Re. poltergeist cases in general, I don't know if anyone has read the following elsewhere, but there are some similarities with the Pell case and one that we were (in passing) involved with a few years ago:
The Darlaston Poltergeist(s)
Written: October 2002
Introduction
In early June, 2002, W.M.G.C. members learned of two poltergeist outbreaks which took place in Darlaston during the mid-1990's. Unfortunately, our involvement with these matters came much too late for us to have been involved in the first hand investigation of the sites concerned – such events having already taken place and premises long vacated. However, the heads of both households involved proved to be most obliging with regards to being interviewed and, as a result, detailed reports of all of the activities concerned were duly recorded.
" All the time you are sitting there and you are thinking: these things don't happen - well, at least they don't happen to me! These things happen on T.V.; these things happen in cinemas; these things happen in videos - they don't happen to me. This isn't real, it can't be real…. You know it's there, you know it's happening, but you don't want to believe it".
Mr. Thomas Whatmore
Part 1: "You cannot touch it or feel it, but you know it's there…"
At the time of the Whatmore poltergeist outbreak, the family were living in a council house situated near to the Herberts Park area of Darlaston. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Whatmore and their three daughters.
In hindsight, Mr Whatmore now believes that some form(s) of minor paranormal activity may have actually been occurring for up to two years before the main (brief) effect. However, as these events were mainly limited to such matters as small object movement - putting something down and finding it in a completely different place when you came back for it, etc - he tended to regard such occurrences (at the time) as sheer absent mindedness.
The first incident that actually caused concern for Tom was when a light bulb inexplicably fell from an overhead socket and landed on him as he lay in bed one night. Upon going to put the bulb back the next day, he found that it had already been replaced. No one in the house admitted to having touched it.
This innocent enough incident would seem to have been the precursor for what Tom terms the 'Violent' or 'Frightening' period of potential activity and, over the next one and a half months, the family were to experience a wide range of disturbing activity.
Within a short period, knocking noises and disembodied voices - those of a man and a woman - were heard about the house. Often, these voices would appear to be arguing, though the conversation was invariably muffled and you could never quite make out what was being said. If you were downstairs, you could hear the conversation upstairs and vice versa. Sometimes, the voices could be heard calling out the names of people within the household; always a male voice calling a female name and a female calling a male. Tom suggests that the voices were unfriendly; something in their tone holding an air of general ‘nastiness’.
The T.V., radio or downstairs lights were often found to have been inexplicably switched on after the family had gone to bed at night and strange smells - some pleasant, some like rotting vegetables - regularly flooded the house. An unnatural darkness would envelop a room, even on the brightest days, and extreme temperature changes turned the air icy cold.
Family members and visitors to the house began reporting varying degree's of physical contact from something invisible.
A friend of the family was once pushed into a bath full of water while visiting the toilet. Despite the fact that they were drenched from head to foot, the bath was found to be completely dry upon investigation. Some while later, the same friend reported the sensation of someone stroking her hair. Tom reported that you could actually see the girls hair moving, as if a hand were physically touching it. Another family friend fled the house after feeling someone touch her on the shoulder and both Tom and his eldest daughter found themselves violently shoved against walls and pushed to the ground.
Somewhat typical of even the most vicious poltergeist effects, some of the phenomena experienced could be uncharacteristically playful or helpful. Following an argument over which family member should make a drink, Tom entered the kitchen to find a piping hot pot of tea already waiting for him! No one had been into the room for some time and he admits to having immediately emptied the pot straight into the sink! (The poltergeist also enjoyed making freshly brewed tea disappear from cups!).
On another occasion, the Whatmores eldest daughter asked for a school blouse to be ironed for her. Although no one in the household admits to having touched the blouse, it was found waiting for her, freshly ironed, as she left for school the next morning.
One amusing incident occurred as Tom was idly flicking through the T.V. channels one day when he came across a programme featuring Elvis Presley. Mr. Whatmore absolutely hates Elvis, but his wife is an avid fan! As Mrs. Whatmore was upstairs at the time - out of earshot - he quickly changed channels again, intending to say nothing about the matter. Only seconds later, Mrs. Whatmore came back downstairs and, as she stepped into the living room, the television suddenly changed stations of it's own accord…… back to the channel with Elvis on it!!
As well as poltergeist effects, some 'apparitions' were also seen around the house. Tom saw an old woman in their kitchen one night and his wife once saw the figure of a man in the same area. When she came to describe the latter mentioned to her husband, Tom believes that the man's appearance fitted that of his father who had died when his son was only 19. Mrs. Whatmore had never met - or so much as seen a photograph of - Mr. Whatmore Snr.
One particular apparition that Tom was understandably most reticent to mention was that of a half man-half horse creature that he saw snarling at him from the corner of the living room one night. He points out that, at this point in time, he was already at his wits end from the effect of the haunting and, as a result, almost constantly in a confused state of mind…….
