| Main Performers | Hunter Mackintosh,
Coral Polge,
Gordon Higginson,
William Redmond - speakers |
| Choirs | The Ebbw Vale Male Voice Choir |
| Performance Notes | "For the 29th time, the Royal Albert Hall service, held on Remembrance Sunday, proved that the 'dead' do not 'rest in peace' but 'return in peace,' Again the highlight, an innovation last year, was a double demonstration by psychic artist Coral Polge and medium Gordon Higginson, who is SNU president. Despite the bitingly cold night - many people huddled in doorways awaiting the hall's opening - this meeting, the Spiritualist Association of Gt Britain's 103rd anniversary was remarkable for its attendance and the detailed accuracy of the ... clairvoyance. ... As Coral drew spirit forms, Gordon beamed in and relayed communicators' messages. This superb dual demonstration proved once again to be one of the most successful and evidential in Spiritualism's annals. ...
Coral began by saying there were many spirit entities anxious to make their presence known. Her first communicator came as 'a very gentle link, a girl who needed pushing forward.' 'She has breathing difficulty. There's something strange about her eyes. She hesitates to show them.' Gordon picked up his psychic cue and launched into clairvoyance. 'This picture is connected with a girl called Roberts,' he said. It linked with a Brentwood Terrace. A Bertha, still on earth, was also associated with the drawing. These details clinched the communication for Mr and Mrs Joseph Hodgson... Bertha, Joseph later told me, is his grandmother. ... The Arthur mentioned is Joseph's father. Carefully relaying spirit-given details, Gordon spoke of a grocer's shop on the corner of a Waverley Road, Hodgson's parents own it. Reverting to Coral's psychic portrait, Higginson said this was the daughter of a Mr and Mrs Roberts 'who live on the corner.' Joseph and his wife Janette took the sketch after the demonstration. They plan to show it to the Robertses. Higginson... 'told' of an Elizabeth known as Elsie. This is Joseph's mother. ...
Coral began with a drawing of a young spirit form with buck teeth. He was rather conscious of them and also tried to smooth down his gingery hair. Gordon said the sketch had some link with him because of his name. He sought someone who knew a Gordon Higginbottom. Other details given were an Alice, whose father was 'dead' and a Hannah who lived somewhere with Fleet in the address. A woman who said was was Hannah, told the audience she knew the Gordon Higginbottom mentioned...
For the third recipient, a man, Gordon began by giving the name George Hughes. Someone connected with him had reccently moved. A 102 figured in the address. 'I moved two years ago to a house numbered 102,' said the recipient. Gordon relayed a phonetically-heard name of Greg. He was almost right. It was Glyn. ... A wealth of detail come in Gordon's next communication. He 'heard' spirit communicators talking of a Muriel and a Sutton Road. ... The recipient said the Muriel was his wife. The Janice given by Gordon was his granddaugther. He also confirmed the medium's statement that there was a caravan with three pennants. Gordon continued his psychic tour of the area. 'Your house has no hedge or wall,' he stated. 'There are two ways in but no gate.' ... 'You've put some roses in the garden. They're right on the path,' Said the recipient, 'Quite right.' ...
Politics featured in Gordon's next evidence. He sought what sounded like 'Wingle' with Welsh contacts, who was named after a politician. The recipient, unknown to him, was Lloyd Geoffrey Wingle. His first name was chosen because of Lloyd George. Higginson - he named Wingle's wife, Mary - rightly picked up the Irish links. ... In his final message Gordon located someone named Plumb. He rightly gave the man's initials JDRP."
"Famous veteran medoum Bill Redmond began his speech with a contast. 'We hold our service in company with many services throughout the country,' he said. 'But ours is different. It is not only a remembrance service, but one of reunion and communion. Many people still laboured under the misapprehension that their departed loved ones were dead and gone forever. 'But spiritualists know they are not. I want mainly to speak to those who are new to our subject. Though we have achieved much publicity, bringing many into our movement, vast numbers are still afraid of Spiritualism."
He then spoke about the lives of well-known Spiritualists, including Sir Oliver Lodge (scientist), Camille Flammarion (Frecnh astrronomer), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Hannen Swaffer, St Clair Stobart (hymn writer), Rev Maurice Elliott, Simone St Clair (war heroine and author), Leonora Cohen (suffragette, Tower Suffragette).
"'I asked Mrs Cohen the other day the secret of her remarkable health. She replied, 'I have a contented mind. Also I am a Spiritualist. I know I am only waiting to join my loved ones.' She ascribes her well-being to Spiritualism and to being a vegetarian."
Open Letter to Tom Johnanson
"...I am glad to see that some criticisms I made last year have been accepted, with the result, I am sure, the service was improved. There was deleted from the programme the request that the audience should not applaud, which anyway they did last year as a voluntary gesture of appreciation. It makes the service less starchy and more homely and natural. I was also glad to note that you disgarded the ritual of the bits of coloured paper, which were supposed to represent the descent of 'petals from heaven.' ... I still maintain that male participants should not be asked to wear dinner jackets. It makes for needless formality."
(Psychic News, 15 November 1975) |