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February 27, 2008
Not Miss Cleo
The picture above is HMS Barham, which exploded after taking three torpedoes from a German U-Boat in the early part of World War II. At the time, the Royal Navy was undermanned and it couldn't afford to lose another battleship. Naturally, they didn't want the Germans to know that the ship had actually sunk, so they censored news of the Barham's demise. Unfortunately, a psychic medium named Helen Duncan scuppered these plans:
She organized frequent séances for people seeking to communicate with deceased relatives. During one séance held shortly after the Barham’s loss in late 1941 she reportedly summoned the spirit of a sailor who announced, “My ship is sunk” to the astonished audience. The sailor reportedly wore a Royal Navy hatband with the name “HMS Barham.” This episode occurred while Barham’s loss remained a heavily guarded secret. When news of the event reached the Admiralty, they feared Duncan’s séances would unravel their extensive measures of concealment.
The Navy authorities got wind of this, but they didn't take any action against Duncan, until 1944 rolled around, and the D-Day landings were about to take place. The plan needed the utmost secrecy to succeed, and this time they didn't want Duncan to spoil the surprise - much like the infamous crossword puzzle incident. Naturally, they threw her in jail:
Helen Duncan was not arrested in the aftermath of the Barham incident, and she continued to organize séances throughout the country. But authorities watched her more closely. In 1942 Duncan began to lead spiritualist demonstrations in Portsmouth, a naval town on England’s southern coast. She was conducting a séance in Portsmouth on January 19, 1944 when suddenly a whistle blew and a participant rushed forward to grab the floating ectoplasm. Others in the audience turned on the lights and ushered in the police. Undercover naval and police officers had infiltrated the meeting, and Duncan and three other shocked participants were arrested and charged with vagrancy before the Portsmouth magistrates.
Higher authorities intervened, however, and the police transported Duncan to London to face charges from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The more serious accusation of conspiracy, punishable by death in wartime, replaced her original infraction. Finally, the prosecutors decided to charge her with violating the 1735 Witchcraft Act, a law originally passed during the reign of King George II that had lain dormant for a hundred years.
Follow the link for the whole fascinating story, which is both amazing and disturbing. The steps governments take to conceal secrets is quite astonishing, especially in times of war.
entry no. 1090
Posted at February 27, 2008 02:20 PM