LONELY AIRMEN ROAM COLEBY GRANGE AIRFIELD

The History

In response to the Blitz that was between 7 September 1940 and 11 May 1941, Air Chief Marshall Dowding and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, decided that their best form of defense against these tactics would be to attack. They decided to mirror Hitler’s tactics – but whereas the German bombing campaign mainly concentrated on London, the Allies decided that a mass destruction campaign to destroy the enemy’s manufacturing bases would be the preferred method. Hitler and Nazi Germany would feel the full wrath of Britain’s anger.

The Eastern side of England was chosen as the base from which to launch the largest scale bombing campaign the world had ever seen. Churchill believed that by wiping out the industry that powered the German advancement, Britain would stand her greatest chance of winning the war. Soon, the counties of Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire were home to various RAF homes.

The largest county to house these new RAF bombing stations, was Lincolnshire, which became known as ‘Bomber County’. Lincolnshire was primarily home to 1 Group and 5 Group of RAF Bomber Command. The stations of 1 Group were in the area mainly to the north of Lincoln, and 5 Group’s stations to the south. Both Groups were equipped with the Avro Lancaster and established a fine record of endeavour. Almost half of Bomber Command’s 19 Victoria Crosses were awarded to airmen operating from Lincolnshire.

By 1945 there were 49 airfields in Lincolnshire, more than any other county. The mean distance between each was only 7.5 miles, and a typical bomber station took up something like 700 acres. The total area occupied by airfields was 2% of the county's whole land area. Even today only 5% is occupied by towns and villages, and 80% of the county is under cultivation.

But where there was frontline action, there was tragedy. Many a station would eagerly line outside the control tower, waiting for their comrades to return in a blaze of glory. Sometimes, they were lucky, other times not.

Opening in May 1941, RAF Coleby Grange in Lincolnshire was one such bomber station. Rather than having specific bombers, Coleby used lighter Hurricane and Defiant aircraft, and later, Mosquito MkIIs of 410 Sqn RCAF were based here from February 1943 to October of that year. They were on nightfighter defence duties and 'Ranger' operations, with single Mosquitoes attacking specific European road and rail targets at night. Later, 307 (Polish) Sqn used the base, with Mosquito XII, before leaving in May 1945. The station briefly re-opened in 1959 with a specialist unit, before closing for good in 1963.  Twenty years of young men’s hopes, dreams and fears left for good. Young men who sacrificed their lives for the good of the country could finally rest in peace, with their mission accomplished. Or could they?

The rumour is, that RAF Coleby Grange never ceased operating for some souls. Those men who laid their lives on the line, who lived and breathed a passion for victory, a passion for the achievement of humanity, suddenly found themselves somewhat redundant in the modern world. If they weren’t already dead, it could be argued that something inside them did die post-1945. So is it any surprise that they would return to the scene of their greatest triumph, their greatest tragedy, a place where they could feel truly alive?

 

 

 

The Ghosts

Coleby Grange is awash with the footsteps of long ago, in the darkness of the night.

No-one really knows who the pilot is, who is usually seen on the top floor gazing mournfully across the overgrown runway. Is he remembering fallen comrades, or asking himself why the war had to be?

At other times, the drone of long gone bombers can be heard on their flightpath home. Other stories include a phantom that looks out of the window, footsteps heard on the top corridor, and stones that have been thrown at people when looking in from the outside.

People have felt head-pains near the stairs area and voices have been heard. Many people have heard bangs, and unusual noises.

On a warm summer’s night in August 2005, a BBC team decided to investigate this phenomenon, and attempt to understand what was going on at Coleby. The hangars are long gone – all that remains is the crumbling old control tower as the reference point to a bygone age.

At first, nothing really happened. Then at 10:30pm the activity started. Lights, bangs and missiles were aimed at the team, which were caught on camera. Whoever was behind it, it was clear that they did not want them trespassing into their world.

On the photographs, ghostly mists and orbs were recorded, hovering behind members of the team. They had certainly walked into something they couldn’t explain.

Just over a year on, no-one from the BBC crew can really explain what happened that night. Was it really ghosts or something more easily explainable?

You can make up your own mind by visiting their blog:

 www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire/content/articles/2005/08/23/coleby_grange_feature

The Control Tower at RAF Coleby Grange                            The Haunted Stairwell

Photographs © Robert Truman

 

Do you have a ghostly tale to tell? Or do you know of anyone who has had an experience?

If so, then please get interactive, and e-mail Graham! It may even roll up here in next month’s column! Alternatively, add yours to Area 51’s Forum and the best will appear here. Spooky!

