same sound. Cold spots were also felt and positive responses were received from Marie’s divining rods. Oddly, the room was just as oppressive for both Marie and Sandy. Sandy himself started getting extremely angry at something, to the point where we could all hear the tension in his voice and could see him clenching his fists in anger.
Vigil 2
This was downstairs in the D-Day hall, where we joined with Maria’s team. Again we sat in the cinema seats and sat quietly. There were again a few knocks and bangs coming from the top corners, which we could not reason why. Disconcertingly, there are numerous “dummies” placed around the hall and quite a few times I mistook them for real people lurking in the shadows.
At one point, there was a sound like the connecting doors closing to the left of the hall. I investigated and found no other team member in the area, and we managed again to replicate the sound by opening the doors and letting them close automatically. When we did manage to speak to the other group they said that no one was in the area and no one had opened the doors at all!
Vigil 3
Upstairs again to the Northern Ireland display. Here we attempted the Ouija board. After a few minutes we “contacted” what appeared to be a little girl, who indicated she was 6 years old. When asked to spell her name, the letters N, L, E and P were given. Julie and myself both thought that maybe Nellie was the name, as maybe a 6 year old couldn’t quite spell correctly. However, it indicated no when asked if Nellie was her name. Sandy then came up with the name Penelope, which seemed to make sense as maybe a six year old, when asked their name, it would possibly sound like “’Nelope” missing out the P. When asked if her name was Penelope, we got a positive answer. She gave us the year 1954 too, of her death. It then seemed that she had gone and the planchette seemed to move in a different way. When asked if there were more spirits wishing to talk to us, the number 2 was indicated. Julie then asked if there were any spirits present, to which the reply came “no”. Strange, if there are no spirits present, how could it indicate no?????? We decided to end the experiment and go for another break.
Vigil 4
Downstairs to the helicopter display. We were allowed to sit in a couple of the display helicopters, which we hoped would enhance the experience. While there we kept hearing strange knocks and bangs coming from all around us. I could find no source for the sounds whatsoever. Steve Gilbert had arranged for an extra experiment to be tried. While we sat in the helicopter, a cd was played of an air raid siren. Although it drew no “paranormal” results, (to my knowledge), it was very eerie sitting in the dark, in a huge hanger, in the middle of nowhere, listening to an air raid siren. I am sure it made everyone who heard it think of the time when they were unfortunately a common sound to hear and feel quite reflective and sombre. I know I certainly did.
This was our final vigil, and, apart from the description above, I experienced nothing else.
Conclusion:
An extremely impressive location, which is my favourite type of place.
Paranormal activity? Hard to say, although there is certainly something worth further investigation. Asked if I would return, I would not hesitate to say yes.
Thanks to Barry, our host, Steve for the pre-investigation and the CD, and the team for making a memorable experience. Also to the police officers who turned up, wondering what was going on and being so interested in our pastime that they wanted to join us.
Maria Street
This was another one that I was really looking forward to. We really are very lucky to be allowed into the places that we visit, and this was no exception. We were met by a very friendly member of staff called Barry who gave us a guided tour of this vast building. We started with a séance, in a main hall, on the ground floor. There were a lot of loud taps, which were consistent with the lights cooling down, although, there were a couple of very loud noises, which were likened to a handle being banged on, so it sprang back up, making this noise. We could not decide where it was coming from, and, when asked, Barry could not enlighten us either, as he had never heard that before. I was feeling cold down my right hand side, and Matt, who was sat to my right, was feeling cold down his left hand side. He was also in pain from his chest down. Sheila, who was sat to my left, felt she was burning hot all down her left side. A lot of people were seeing movement in different parts of the hall and a loud clicking was heard from behind Julie, where a plane was suspended from the ceiling. Julie stood underneath the plane as we were calling out and taps and clicking were heard from this general area. A figure was seen behind Julie M and it was felt he was resting his hands on her shoulders, but meant her no harm. She also felt this, as did Dave M. I could hear a man’s voice from where Julie H had been standing and I saw something move behind Steve. I also got a picture in my head of a young man with longish dark hair and a droopy moustache, very much the fashion of the Beatles.