One of the younger Whatmore daughters - a mere toddler at the time - was often heard holding long conversations with someone. Her parents constantly asked who it was she was talking with and the girl would simply reply: 'friend'….
It is only recently that the Whatmores daughter has actually described her visitor. She claims that a young boy – his face apparently covered in blood - used to sit at the foot of her bed and speak with her.
Two visits from the (then) Vicar of Darlaston brought no relief to the Whatmore family and an attempted blessing ended prematurely when a sound like 'furniture being thrown around' was heard from upstairs during the early stages of the rite. The Vicar is said to have abruptly left the premises. (Previously, a bottle of Holy Water, which had been brought to the house by a family friend, inexplicably shattered of it's own accord).
As matters worsened, the family took to sleeping downstairs in the living room. (Tom admits that he didn't even dare to visit the toilet by himself for some while). One night, Tom detected the now familiar sound of a muffled altercation taking place, seemingly on the landing at the top of the stairs. As he listened, he suddenly heard a sound - like that made by an object travelling very fast - and something struck him hard, just above the right eye.
Initially thinking that his wife or eldest daughter had thrown something at him, his first reaction was to cross his arms in front of his face. As he peered out from behind his arms, he saw what he can only describe as a 'black cloud', that seemed to stretch from floor level to only a few inches below ceiling height. Tom says that this is a sight that will remain with him forever and, at that point, he actually believed the form would kill him….
This turned out to be the final straw for Tom and he and his family fled the house that night. For the subsequent 3-4 weeks, they stayed at the home of friends. The family still visited their house on a daily basis, but only to check the property over and occasionally retrieve clothing and other essentials.
Still, even during these brief calls - always made in company, never alone - some form of activity usually occurred. On one such occasion, the visitors were approaching the house when they saw the bedroom curtains 'billowing' into the room of their own accord. Tom and his eldest daughter were violently pushed against a wall while retrieving food from their deep freeze and a neighbour saw an 'unnatural darkness' at the top of the stairs. Tom went to the house one day with a group of friends and was pushed to the living room floor while one of his companions fought with the front door which seemed wholly intent on closing itself……..
While staying with their neighbours, a friend of the family suggested that they contact a 'Born Again Christian' group from the Walsall area for help. Remarkably, this advice turned out to be something of a positive step for the family as certain advice proffered by the group did prove to be of benefit. Tom says that he now became able to take control of some of his fears - a step which made him feel more relaxed and positive about their situation.
Whether as a result of Christian guidance - or the simple fact that the activity may now have run it's course - the effect itself appears to have soon begun losing momentum. (Generally, poltergeist effects are commonly said to be fairly short lived affairs). The Whatmore family eventually moved back into their home and remained in the property for a further 6 - 12 months. Tom admits that things were much better after they returned, but, quite understandably, he always had the feeling that something was still there - waiting. As with such cases, the local Council would not recognise the Whatmores problem and, because of this, refused to re-house them. As a result, the family were eventually forced to seek private accommodation…..
Part 2: "Now you tell me there was no sort of malicious intelligence behind that…!"
Ray Selman and his wife had lived on the 10th floor of Great Croft House, Darlaston, for 6-7 years when they first started noticing 'odd happenings' around their flat.
Remarkably, at the time that Mr. Selmans activity began, he had only just recently struck up a friendship with Tom Whatmore. Ray had only previously visited the home of his new friend on a couple of occasions and a third visit happened to correspond with the most virulent period of the Whatmore activity. Upon being informed of the latter mentioned, Ray actually joked with his friend, saying that he 'hoped no ghosts would be following him home that night'….
Ironically – and almost immediately – Ray’s own 'odd happenings' suddenly began.
Objects were found to have been inexplicably moved around the flat - or blatantly hidden - while the Selmans experienced a constant feeling of being watched. Doors closed of their own accord, inexplicable noises were heard, and a pile of loose change left lying on a sideboard was found to have been neatly stacked, in a vertical column.
Ray was cooking one day, when his wife suddenly burst into the room and angrily accused him of almost scaring her to death.
Unfortunately, her husband had no idea of what she was talking about. Mrs. Selman explained that she had been watching television, when, from her peripheral vision, she suddenly became aware of a head poking through the kitchen / living room partition. As she turned to look at it fully, the head quickly withdrew into the kitchen. Ray maintains that he had been busy cooking at the time and had, at no point, looked through the partition.
On one occasion, Ray had a pen bounce off the top of his head as he lay on the floor watching T.V. one night. The pen in question had been resting on top of the television set only seconds earlier and had to travel some feet 'across' the room in order to land where it did.
While some physical interaction was light, almost playful at times, Ray also found himself suffering inexplicable scratches on his arm and, one morning as he lay in bed, something slapped him hard across the face.
Unfortunately, life in the flat was becoming increasingly disagreeable and Ray eventually turned to the Church for help. (He was actually advised to contact the vicar of Darlaston by Tom Whatmore). Unlike the Whatmore outbreak, the blessing actually seemed to have a positive effect on the troublesome activity and it abruptly stopped.