 

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CJ

This month, our expert ghosthunter and parapsychologist examines what the ‘paranormal’ could be…

What is the paranormal?

Some years ago I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by the eminent physicist and parapsychologist Dr. Bernard Carr. My understanding of his opinion at that time was that the so-called paranormal is those incidents which at this stage of our scientific knowledge can be explained by no current scientific model or theory. It is these 'exceptions' to normal physics which provide clues as to where the current models are weak, and by examining anomalies we can progress, creating better and better models - the task of Science. He predicts that as science advances, less and less will be left in the 'paranormal', and things which seemed 'paranormal' become accepted science. (I must admit I tried to think of an example at the time, and the closest I came was hypnotism).

Of course, there is a great deal which will probably turn out to have nothing to do with the inadequacy of current scientific theories, and more to do with the gullibility of human beings or the misinterpretation of normal events, (as Dr Carr readily admits), and in these cases the psychologist is better equipped than the physicist. The nonsense which is endlessly peddled in paranormal circles comes from a number of sources, not least from authors and parapsychologists who repeat stories and cases without actually checking the facts - and it is embarrassingly left to the sceptics to do this work for us.

So am I saying that only physicists can gain from a study of parapsychology, and that psychologists are only useful in debunking? Of course not! In 1993 I set up a paranormal research group, who specialised in what are called spontaneous cases - those which arise in the field, unlooked for, such as hauntings, premonitions etc. We investigated some 30-odd cases as a group, and in that time I needed the skills of -

professional investigators (police), psychologists, archivists, historians, builders, surveyors, plumbers, geologists, psychiatrists, electricians, vets, doctors, statisticians and a rock musician! (Among many others...)

The paranormal manifests in every field of human endeavour, as well as in the natural world, and no one individual can ever have all the skills required. That is why all parapsychologists must learn to research in every discipline, and very quickly find sympathetic experts from every field to provide expert advice. You can't possibly ever know it all, but with enough friends to help out it can seem that you do!

Back to the opening idea - that Science is developing, and will one day embrace the paranormal. Since Thomas Kuhn's groundbreaking work On the Nature of Scientific Revolutions introduced the idea, many historians of science have used the term paradigm to describe a theoretical model. At one time the dominant paradigm in astronomy was terracentric - the earth was the centre of the universe and the sun and planets revolved around it, perhaps in crystal spheres. Then came Copernicus, and the heliocentric model, in which the earth went round the sun, took over. Ironically paradigms tend to change only when the older scientists who were trained in the old model die, and the new orthodoxy of the next generation means they are as conservative to change. The next paradigm comes along, and when they die, it becomes the new 'truth'.

Paradigms of the Paranormal

In my opinion there are three paradigms in our modern thinking that all attempt to explain the paranormal. Each is based in philosophy, and each has vocal adherents who rubbish the work of those in the other schools, and provide scientific evidence to support their position. I have argued from each perspective at different times, and you may well identify strongly with one of these positions. They are -

1. The Dualist or Spirit Hypothesis.

This holds that every human, and perhaps animal and plant, has a unique and eternal soul, which survives bodily death. You, the essence of you, not your body, which we most comfortably associate with as our minds, will not die. Your mind is not the same as your brain. This is the position held by Spiritualists and most of the world religions, and there is much evidence for it. Paranormal events are caused by spirits or supernatural forces.

This is a very basic statement of the hypothesis, which might also include natural spirits and other non-human intelligences in the spirit world. It may well include the demonic hypothesis, magic, and endless variations depending on the theology of the believer. It is also the most common belief of most people, as a look at alt.folklore.ghost-stories newsgroup will affirm.

In this theory a ghost or poltergeist is usually interpreted as an 'earthbound spirit' or 'demonic force

2. The Epiphenomenalist Position

- a. The Psi Hypothesis.

Epiphenomenalism is the belief that your mind (you) is a result of brain function, and that when brain death occurs, you die with it. It is a non-survival hypothesis. It is a materialist, reductionist hypothesis. (Hint: It can help to look up some of these words - materialist, reductionist, etc in a Dictionary of Philosophy by the way, even if you know what they mean...)