For our next vigil we split into teams. I was in Team 2 with Mark L, Dave M and Suzanne, our guest. We started off in the 1940’s house, where Dave had detected the presence of a child on our walk round. There were a few audible taps and some cold breezes; also a strong smell of eucalyptus was present. We could also hear voices coming from the ground floor, but we were all on the top floor. After much of the same, we moved out on to the balcony where there were some very loud taps coming from the ground floor. We moved back in to the 1940’s house and spent some time in the ‘garden’. There was a Norton motorcycle here so I called out for the spirit who may once have owned it to come forward. Almost immediately after this, the chain link barrier started to sway quite forcefully. There was no more to be had on this vigil, however, so we made our way back down for break.
Our next vigil was back in the room where we had our main séance and we teamed up with Team 1. We all sat around quietly to start with and then started to call out. Once again we could hear the taps and bangs all around us. I got the name ‘Mike’ or Mickey Parker, which, later on in the evening, Suzanne confirmed was her brother’s name. This was the first time I had ever met Suzanne, so was suitably gob smacked. She said that she calls him Mike and everybody else calls him Mick. He also works for the MOD, so had loose connections to the place.
There were still a lot of taps, seemingly in answer to questions, so called out to ask if this particular spirit thought there was still a war going on, to which Julie heard ‘Of course there’s still a war on’. We went on to explain that it was now 2007 and that the war was over. Julie felt that these particular gentlemen thought we were all mad. (We do spend most of our weekends sitting in dark buildings all through the night so he may have a point)! It was when I mentioned the name Adolph Hitler that things all quietened down and it was soon time for our next break.
Our next vigil was back on the top floor and we settled into some comfy chairs in one of the corridors. Again, we could hear slight taps, but mostly we could hear movement from downstairs. We peered over the balcony and called out. There was definitely a lot of rustling, like people were moving around, but we were all upstairs.
For our next vigil, we were down where all the noises were coming from. We settled in to a helicopter and sat quietly. Noises were definitely coming from the area we had just heard them from when we were upstairs. We then sat in a plane from this area and audible taps could be heard as if somebody was knocking on the plane itself. Dave also could see movement from the top balcony and I had the sense of there being something underground, like an underground base.
A very interesting night and I would like to thank Barry for his patience and kindness. Also, another good team for me, so thanks to them also.
Sandy Rutter
Wayne, Alison, Julie & myself arrived at the museum at 18.00. Mark Pettet was already there. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside. We waited for the rest of the team to arrive, they eventually got there and we met Barry from the museum .He was a nice chap and very friendly. We put all our equipment into the cinema area and got on with the tour. As Barry was taking us round Maria Dave & I were setting up the locked off objects. I had 2 planes with me a Spitfire and a Lancaster Bomber. I thought it was appropriate for the location. Julie had a union jack flag and a small paper pocket game that was given to the troops in the second world war.
We started off the evening with a séance. All the team was there. Dave & Julie M came up with a few names and so did Rab. He mentioned the name Hugh. There were 2 people with the name Hugh in their name.1) Reverend Huge William Fletcher Bishop he was a chaplain and a POW in 1914 to 1919 and there was 2) Major-General Sir Fredrick Hugh Sykes from 1944. I dont know what he did at this time but he only lasted 1 year.
