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RAF Ghost Photograph


Loonboy

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[blue]Well I assume that a ghost is not the actual body of the dead person and therefore not solid like that body. I couldn't say what a ghost was made from, and I don't think anyone could claim to either. Maybe spiritual energy or something, whatever that would be. Electrical possibly?

As for shadows, well I just don't get it.  :s9

And ghosts can pass through solid objects, so therefore are not solid themselves, I guess.

I dunno. Leave me alone.... lol :s5

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I’ve done a little more research of the photo. whistling2.gif

It appears that the whole story originates from Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard.  He published his story of the photo in 1975. (56 years after the event.)  

However this was not Goddard’s only ‘paranormal’ experience.  In 1935, he claims to have been involved in some kind of time-shifting experience, when flying over Drem Airfield.  He claims to have seen the planes and RAF mechanics as they looked in 1939.

It was he who supposedly coined the word ufology in 1946, when there was an outbreak of UFO sightings. cool.gif  

http://www.worldofthestrange.com/wots/2000...0-08-14-01a.htm

Tommy      

wink2.gif

Edited by Tommy
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[blue]Thanks Tommy for the information.

It certainly adds more details to this puzzle, but instead of debunking the mystery (as I expected) it tends to sway me back to believing that the photograph is of a real ghost.

image

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I agree with Gizzie, about Ghosts sometimes being solid, as i've said before i believe a lot of ghosts are timeslips and so they would have a shadow. Also why shouldn't a ghost have a ghost shadow?  :s04

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LB,

 Funny, and I had the exact opposite reaction when I read the information, imagine that.  :s04

 Here's something for anyone to try if they care to. There's an accessory available in Windows called a 'magnifier' (its under the accessibility tab) that you can use to further enlarge the highlighted picture of the ghost. Use a 3 or 4 times magnification and select the 'high contrast' option to view the blowup. The image is strikingly similar to the person next to it, note the shape of the nose, mouth, ear(not very visible, but still), but most importantly the eye - right down to the 'bags' under the eye. PS mentioned the time of exposure, is it possible the man put his cap on just at the beginning of the exposure, slightly changing his position at the same time? Just a thought.

 The other thing that bothers me is that this photograph had been widely distributed (well, among the 200 odd people who took a copy of it when it was made available) for so many years, but no one found it strange enough to bring attention to the obvious 'anamoly' until almost 50 years had gone by? Remember, what you are shown is probably 1/2 the photographs true size, that 'ghost' would stand out in a regular sized photo. You'd think it would have made a huge impression on people back then and garnered quite a bit of attention.

Magikman

Gizzie - If you look at the top row and count 4 people from the left side, that is the image that is being enlarged.

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Magikman

Tks for pointing it out to me but I did know that actually :)  I just wanted to see the whole picture, that's all

"The camera never lies".  Just the users of. :s09

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[blue]Magikman, it's a good idea, but for that to be correct, the other people in the photo would have had to have remained perfectly motionless, while this guy moved on his own. I think that's fairly unlikely.

As for the ghost looking like the guy he's standing behind, well I have a few problems with that:

-the guy in front has more of a rounded eyebrow

-the ghost has no noticable crease where his cheek meets his lips (laughter line?)

-and if you look closely at their ears, the guy in front has more sticky-outy ears than the ghost, whose ears are closer to his head

As for the photograph not causing a big sensation at the time, remember that the media was not what it is today. Plus, in a time of wars and recessions and general upheaval, ghost pics would more than likely have taken a back seat on people's agendas.

I'm still a believer on this one

[/blue]image

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With the additional info, I agree with Magik on this.  The fact that he is more ‘paranormal’ prone seems to suggest to me that this might be some sort of elaborate hoax.  :sf

Also, I couldn’t find the complete photo anywhere.  ???

And thanks Magik, the magnifier successfully managed to crash my computer on both attempts.  :s04

Tommy

:s8

(can I change my vote?) :sd

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[blue]Playing devil's advocate here for a moment, why should an interest in the paranormal discredit someone's claims? If, for example, I posted a photograph of a ghost on this forum which I had taken myself, would my prior interest in ghosts mean that my photo is suspect?

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lol Loony, if YOU did it, then it might well be suspect!  :sd  :s04

I guess the fact that there are so many fraudsters and con artists out there, you just have to be careful who and what to believe.

If the photo is real, I’m amazed the amount of detail the enlargement contains, because for some of the people on the photo (in comparison to the smaller Freddy), I can barely make out distinguishable facial features.  ???