So if spirits don't exist, how do we address the evidence for paranormal events such as poltergeists? Many paranormal events seem to revolve around people, and the psi hypothesis holds that the paranormal are as yet unknown but completely natural powers associated with human brain function - it includes theories such as telepathy, psycho-kinesis, and precognition, all of which are grouped together under the heading General ESP (extra-sensory perception). A poltergeist might be explained in this paradigm by a build up of stress and frustration which could not be manifested by the victim through usual channels manifesting as a nervous breakdown outside their heads - they literally haunt themselves! This is a paradigm which has gained considerable credence in parapsychological circles - in fact and much to my irritation it is the 'common sense' of modern parapsychology, or the hegemony... It is knowledge of this paradigm and its ramifications which differentiates parapsychologists from spiritualists and ghosthunters - which does not (necessarily) mean it is correct or any more useful as a model, simply that it is the orthodoxy of modern parapsychology! So now you know how to be a parapsychological heretic!

 

b. Scepticism.

This is quite simply the position it's all rot. Actually there are two types of sceptic, the sceptic who keeps an open mind and can be persuaded by sufficient evidence, and the sceptic who a priori refuses to accept the possibility of the paranormal.

So which of these positions do your investigations lead you towards? It is quite possible that the truth may include some aspects of all of them, and that different phenomena have different causalities.

A Theory of Everything

At which point a caveat. It is common for people in this field to try to develop a single revolutionary idea which explains all paranormal phenomena. This is a ludicrous endeavour, as they tend to stretch it to include the yeti, Bermuda triangle, UFO's and ghosts. Beware these people - they will send you stark raving mad! It is a very human thing to assume that we can solve all problems with a single panacea, but I doubt it will ever happen.

 

 

Ghostwatch eXtra – Behind the Scenes!

 

Welcome to our new page! When we ever make an episode of Ghostwatch, I will offer you an eXclusive behind-the-scenes access as to how we made it. Episode 1 of Series 1 was a tour around Cheltenham over several late nights this summer, with some spooky results! Enjoy!

The objective for Ghostwatch was to produce a fifteen minute piece on the ghosts and hauntings of Cheltenham, with the attempt to be as detached as possible. This was in order for the recording to not be biased anyway towards any particular beliefs or ideologies. I decided to produce a documentary on the subject, as it is topic that fascinates me from a scientific point of view and is one where I can hopefully translate this passion onto tape. It is also a subject that many people are interested in, and therefore is a radio programme that may be likely to accumulate a high demographic of Area 51’s audience.

It is worth noting the style of the show, especially with the frenetic pace of MH or where a commercial local radio station has music and idents, and many sound effects. Instead, my approach has differed. I have looked to the minimalistic use of music and to only employ it in order to accentuate points of heightened involvement, such as when actual phenomena occurs or as a sound bed to a significant piece of action. If Ghostwatch were to be intended for a BBC audience, the content would require a more detailed approach with a slow build-up until a dénouement occurs, and then demand a considered analysis and a continual questioning of itself and its conclusions. As Area 51 is a speech-based format more like the BBC’s style of broadcasting, therefore, in my production, the ‘event’ is the second investigation at the park and the paranormal activity associated with it. I also attempt to question my own judgements and the conclusions that the experts provide, in the process of objectivity.

We need to acknowledge that our demographic (the type of person a product/service is aimed at) is UK listeners over the age of 18 (due to the nature of the content, and that children may not be interested in the subject material). Therefore, I was given the freedom to elaborate upon topics somewhat more and able to embellish upon the nature of the content. It did not have to be an action based approach, more a considered and reflective commentary on paranormal activity within Cheltenham and the county.  I also asked questions that I thought the audience would want to know, such as whether the church believes in ghosts and why phenomena is rarely, if never, captured on camera. Having experts to answer these points gave the production an extra authority that the audience could buy into.

As a serious paranormal investigation team, we needed the proper recording equipment that would pick up on phenomena within the environment, not solely upon our speech. Therefore, we had cases of equipment to carry whilst someone else held a nightvision camera to my face, a Most Haunted! I was disappointed that we were unable to capture the flashing orbs and ghostly mist on either camera or audio, but it happened as we were just setting the equipment up. However, we were successful in capturing Ross the sensitive get ‘hit’ by an unknown assailant and the cavalier and battleground information.

Making the programme certainly hasn’t altered my beliefs that ghosts are indeed spirits of dead people. I still believe that science offers the explanation, and so it is our job to test conventional scientific thoughts in pursuit of the ‘truth’. Ghostwatch has not been able to offer any rational explanation as to how Ross and I picked up on the same things in the park, nor as to how he was hit by an unknown assailant. Rather, it has served as a piece of entertainment for our audience, and until it truly captures something paranormal that as parapsychologists we can explain, it shall remain so.

This show can be download from our downloads page, take a walk on the haunted side with Graham and the team.