VIGIL 1
Julie, Wayne, Marie, Sandy
We had our first vigil on the top floor as did every body else because during the seance we heard a lot of bangs from every direction, so not get false noises we all went to the top deck in different groups. Our team went across Pegasus bridge to the far end of the corridor. We first saw a big plane, it was shot down and it had 3 dummies in it 2 in the back and a pilot. It was split in half. We carried down to the bottom of the corridor passing military pictures until we got to the end of the passage. There was a room at the end, it was horrible. We spent most of the time outside of the room then we all went in to the room. The atmosphere changed automatically, it was a horrible feeling. Then we all went back outside of the room and Julie suggested 1 of us spent 5 minutes in there by our selves so I went in. I got a tingling feeling all over as if something wasn’t right. I went to the back of the room and I just wanted to fight somebody, anybody, I didn’t care who. It was a nasty feeling as I am not normally like that at all so I do apologise to Julie Wayne and Marie for my behaviour. I spent about 7 minutes by myself I was pacing back and for like a father to be, then the rest of the team came back in and they all felt a oppressive atmosphere but who was in there with us had a dislike for me instantly.
Vigil 2
Same team
We all went on the lower level. we went in the main D-Day hall were we held the seance and were joined by Maria’s team. We took a few snaps and I got a big massive orb above Waynes head it was brilliant. I also caught other orbs but nothing much else to report really for me.
VIGIL 3
Same team
We all went to the top level again but different side this time. I bought my Ouija board with me. It was good as we picked up a little girl of N L E P. Wayne and Julie both thought it was Nelly but we got no response on the board. I asked is your name Penelope it went straight to yes but in my findings there was no girl called Penelope but a woman called Penelope Stokes. She was an author from 1892 but I didn’t find anything on a Magnus who was also picked up.
VIGIL 4
Same team
We were on the bottom level again but we were in the helicopter and planes area. We sat in a helicopter then Barry started a air raid siren. It went twice and after the siren the team heard what can only be described as aeroplane noises. I dont think it was a recording or anything else but the real thing. It was excellent.
All in all it was a brilliant place to investigate thanks to Barry for letting us in to the place and a big thank you to the team. Please in the future if you pick up on any names and dates ask me as I have research to hand to verify or confirm details.
Marie Holder
Introduction
This was my 10th investigation with Southern Paranormal UK and one I was very much looking forward to, especially when we would get the opportunity to actually sitting in a genuine army helicopter! I couldn’t wait!
Séance
We decided to conduct a séance in one of the ground floor areas and sat quietly in a circle while the caretaker turned out the lights for us.
We heard lots of loud cracks and taps which was probably the lighting settling down after being turned off.
A few of us called out and after a while Alison and Rab came up with the name John Alderton Westbury. Julie H and Julie M felt as though we were surrounded by spirits and that we were being watched on a residual level.
Julie H noticed that Matt was sat funny in his seat and he said that he was in a lot of pain all over his body and that it was somebody who had died in a plane crash. Dave M confirmed that he knew of somebody who had died locally in a plane crash. Sheila also mentioned that the left side of her body felt as if it was burning, as if the plane had caught fire.
Julie and Alison both mentioned that they could see shadows in the far corner of the room and I heard what I could only describe as footsteps behind me when there was no one there.
Alison and Matt got up and walked over to where they sensed something.
We continued to hear some very loud cracking noises, which after nearly an hour surely couldn’t have been the lights, but who can say!
Vigil 1 – Mezzanine Floor
Team: Julie H, Wayne, Sandy and Marie
We separated into our teams and Julie H decided that because the Mezzanine Floor had such noisy floorboards we should all conduct our vigils on the same floor but in different areas.
Our team made our way towards the Gorham Room area.
We took turns calling out and heard the same knocks and taps coming from downstairs when we knew no one was there.
I decided to do an EMF sweep and went into the Gorham Room on my own to see if my EMF meter could pick anything up. I did this very quickly I might add because there was definitely something not right about that room and a definite feeling of foreboding and of being watched.
We all decided to go in there and do some calling out. We all felt anxious in there and did not like it at all.
After a while Sandy began to sound quite agitated and said he was clenching his fists and wanted to punch something (or someone!) I got the impression he was angry about something and I must admit after spending a bit more time in there I felt as though I wanted to punch the wall!
