by the security services went as far back as 1931 when Major, later Brigadier, Firebrace of Military Intelligence and Oliver Villiers from the Air Ministry, who was involved with R101 airship case, both atended her seances.
In January 1944 an opportunity presented itself when Helen was invited to Portsmouth by a local church to demonstrate her abilities of spiritual materialisation. During the seance the sailor from HMS Barham is alleged to have appeared.
Almost immediately another seance was arranged for 19 January where undercover members of the security services and police were in the audience. On a pre-arranged signal they raided the event and Duncan, along with three members of the audience, were arrested.
“In the run-up to D-Day, the authorities were paranoid about potential security leaks and Duncan was in danger of disclosing military secrets during her seances,” said Robert Hartley, an academic and author of the book ‘Helen Duncan: The Mystery Show Trial’
Based on trial documents released to the National Archive and other research Hartley claims there is evidence to point to a state conspiracy to crack down on security leaks ahead of D-Day by making an example of Duncan.
“Helen Duncan was giving out very accurate information. There were other mediums round
the country giving out news on soldiers that had died and someone in authority took it seriously, whatever the source of the information. D-Day was coming up and it was absolutely essential to keep the Allied deception plans intact.”
Hartley believes among those responsible for the conspiracy to convict Duncan was Ian Fleming, a key figure in the naval intelligence services, and John Maude, the prosecuting counsel at the trial who also had connections with the security services.
“‘I am convinced naval intelligence were working with MI5, and when I began looking at that connection Ian Fleming’s name kept cropping up as being involved with people either involved in the case or on the sidelines,’ said Hartley.
“It seems clear to me that the security services conspired to imprison Helen Duncan as part of the tight security operation undertaken in the run-up to D-Day. It was the Admiralty’s view that she posed a security risk that needed to be dealt with.”
That view is somewhat reinforced by the fact that, despite popular legend, Duncan was not the last person in Britain to be prosecuted for witchcraſt before the act was repealed in 1951. That dubious honour was given to Jane York, 72, from Forest Gate, east London. In September 1944, three months aſter the D-Day invasion, she was charged with seven counts of pretending to conjure up spirits of the dead.
While Duncan had been imprisoned on one charge York was bound over to be of good behaviour for three years and fined just £5.
“I have no doubt in my mind that my grandmother was set up,” said Margaret Hahn, who has been campaigning for more than 30 years to clear her grandmother’s name and ensure her place in the annals of spiritualism history for all the right reasons.
Over the years Ms Hahn has travelled extensively to research and gain support for her grandmother’s work and is now involved in developing the Helen Duncan Foundation which has a petition page on its website at
www.helenduncan.org.
“In the run-up to D-Day, the authorities were paranoid about potential security leaks and Duncan was in danger of disclosing military secrets during her seances,”
Ian Fleming, Author 76 June 2015
: Robert Hartley, Author
“I would like nothing more than to clear my grandmother’s name. When I got into this I thought let the cards fall where they may. If she was a fraud I can accept that and if she was genuine then that is fantastic,” said Ms Hahn from her home in Tennessee, USA.
“I have contacted so many people she helped. I have leters from people testifying that what they saw was real. I am convinced she was genuine. She really lived her life being of service to others, she had a really good heart. She was a terrific medium and I want to get my grandmother’s story out there.”
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