Brigadier R.C.Firebrace

Brigadier Firebrace, who passed at the age of 85, was one of the most knowledgeable and experienced Spiritualists and had witnessed every phase of mediumship.

A lover of detective stories, he used to borrow them from a neighbour’s collection.

One day he chose a book called, Phantom Walls, which seemed a promising name for a thriller. He discovered it dealt with survival evidence by Sir Oliver Lodge. The neighbour was the famous scientist’s daughter.

“I was struck by the evidence it presented,’ he said. “Later I met Sir Oliver. From then on psychics became my study.”

As soon as he could he formed home circle. It began with table tipping indicating letters of the alphabet that spelt out messages.

One communication promised the table would move when no-one touched it — and it did.

Firebrace then had sittings with professional mediums.

Through them, “I had convincing proof of the identity of my father, including facts entirely unknown to me which I had to verify from my mother.”

Several mediums forecast he would get the direct voice in his own circle.

An accomplished linguist, he was fluent in French, German, Italian, Russian and Hindustani. At Riga he formed a direct-voice circle. After sitting regularly twice a week for nearly two years, the trumpet moved with great speed and freedom all over the room. The first spirit voice was heard.

The development continued, resulting in intelligible communications, sometimes lasting half an hour, of almost continuous speech on serious themes.

Among his outstanding experiences was attending a Helen Duncan materialisation séance.

One solid-looking figure conversed with him in Russian.

“I consider this to be one of the finest proofs of spirit communication,” he said. “No one could suggest Mrs Duncan’s subconscious mind spoke Russian.”

Firebrace made a pact with a friend who also spoke Russian. Whoever passed on first would try to return through a medium and repeat two Russian words. “I regret to say they were swear words,’’ said Firebrace.

Two years later his friend passed on. After an interval of four years, through an English medium the friend’s Christian and surname were given.

The control said the communicator was trying to transmit something in a foreign language.

With difficulty the control repeated phonetically the two Russian words.

Firebrace paid tribute to an Estelle Roberts voice séance he attended. “The evidence was clear cut and direct, full christian and surnames being given.”

He also praised an Alec Harris séance at Cardiff where 18 forms materialised.

They varied from small children to a figure “six inches taller than I am” — he was a six-footer.

He was one of the few to witness the whole process of materialisation. It occurred at a séance in good red light with Louisa Bolt, who was roped to her chair.

First came what scorned like a puff of smoke from her spleen. This formed into vapour, at the end of which there emerged a perfectly-shaped hand, though cut off at the wrist. From the hand the vapour trail led back to the medium.

Firebrace asked permission, which was given, to touch the hand. It felt exactly like a human hand, complete even to fingernails, but was cold to the touch.

He participated in test sittings with voice medium Leslie Flint. An infra-red telescope was focused on the medium, who wore a throat microphone. An electronic expert watched the instruments which were attached to this microphone.

Under these conditions the direct voice came without any indication on the instruments that it was registered by the throat microphone.

For 13 years Firebrace was president of the London Spiritualist Alliance, now the College of Psychic Studies.
He was the first and only president of the Survival Joint Research Committee. Its Spiritualist and research members have worked harmoniously in psychic experiments since the formation in 1963.

Firebrace’s sense of humour was shown by a story he told with relish. At one meeting his chairman introduced him as follows:
“Our speaker’s name is a household word. I call on him to address you. Brigadier Fireplace.”

Impressive story Z thanks very much.

I think I preffered London Spiritualist Alliance you know College of Psychic studies has a new age kind of ring.

Love the ending pun