Julie also said she felt uptight. We started to get more agitated when nothing was happening and the only one that still felt anxious was Wayne.
It was a very strange sensation, but I get the impression that I felt like that because I knew something was in there but they did not want to do anything to show they were there.
Vigil 2 – Ground Floor
We decided to join forces with team 2 and conduct a vigil in the same area we held the séance. We therefore all sat in the dark and called out. At the first attempt we called out and got two taps almost immediately.
Maria then called out and then Julie reported she heard a man’s voice telling Maria he thought she was nuts as she was asking if he thought the war was still going on and he replied “of course it’s going on!”
He also believed it was still 1940/1945 and did not believe it when we told him it was 2007!
We then heard what we thought was the downstairs double doors banging.
Julie tried walkie-talking but could only get through to Alison as the walkie-talkie kept switching itself off. Alison confirmed that none of their team had been through that door.
After the vigil Steve said that the door upstairs had banged, therefore it could be that due to the acoustics of the building it might have sounded like the downstairs door when it was actually the upstairs door.
Vigil 3 – Mezzanine Floor
Our team then made our way to the IRA section of the Mezzanine floor. We decided to do a Ouija board on the floor.
After protecting ourselves we started calling out. The planchette moved and we contacted a female. We asked her to spell out her first name, but unfortunately it was nonsense. Sandy then asked if her name was Penelope and she answered yes. We asked her age and she answered 6, which could be why she could not spell her name.
We then contacted two spirits at once! One of them said his name was Magnus and that he was German.
We then got the impression that they were messing us about, so we asked and they said yes. We then asked if anybody wanted to talk through the board and we got a no, so we asked again and again we got a no. We then decided to close it down.
Vigil 4 – Ground Floor
On this vigil our team got the opportunity of sitting in two of the helicopters on the ground floor. The first one was the helicopter simulator. The caretaker then sounded the air raid siren to see if that would get a response. It was very eerie listening to it in the dark.
Unfortunately on this vigil I did not experience much, we heard some tapping noises coming from our left but not much else.
We then went to sit in another of the helicopters and called out, a few cracks and taps were heard but I did not experience anything else on this vigil.
Conclusion
This was a fantastic place and well worth a visit (also during the day!) The highlight for me was the first vigil in the Gorham Room. As I mentioned above there was something not quite right about that room. The room was covered in paintings of military men and perhaps it was this that made us uneasy as it felt like they were watching us. Perhaps they were!
Jeff Aldridge
This investigation started off promising to be a good one, but after a short while it became apparent that this was not the night to expect a lot to happen. Having said that we cannot expect Spirit or any other phenomena for that matter to “perform” to order, so disappointments sometimes are inevitable.
Many areas were investigated and from my point of view, apart from a few small incidents that were notable, nothing else of consequence happened.
There were many clicks and noises throughout which, given the weather conditions outside (i.e. cooling and heavy mist coming in) and the fact that when the lights were turned off the whole building started to cool, settling noises were to be expected.
The incidents started for me in the Gulf War and Falklands Campaign area on the Mezzanine Floor. Rab, Shirley, Julie M, and myself were doing a vigil in this area and I saw light anomalies flying about in random patterns, this went on for a few seconds and I hope Rab captured these on film. Julie M was sat on the floor by the “Hole in the Wall” display and said she felt cold draughts to one side of her and was picking up on a “Tea Lady” and the name of Stella.
Whilst in the German First World War display area I strongly picked up on the name of Lance Corporal Robert Johnson, but that was about it for me.
Steve Gilbert
Having paid a visit weeks before I knew this museum would give the group and myself something to test its resolve.
The fact that it pays a very personal homage to all those that have served during the great wars and more recently, makes it all the more interesting.