 

 

CJ

EXCLUSIVELY for Area 51 Radio Station, the world’s leading parapsychologist, writer and broadcaster, Chris Jensen-Romer, offers us his thoughts on the world of the paranormal and the unexplained…

Hints for Ghosthunters!

This month, CJ examines why you SHOULDN’T become a ghosthunter!
 

It often sounds rather glamorous to work in psychical research. Loads of people, finding I once was a researcher for Most Haunted and Most Haunted Live have said over the years, say "oh I wish I could do that!” Well my advice is... don’t!!!

I recently worked out my earnings per hour as if I had been working full time, since I became primarily a "ghost hunter" back in '92. I have earned on average fifty pence an hour! So - don't give up the day job!

So you sure as heck don't do it for the money. It was also pretty much the end of my career as an academic, or indeed my career generally! I normally write "academic parapsychologist" on the dole forms. So why do you do it?

To be honest there is actually very little point in ghost hunting. Whatever you are looking for won't turn up, for as the old German proverb says "When the ghost hunter arrives, the ghost flies out of the window." Yes it really does; funny people those elderly Germans! And even if you do see something, no-one will ever believe you - except your dotty Aunt Mabel who's been talking to the ghost of Uncle Sidney since the 1940's! Still, Uncle Sidney doesn't mind, it gives him more time to potter around in the garden as she thinks he's dead.

"A-ha!", I do not hear you cry, "What if I get a photo?" Then the "Sunday Sleaze" will print it with a ludicrously wrong account of how you took it, a wide variety of occult-orientated nutcases will arrive on your doorstep to worship you and your mates will never speak to you again. And the biggest mystery of all, is while every expert in the land denounces it as a fake, no-one will see fit to pay you a penny for your destroyed reputation or hard work.

Have I succeeded in putting you off? Ah, I feared not...

Oh well, here are the Ten Commandments of Ghost Hunting:

1. Never trespass on private property, as it's a serious offence these days. Avoid cemeteries as they are frequently vandalised and you don't want to take the blame. If you join one of the reputable organisations like a ghost hunting local group, you can get to witness cases as they develop. Join one, and save a lot of effort standing around Walberswick Common in the early hours freezing to death, and be startled by confused ducks. Remember that most of the houses mentioned in ghost books are someone’s home and they will not appreciate being asked to answer enquiries about ghosts, so leave them alone. Belonging to a group gives you a much better chance that someone else will be the one who gets punched on the nose, and also mean someone else can do all the hard work of finding the cases you investigate.

2. Never go alone. Not only would I hate to see you murdered, as you won't then be able to buy my next book, but if you do see something ghostly you have another witness. If you do see something, remain perfectly still, and observe. Do not talk about what you have seen until you have both written, signed and had witnessed your independent testimony. I had two friends who did this. One had written a page description of the white figure that floated across a field toward him, making a low groaning sound. His sharper-eyed girlfriend wrote: "Didn't see any ghost. Did see a Frisian cow though, which trotted over and mooed at us!"

3. Keep quiet, and maintain vigilance. Do not take drugs, alcohol or your really hot date, as all will dramatically interfere with your perception. The latter is a really bad idea as haunted abbeys are never as romantic or cosy as they sound (when you are safely inside, and if it rains they'll never forgive you!). Wear what you think is appropriate clothing and then dress warmer just in case. You can always take it off... (Note: CJ may have ignored part of this on some of his cases, and really hot ladies may apply at the usual address!)

4. Photographs can, as the illustrations in my book show, lie. Nonetheless a camera, camcorder or best of all a cine camera are invaluable. Why cine film of all things? Because it is hard to fake and can be examined frame by frame. Everyone should have a watch, a torch, notepad, pen and if possible a thermometer. Measure the temperature every 15 minutes. I was once on a case where the temperature dropped from 12C to -6C in less than a minute, and this was never satisfactorily explained. Mind you, I didn't catch a cold...

5. While it is often a good idea to tell one responsible person such as a spouse or parent where you are off to just in case of accidents, do not spread the word too much, unless you enjoy being hoaxed all night by your mates dressed up in sheets. A good ghost hunting group should always have Public Liability Insurance (see the opening of film Ghostbusters 2 for why!)

6. If you join a group you will eventually get to investigate someone's ghost. Be careful to abide by all the rules of that group, and try to fill in all paperwork, however tedious that may be. Groups tend to be very determined to do this, and for good reasons. Sadly they usually then sit in their notes, so science is furthered not a jot. Try to encourage the group to actively share their paperwork with other groups - you can probably lodge a well presented report with the SPR Library, publish it, or place it on the internet. The group Parasoc (www.parasoc.org), has some well presented reports on investigations - you could use these as models.