An “interest” in the paranormal wouldn’t/doesn’t necessarily discredit anyone’s claims; it’s when you start saying “I was there” “That happened to me” that people would start asking questions concerning the validity of your claims.  (not that it matters what others think of what you know you saw)  :s09

Has anyone else from the squadron actually come forward to verify if the ghostly figure was genuine? Also, stories get distorted through the years, and so how sound is Sir Goddard’s story?  

Eg…From what you found out, the photo was taken in 1917.  Where I got the information from, it was taken in 1919.  Your source says it was 3 days after death; mine said it was 2 days.  Now 1 day might not make a big difference, but 2 years might.

In answer to your question, I don’t know. My initial reaction from reading all his ‘experiences’ was that he was just another selectively hallucinating crackpot, :sg seeing what he wanted to see, or to be remembered for what he says he saw.  Is there ANY truth in it? Who knows… :-/

Enough rambling from me  :s04

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LB,

  Again, I guess each one will have their different perception of what they 'see', it was too eerily similar in appearance to me to discount the possibility.  :s9

 Tommy was pretty much spot on in his post, the photo loses quite a bit of credibility given the 'source'. His paranormal 'experiences' border on the absurd and incredible, all in all, sensational stories sure to inspire huge sales of his 'book'. Tommy, the article you linked mentions confirmation from several members of the maintenance group in the photo as to the identity of the 'ghost', but Goddard is also the source for that tidbit of information in his book 'FLIGHT TOWARDS REALITY', convenient, hey?

 I also wonder, LB, about your suggestion that this photograph would not have inspired much attention. The late 1800's - early 1900's saw great interest and attention to anything paranormal. Mediums, spiritualists, mystics and ghost's were all the rage back then. Remember Harry Houdini and his debunking of mediums? (and his precarious friendship with Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle and their widely divergent views of the paranormal?) Charles Fort was hugely popular back then and sold millions of his books. There was also the infamous Alistair Crowley and the devoted following that he had. You're correct about the media not being what it is now, which would have made any release of that photograph back then a sure bet to generate ungodly amounts of money. I find it hard to believe anyone would have allowed that sort of opportunity to pass them by.

Magikman  :sg

* Tommy - and here I thought I had the crappy version of Windows.  :s04

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[blue]I take your point about the interest in the paranormal at the time, which I had not considered. Still, some things don't get the attention they deserve sometimes.

As for claims of 'I was there' etc, its likely to happen when someone is interested in something. If you like something, you gravitate towards it. If you like the paranormal, you are more likely to be somewhere where something paranormal happens - haunted house for example.

I try to be logical in my treatment of subjects, and I also do not allow the surrounding hubbub to distract me from the real bones of the subject. I consider the facts or presented facts in isolation of their source. Then I consider them in conjunction with them.

In this case, I'm like Fox Mulder - I want to believe...

image[/blue]

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To be honest i don't see the similiarities between the "ghost" and the man it is behind, even up close.

No strike that from the books, i think it's just the shadow around the eyes that is throwing me, his bone structure is pretty close to the other's

Unsure now.

:-/

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[blue]Take a look at the distance between the top of the ear and the side of the head on each face.... I see a difference.

image[/blue]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Still unsure, but about the ears - to me the 'ghost' face doesn't have much of an ear - granted there is a blur but i think that is all it is. If that is his ear then the poor man could of flown without the aid of a biplane!. No, i think that the different tilt of each of the faces would account for that difference.

Still unsure tho.

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  • 9 months later...

Due to the way that the person died, it could be thought that maybe he didn't realise he was dead and so tried to get into the group photo getting a little annoyed that nobody was giving him any room.

I believe that this photograph is authentic smile.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

awh, that really upset me!its not scary like i (obviously) thought it would be, it was nice that he was there as it was in a way like he was still being recognised for being in the RAF! smile.gif

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  • 3 weeks later...

I say that is real mainly because of the fact that the guy had died three days prior to the photo being taken. What a way to go, walking into a propeller blade. I pity the janitor that had to clean it up! scared.gif

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I'm gonna say... yeah, it's real. Just because I don't see any reason for it not to be. Looking at the story of General Lord Whatever the Hell, yes I agree that his interest in the paranormal does make you think twice at anything he purports to be authentic, but even morons stumble across something every now and again. Odds are he was right on at least one issue.

Besides, I like to be contrary.

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I know its probably real, but for some reason, I have a small doubt about it...... strange...

U.F.O

abduct.gif

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Guest Guest

Well I have my doubts.If you look closly,then you'll notice what appears to be a third face in the picture to the left of the guy in the pic.He seems to have large nostrils and a long and thick mustache.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest dragonX

that is so freaking creepy, this is the most convincing photo i have ever seen, look at the smile the aparition has as if he was satisied to be with his friends one last time in a photo they will suely never forget ohmy.gif

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