Unlike some previous locations (pubs houses, castles etc) that occupy the same dimensional space now as when the incident/murder or other deed took place, this one doesn’t. Yes its within walking distance of the scene of much bloodshed, despair and of course victory (a battlefield if you like) but the museum wasn’t around when England’s finest fought (and died) for this nation. However the memories of those that defended our shores along with their machines and memories are all preserved here and perhaps that’s what attracts the spirits of those that served us so well.
The size of the areas to be investigated by each team was impressive and any noises that could possibly be attributed to the other group were limited as we were separated by double doors at all times and kept to the same floor.
That said it was disappointing not to have received any unusual noise that might indicate the presence of a spirit.
The strangest noises I did encounter along with Alison were 3 or 4 infrequent loud metallic bangs during a 45-minute vigil on the mezzanine floor above the Pegasus Bridge door. We also heard the door itself creak shut some time after it should have settled. Alison also picked up on a German soldier at the same point and unbeknown to her the German WW2 display was on the other side of the door. I also thought I saw two flashing red lights on a wall opposite this area across the other side of the mezzanine floor out of reach of any other member of the group.
I have asked museum staff if there is a natural explanation for this tapping and another similar noise heard coming from the Gorham room but they don't know of any.
During the night I experienced the classic corner of the eye sighting phenomenon more than once but remember this is a big open space with a few points of light visible as you try to view a vast space at once so I don't think it was that strange.
During the other vigils I tried a variety of communication methods including rolling marbles and coins into the darkness but to no avail. I thought if there were any German spirits present they might at least have communicated if only to silence my incredibly bad German translation for "please move an object".
The playing of the air raid siren echoing through the hall later on was a "make your hair on the back of your neck stick up moment" because you genuinely thought this might bring out some paranormal activity to chew over on the way home but it didn't.
Either way it didn't detract from a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable investigation and one I will remember not for paranormal activity but for its uniqueness. If ever there was a great "quiet investigation" then this was it. Many thanks go to Barry (the warden) for his help and assistance throughout the night.
Alison Blyth
My first vigil was on the balcony where the exhibits for Hong Kong, and Northern Ireland, Iraq to name a few stood. Due to the noise factor and there being two groups in the same area we agreed to join our teams together and split up into different areas of the balcony to cover as much of the area as possible. For the first half of the vigil my team remained in the area between Hong Kong and Northern Ireland. I called out first of all, but unfortunately had no response. We carried on with this experiment for 30 minutes but to no avail.
After the first half-hour I joined Steve as we decided that we might get a better effect in groups of two each calling out in turn. Steve and I were at the far end of the balcony near to the steps. Due to two world wars being connected heavily to our fight against Germany Steve came up with the good idea of calling out in German and English to provoke a reaction. He asked a series of questions in order to see if we could get any response due to previous attempts failing. On our second attempt at calling out we heard a loud bang near to the double doors which we could not dismiss, and after calling again we heard the same loud bang as if on command. We decided to get closer to where the noise was coming from to try to establish whether this was anything to do with the building settling or at least if we could establish what was causing the noise. The same loud bangs were heard and both Steve and I have no explanation for them. What fascinated me was the noise, which to me sounded like a double click. A noise I had heard in the series Band of Brothers which was the cricket noise, which unfortunately for the American troops also was an exact replica of a German gun being cocked. I must point out that at this stage I was totally unaware that the area we were in had the German exhibit through the double doors on the other side of the balcony and after we finished our vigil Barry advised me that the guard model was holding a gun which later had to be removed due to children playing with it. He also confirmed that the gun was in fact the sort that did make the double clicks sound like I had described. This fascinated me as whilst no names were gleamed from this vigil we did pick up what I feel to be a significant noise to connect us to the period in question.
Our Second Vigil was on the ground floor in the same hanger we had previously been in. We sat in both helicopters and called out, but unfortunately we got no response in this area at all. What did strike me as strange was the fact that we heard no noises from the balcony it was totally quiet in contrast to the bangs we had heard on our previous vigil.
Our third vigil was in the Forty’s area. Once again despite calling out, no reaction was encountered.