7. More profitable than just running around at night failing to see anything, delve into your local archive and research in detail the cases therein or new ones you uncover. Then share your knowledge with others who will be very happy to hear from you. You can create a website on local ghosts, research in local libraries and newspaper archives, and interview witnesses.  From your material and data, you could possibly write your own book, all without ever going near a haunted house!

8. Theoretical and experimental work is fascinating and very easy to set up. For ideas subscribe to a reputable journal such as that published by the SPR (Society for Paranormal Research). This is particularly useful on long winter evenings when the rain is lashing your windows, the wind rattles your chimney and your local library is closed. It is also an invaluable aid to insomniacs. Card guessing to calculate your psychic talent is a harmless family pastime. You can also check stuff out on the parapsychology sites, and then run some online experiments.

9. Ouija boards are not a harmless family pastime, unless you are a very adept Spiritualist in which case you won't dabble with anything so basic. Whether you believe they open paths to demonic entities or merely allow for exteriorisation of, or merely the surfacing of, unconscious material straight from the Id, they are a generally bad idea! They are linked to a large number of tragedies. You'd probably be better off joining a Charismatic Christian Church if you wish to see spiritual powers at work. Sermon over.

10. Whatever else you do, try not to dwell too much on all this. It's really not that important unless you really intend to spend your life seriously studying parapsychology. If so a good degree in Psychology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Literature, Medicine, Biochemistry, Religion, Electrical Engineering or almost any other discipline will provide you with the basics. Once you've got that, contact and join the SPR. I wish you the best of luck!

Hope you enjoy ghosthunting as much (nay, more!) than I have!!!
cj x

 

THE STATION HOTEL – A GHOSTWATCH INVESTIGATION
BY BECKY SMITH

Paranormal Investigator for Area 51 Radio Station and ghostlystays.co.uk
From the outside, The Station Hotel looks like any other old Victorian hotel. Dudley is famed for its industrial past, and the hotel reflects this through its character and facilities. Yet behind the average façade, there is a dark and sinister presence behind its curtains…
The hotel became well known as a ‘haunted location’ after the team from the popular TV program ‘Most Haunted’ investigated the location in late 2002 (series 2).  What made this particular location memorable was that actual visual footage was caught on camera of objects moving when nobody in the room.  The camera was placed in room 214 and left to record and on playing back the footage (and speeding it up to 30 times the normal speed) the chair and bed in the room can clearly be seen to move out of position and back again several times (the footage was sped up because the movement was very slow over a period of time and not very obvious to see).  After the episode was aired the hotel became popular with both ‘ghost hunting’ groups and people who were curious about staying in a ‘haunted’ hotel’.

What also makes this location interesting is that many of the hotel archive records are missing making research difficult, however the hotel has kept a ‘spook book’ which contains witness accounts from both staff and guests, ghost hunters and general guests, dating back from 2003.  There also appears to be only one story regarding a murder that took place in the cellar of the hotel, but various spirits mentioned in the spook book including children and women falling from stairs to their death.

The hotel has several locations where activity had been reported prior to the Most Haunted investigation and these are the locations the team focused on, however there are various other locations mentioned in the spook book.  The main locations are rooms 214 and 217, the cellar and the restaurant but there are 9 other rooms where activity has been reported as well as corridors, stairs the bar and the ballroom. 

There are various types of ‘activity’ reported in the book, some of which can be easily explained, but some things seem to occur more often then others.  One of these is a smell of smoke when entering a room, often described as cigar smoke or cigarette smoke or a smoky smell.  However there is an easily identifiable source for this, the hotel is a smoking hotel you can smoke pretty much anywhere including most of the rooms and the furnishings have inevitably absorbed the smell. 
Something thing that I personally found interesting was that many people reported finding scratches on various parts of their body that they have no recollection of doing. This was also observed on the Most Haunted episode when Cath the make-up lady was scratched in room 217.  Amazingly, I too experienced this – and it’s something I’ll never ever forget. I was scratched somewhere where it would have been quite difficult to have scratched myself, and it was so severe that the wound and bleeding and took several days to heal.  Yet, I felt nothing when it actually happened – this is typical poltergeist phenomena.
Other ‘activity’ reported in the spook book includes objects moving, including furniture, variations in temperature and various technical difficulties especially with phones, both mobiles and landlines.
Neither the Most Haunted team nor myself will ever forget our stay in one of Britain’s most haunted hotels. Although we have held various investigations since, alas, nothing of any interest has happened. That’s not to say they won’t come out to play next time we visit…

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