Spiritualism, Superstition and the Supernatural During the First World War
On June 28 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by the Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip, triggering the July Crisis and World War I. Occult speculation was rife and many premonitions and prophecies of the Great War were reported. Paranormal experiences included visions of angels at the Battle of Mons.
Could Unlucky Thirteen Be This First World War Soldier’s Lucky Number? Joe Cassells and his unusual relationship with the number thirteen during the First World War were not over after the strange events at Dixmude and La Bassée. The Black Watch scout had another tale to tell and this one, more than the others, was […]
Soldier Joe Cassells, a scout with the Black Watch, told several stories of how he came to regard thirteen as his lucky number. Trench superstitions were rife during the First World War, but whereas most people think of thirteen as unlucky, a series of strange coincidences and events convinced Cassells that thirteen would always bring him good fortune.
A British Soldier’s Account of the Christmas Truce during the First World War Almost as incredible as the many stories of the supernatural recounted in Angels in the Trenches is that of the Christmas Truce between the British and Germans. Scotsman Joe Cassells, a scout in the Black Watch, was in the trenches on Christmas […]
How Christianity United Enemies During the First World War The Christmas Truce of 1914 began on Christmas Eve at some parts of the Frontline. Here Bruce Bairnsfather, famous for his ‘Old Bill’ sketches, recounts his experience of a truce on Christmas Eve. It is a testimony to the shared culture of the warring parties and […]
Joe Cassells, a soldier in the First World War, tells of a strange coincidence concerning the number thirteen on the Western Front. Cassells would come to believe that thirteen was his lucky number.
Did a Frenchman’s Lucky Coin Save a British Soldier at the Battle of Mons? More than one soldier during the First World War put superstitious faith in a lucky coin, here is one man’s story from the Battle of Mons and the Retreat after. As a former regular soldier, Scotsman Joe Cassells was a first-class […]
A Vision of the Virgin Mary on the Eastern Front, 1914 On the eve of the Battle of Augustovo, the Russian Army was allegedly witness to a religious vision of the Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus and a huge shining cross, inspiring them to victory against the Germans. Ralph Shirley, the editor of the Occult Review, […]
Did Leo Tolstoy Foresee the First World War? On Saturday, 22 August 1914, as the British Expeditionary Force took up positions around the town of Mons in Belgium, the Spiritualist magazine Light published another prophecy of war, this time one attributed to the great Russian writer Count Leo Tolstoy. Light had published Tolstoy’s prophecy before, […]
Sir Oliver Lodge’s London Speech on the Great War and Evil In November 1914, the eminent scientist and member of the Society for Psychical Research, Sir Oliver Lodge, gave a talk about ‘Science and Religion’ at the Browning Hall in Walworth, London. The hall was crowded with more than a thousand people. The Mayor of […]
Arthur Machen Claims Short Story ‘The Bowmen’ Inspired the Angels Legend The writer Arthur Machen claimed to have invented the greatest supernatural mystery of the First World War: the Angels of Mons. The problem was, nobody believed him. When World War I broke out, Welshman Arthur Machen was living in London and earning a living […]