Our final vigil was on the ground floor below the forty’s area. Steve arranged to have the air raid siren played into the building to see if that would provoke any response. To my amazement teams three and four became reflective and almost understanding of how frightening that sound must have been like to hear. I could imagine loads of service men and women rushing about ready for action and felt the importance of getting into their aeroplanes as soon as physically possible ready for action. Unfortunately for me, I did not pick up anything more in this area but I was not disappointed as the museum fascinated me as the majority of my family have served in the army and both my parents lived through the second world war, so to get a glimpse of the era which related to their childhood was an eye opener to me. It gave me the opportunity to learn a little more on how war and struggles can effect the day to day life of families.
All in all a good evening for me and I would like to visit again. Thank you Barry for making us all so welcome.
Julie Martin
We arrived at the location and having been settled into the team room went for the initial walk around.
The Walk Around
The venue was very interesting and atmospheric, jam packed with memorabilia, artefacts, and machinery. I felt that it was a ‘crowded’ venue with a lot of potential activity. I definitely sensed that there was a presence in the 1940’s house and on the ground floor near to the farm mock up. The strongest spirit presence was I felt on the mezzanine floor near to the top of the stairs by the Saddam picture.
Cinema Area
The first vigil we conducted as a large group in the cinema area. I felt that we were being watched by a large number of people that were staying at the perimeter of the room. I observed orbs and twinkling lights at ceiling level and near to the suspended aeroplane. I became aware of a man standing behind me, very close, my back and shoulders were very cold. I saw an orb pass between me and the team member to my left. I was aware of the name Eric Bell that kept popping into my head and I could hear someone whistling through his or her teeth. I also felt by now that I was being pressed in the back and that the people at the edge of the room were all rushing around, as if trying to generate energy, or to complete a task with urgency. There were a variety of creaks and cracks over to my left in amongst the displays and shadows along the wall.
Mezz Floor-Central Area, near to the N.I. Display
Our 2 teams decided to work together due to the creaky floor, and so we split up into groups and positioned ourselves along the mezzanine floor. I sat on the floor next to the N.I. display and was aware of a lot of movement away to my left in the adjacent display. I sensed a woman, with a tea trolley, walking along the Mezz floor, as if doing her rounds. I felt her to be a cheerful lady that you could pour your troubles out to, her dress was uncomplicated though not shabby and I feel her name was Stella. I saw orb activity here and it was very cold and draughty, though I cannot be sure that this was not just due to the nature of the building. Barry had stood with us throughout this time.
Mezz Floor-near to top of stairs-above main walkway
Again the 2 teams worked as one yet in small groups. Steve called out in German. There was a lot of activity across the other side of the hall by the stairs that led up to the Saddam picture. I feel that there was more than one spirit present at this time. The noises coming from there were dramatic, yet no one else seemed to hear them!! Bangs as if someone was kicking a metal bucket around. I also saw shadows of people walking along this area.
Ground Floor-in the two helicopters
I sensed nothing in the first helicopter we sat in. the second one however was a different story altogether. I saw people running along the mezzanine floor as I had done in the previous vigil. I felt a close presence in the farm-yard mock up and we all heard moo-ing!! Whether there were cows outside we didn’t ascertain. However I felt a female presence around us, with a younger man that was not army connected. The noises commenced from the corner again by the Saddam picture. We got out of the helicopters and stood between the two but I felt drawn back to the second helicopter.
The 1940’s House
I was very disappointed on our return to the house as I’d felt such a strong spirit there before. I think the spirit was still there but didn’t want to make contact.
Upstairs in the picture gallery room
This room was very atmospheric, and I felt had a lot of activity. There were no noises but definite presence. We were being watched I felt by non-military personnel. People of a variety of ages. It was very cold in this area.
A very interesting location. I did not feel that there were any children at this venue. Thanks to Barry for putting up with us all night.