Sadly, this respite was not to last however and, only a month later, Ray claims to have witnessed an exceptionally tall, dark, transparent form float across his hallway from the living room to the kitchen area. This proved more than enough for Ray and he sought alternative accommodation immediately.
Having soon cleared his former home of all furniture and belongings, Ray took one last look around the flat with a friend. As they made to leave, the friend pointed out that a front door alarm had somehow been overlooked during the removal. Endeavours were made to unscrew the device, but, with all of the tools having been taken from the flat, their ministrations were in vain. Angered and frustrated, Ray admits that he finally ended up taking one of his shoes off and smashing the alarm to pieces. Upon finishing, he then decided to take one last glance around the flat. There - sitting dead centre in the middle of the bedroom floor - he found a solitary screwdriver…..
Part 3: Brief Speculation And Potential Foundation Stones?
The key point of interest surrounding these happenings, from a research point of view, is the fact that there are not just similarities between the hauntings themselves, but certain elements within the cases which would appear to undeniably link the two outbreaks together.
The concept of 'paranormal activity as a form of contagious effect' is quite rare, but certainly not unknown. (Members of the W.M.G.C. may have experienced a mild form of this kind of influence during our 1997 investigation of Northycote Farm in Bushbury, Wolverhampton). Believers in this type of occurrence maintain that the 'contracted' phenomenon somehow becomes 'attached to' - or possibly 'rubs off on' - visitors to the haunted site in question. Both Mr. Whatmore and Mr. Selman are convinced that this sort of effect was the cause of the Great Croft House outbreak. This 'residual' activity is generally restricted to poltergeist manifestations, though instances where other ghostly phenomenon has been 'transferred' have also been recorded.
Invariably, the 'residual effect' is considerably weaker than the original activity, as with the Whatmore / Selman outbreaks.
Both households are reported to have been experiencing considerable levels of 'stress' prior to their respective hauntings, a state which is constantly associated with poltergeist outbreaks. Sadly, Ray’s marriage broke up while he was still living at Great Croft House and he clearly blames a considerable, subsequent spate of ‘bad luck’ – ill health, loss of job, etc – on his experiences in the flat. Tom Whatmore also separated from his wife following their move from Herberts Park Road.
As with any form of serious paranormal investigation, no self respecting researcher should be happy in endeavouring to consider aspects of a case without first looking into the general topography, history and any possible ‘ghost-lore’ already associated with the area concerned.
The entire region surrounding the Whatmore house had, for well over a century, been an area of heavy mining activity. Such a considerable disruption to / drain on the very structure of the locality would, by some, be regarded as a potential link to certain forms of paranormal activity. One specific mine in ‘The Lunt’ area – some 200 yards distant from the address in question – is alleged to have been the site of ghostly happenings in the early 19th Century. Legend has it that the activity concerned only ceased due to the intervention of a well known Bilston ‘wise man’.
With regards to other local ghost stories, the canal which runs within 20 yards of the former Whatmore home has no less that three separate female ghosts associated with it; the first at Wards Bridge (300 feet from the house concerned); the second at the rear of the old Moxley Isolation Hospital (approx. 0.75 miles distant) and the third at a site known as The Broken Bridge in nearby Bradley. (Around 1.5 - 2 miles away).
Finally, while considering the history of this specific corner of Darlaston – especially in light of the aforementioned data – one particularly ‘dark’ aspect of it’s none too distant past cannot help but be mentioned.
A number of years ago, a young Darlaston schoolboy was discovered, lying unconscious in some bushes, on a patch of waste ground known locally as 'Wardies'. (So nicknamed after the ‘Wards Pot Factory’ situated at the edge of the land concerned).
Horrifically, the boy was found to have been savagely beaten about the head with a heavy, blunt object. The person who discovered him reported that he couldn't actually see the boy’s face because he had been bleeding so badly from his head. Still alive when he was discovered, the boy was rushed to hospital, but died only hours later from a brain haemorrhage caused by depressed fractures to the skull.
The patch of land known as 'Wardies' (above) lies only 200 yards distant from the property which had been occupied by the Whatmores. Furthermore, the house in which the unfortunate boy had been residing at the time of his demise was none other than the property situated directly ‘next door’ to that which was to be occupied by Tom and his family many years later. The boy’s murderer is said to have lived in a house in the same street, some 50 yards distant.
While perhaps only being a matter of sheer coincidence in relation to the Whatmore case, the close proximity of figures and events surrounding the murder would, needless to say, be considered by a great many as a direct, contributing factor in the subsequent disturbance.
Whatever the readers personal viewpoint on this matter might be, it is of interest to now recall the details given by Tom Whatmores youngest daughter when describing the figure of the ‘young boy’ which she allegedly experienced a number of times at the property….. At the time of my interview with Tom, I specifically asked him about this matter and he earnestly insisted that neither he nor his family had ever heard of the affair previously.
Regards,
Nick
www.westmidlandsghostclub.com
https://westmidlandsghostclub.blogspot.com/
