Helen Duncan’s Trial Witnesses Testify People They Knew Materialized in Her Seances

Helen Duncan was one of the world’s most talented materialization mediums. At sittings, she produced ectoplasm which draped over the etheric bodies of visiting spirits producing full materializations. These spirits were sufficiently clear for their physical characteristics to be recognized. They would often converse about things only the deceased person and the sitter knew about, sometimes in foreign languages.

When a sailor came through in a Helen Duncan séance explaining that he had perished when the HMS Barham was sunk, the British Admiralty was alarmed because they at first didn’t know about the sinking and then were determined to keep it secret. When D-Day was approaching, there was an effort to silence Duncan. She was tried for conspiracy because of her knowledge, demonstrating that the British Admiralty knew her statements were accurate, thus proving that she was communicating with a sailor before the Admiralty knew of the sinking, although the sailor’s body was dead.

In an effort to silence Helen Duncan and because of a general mistrust of her abilities, Helen Duncan’s was place on trial beginning March 30, 1944. During the trial, a number of people described the connections they made with loved ones whose bodies were dead during Duncan’s seances. The following are links to full descriptions of their testimonies. All are demonstrations of the fact that the people live on after their bodies have died.

Click on the links to read the court transcripts of the individuals’ seance experiences.

Mary Jane Rust ~ Materializations of her husband, mother, and aunt ~ Read the testimony

George Mayer Mackie ~ Materializations of his mother, brother, sister ~ Read the testimony

James McDougal Duncan ~ He and his daughters witnessed materializations of his wife, father, mother, and two brothers. ~ Read the testimony

Mary Jane Blackwell ~ Materializations of her mother, father, husband, and aunt ~ Read the testimony

Vincent Woodcock ~ Materializations of his wife, stepmother, and stepdaughter ~ Read the testimony

Lilian Bailey ~ Materializations of her mother and paternal grandmother ~ Read the testimony

Kathleen Evelyn Crosby McNeill ~ Materializations of her sister, father, an acquaintance ~ Read the testimony

Mary Annie Wheatcroft ~ Materialization of her husband ~ Read the testimony

Frederick Arthur Branch ~ Materialization of his grandmother ~ Read the testimony

Alfred Dodd ~ Materialization of his grandfather, mother, first sweetheart ~ Read the testimony

John Winning ~ Materialization of his mother, brother, grandmother, aunt, two uncles, and a shoolmaster he knew ~ Read the testimony

Herbert John Steabben ~ Materializations of his mother and a child he once knew ~ Read the testimony

Albert Ormesher and his daughter ~ Materializations of his mother, sister, brother-in-law, daughter, wife, wife’s step-father, and cousin ~ Read the testimony

Sir James William Harris ~ Materializations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a nurse, and a friend ~ Read the testimony

Joseph Wood Milne Smith ~ Materializations of his mother, his wife, and a colleague ~ Read the testimony

Lily Kurd ~ Materializations of her mother, a childhood friend, an aunt, and the aunt’s niece ~ Read the testimony

Margaret Lyons ~ Materialization of her father ~ Read the testimony

John William Gerrard ~ Materializations of his three children ~ Read the testimony

Helaine Fry ~ Materializations of her sister, nephew, uncle, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and son ~ Read the testimony

Janet Dodds ~ Materializations of her father, sister, mother, and a friend killed in a plane crash ~ Read the testimony

Frank Spencer ~ Materializations of his two brothers, father, friend, and acquaintance ~ Read the testimony