Mark Lines
This was something I was really looking forward to, as I love anything to do with the military especially with exhibits. This is one part of the country I had never visited before in Middle Wallop.
Situated on an airfield, a building built in the 80's held a lot of exhibits and aircraft which was used in all major battles.
We arrived at the site around 7:15pm and were fired up and anxious to start the investigation, we were initially split into teams but decided to become one group and sit in a circle in one of the large rooms for the first vigil / séance.
It was very difficult to differentiate between paranormal or the outside temperature dropping making the roof make snapping sounds. We asked out on numerous occasions, and a few of the team picked up on certain sounds and feelings. There was no actual sightings as such but there were a few odd sounds coming from all around us but again it was difficult to tell whether it was paranormal or not. I personally didn’t really pick up on anything but I did pick up on the fact that this place had something to do with hot air balloons, I’m still not sure whether this was correct or not, but I got the visions in my minds eye.
After sitting in the circle for a while we decided to take a break and then break out into our teams. Our first visit was to the 1940's house, which was situated on the Mezz floor.
This area seemed a bit eerie to me as it there were waxwork figures in each room. Nothing was initially felt there, so we called out and moved to different areas. I noticed that on the clothesline the clothes were moving, but we decided that it must have been coming from the below stairwell. After various calling out etc we decided to move to where the motorcycle was. One strange thing we did pick up on was that wrought iron chain fence protecting the exhibit started to sway to and forth. We are not 100% sure whether this was one of the team that had brushed against it, but we were open minded to the fact that it could have been paranormal.
The next vigil was situated up on the Mezz again but this time it was situated in the Suez area where we sat quietly and called out, this was a very dark area, in which there were a few sightings but we put that down to our eyes adjusting to the blackness. We heard a few taps and cracks downstairs among the exhibits but again we were not sure whether this was due to the temperature dropping, as no heating was on.
Our next vigil was situated where the helicopters were, and we decided to sit in one of two of them, another team had joined us and they sat in the other one. It was certainly strange to sit in one of these in the dark, but exciting I was hoping to pick up or hear something. There were a few loud bangs but nothing firmly paranormal. It was the same in the helicopter, a few bangs coming from behind us but nothing paranormal to report.
It was a big shame that there wasn’t more paranormal experiences than we anticipated, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any other time. I really enjoyed the vigils being surrounded by lots of history of battles previously fought. A lovely to place to visit, and would not hesitate to go back one day for another investigation.
Rab Gardner
Group Séance
This was carried out in the WW2 Glider section. As Julie Called out, we were aware of activity building up around us. After a while an orb appeared in front of Dave’s feet and I felt that there was a connection of some sort between them. I was also given the name of John and a Westland Lysander aircraft.
Shortly after, I was aware of a cold spot moving behind me, around the circle.
On calling out, the name of Hugh McIntyre popped into my head. I asked for more and got 48 Sqn and the picture of a triangle with a bird in the middle possibly an owl. I also got the impression of night time operations.
Vigil 1
With me on Team 4 were: Sheila Steve and Jeff and due to the amount of noise generated by the mezzanine floor when people moved around, we decided to join with Team 3 and co-ordinate our vigils.
The first area was on the Post WW2 mezzanine and we split into 3 groups along the L shaped area. Calling out was co-ordinated between us, but I found it difficult to discern any conclusive responses from this large area. I then decided to concentrate on our area in the Northern Ireland exhibition.
With me were Sheila, Jeff and Julie M. We settled down and then I began calling out. In response there was a thump on the floor next to Julie M, but none after that. At the same time I saw an orb above Sheila, she felt a presence near her which then moved along the mezzanine with her following for a short time.
Julie M felt a female presence near her and there was a cold spot to her RH side. Thermometer readings were inconclusive, but there was definitely a cold spot moving near her. I tried calling a few Christian names and none of them were right. Before we could pursue further, the Vigil time had run out.
Vigil 2
This was in the light aircraft of the 40’s and 60’s display area. Both teams started out the vigil seated in helicopters; although it was lots of fun I felt we weren’t achieving anything. We all agreed the RFC aircraft area seemed the best place to be so moved over there. As we settled, I saw an orb flash behind Steve near the Beaver aircraft and them got the feeling of a presence moving away from us. No temp or EMF anomalies were recorded in this area throughout the vigil.
Vigil 3
We reformed into our original teams for this vigil and split into 2 sub teams. Steve and Jeff went over to the area above the Hamilcar, Sheila and I stayed in the Glider Gallery. Because of the wiring in the displays, our EMF readings were severely affected. We walked along the Gallery, through the Gorham room and back towards the front of the glider. As we passed under the wing we picked up a cold spot there, but passed it off as cold air concentrated under the wing as the temp dropped through the night.
We walked towards the doors and back, only to find the cold spot had moved along to the area near the Wolfheze display and a when go there it seemed to move off towards Steve and Jeff.
There then followed an episode of continually moving between areas chasing cold spots and shadowy movement. It took a while to get the point, but it looked like whatever the anomaly was it didn’t want to be near us.
Next swapped vigil areas with Team 3 and took up residence in the 1940’s house. Nice area – no anomalies.
Vigil 4
For this last one, we joined up with team 3 again and sat in the presentation area next to the Hamilcar. No EMF, temp or light anomalies were recorded, but my attention was always drawn to the upper mezzanine where we had been for our last vigil. There seemed to be a large ‘shadow’ moving around near the glider pilot display. I had the feeling of being watched from there, but what ever it was, it was too far away to record anything from it and once again it didn’t seem to want to come forward.
Sheila Simpson
This was my first paranormal investigation and I was not sure what to expect.
On arriving I was able to become familiar with some of the equipment used as I joined the team conducting baselines. After completing the baselines we went on to do a séance in the World War Two glider room. At first I felt nothing as I sat there wondering what the others could see or sense. I listened quietly with interest at their findings. Then I could see a shadow above one of the planes, about a foot in dimension, unsure what it was I tried to capture it on my camcorder to no avail.
A short while later as I sat quietly I began to get hot. I removed my cardigan yet I still felt my body getting hotter. I felt a bit silly and I whispered to Rab who was on my left that I was feeling extremely hot and was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Then I felt intense heat down 2/3 of my left side of my body.
The others at this time were sensing a pilot who had crashed and died there some years earlier. I had this feeling of being trapped in what felt like the cockpit of the plane as it was about to catch alight. For some reason I believed that when the plane crashed, the pilots where alive until the plane engulfed killing them.
I knew that Dave had some knowledge of the crash, but I was feeling nervous about speaking out yet I knew I had to. So I asked if the plane crashed, then engulfed, to which he confirmed this as being so.
My first vigil was up on the mezzanine floor. I thought I would feel nervous about being in the dark but was very surprised at how calm I felt. I sensed a young boy about 13, I felt he wanted me to be alone and I was comfortable moving away from the others. I also believe he was a bit of a mischief and liked to be a bit naughty. Unfortunately this happened at the end of the vigil.
After this I felt nothing at the next 2 vigils. Then at the last vigil we ended up back in the World War 2 glider room back to where we had started the night.
As I sat there I once again felt the presence of this boy. As the other spoke out I felt he was telling me to talk to him and ask him questions. I felt unable to do this as I did not feel confident enough yet. I asked him in my mind his name and I got the name Stanley. Then he laughed as if he was joking with me.
I asked him several questions and I felt my body move from front to back like a nodding movement for yes, and side to side for no. I kept asking him to prove to the others he was there, but he wouldn’t. He kept telling me to speak out and after a while I sensed he was not happy with me for not doing this so he left.
I am glad I went on this paranormal investigation and although I do not quite understand what I felt was true or how much my mind was making me believe, I look forward to joining the group again, and hopefully some of my questions will be answered.