Raymond; or, Life and Death / With examples of the evidence for survival of memory and affection after death.

by Sir Oliver Lodge

CALENDAR

20 July 1915	Raymond's last visit home.
24 August 1915	Photograph taken at the Front, as
	shown by entry in Raymond's
	private Diary, but not mentioned
	by him.
14 September 1915	Raymond's death.
27 September 1915	Peters' ('Moonstone's') mention of
	the photograph as a message from
	'Raymond.'
15 October 1915	Negative sent with other negatives
	by Capt. Sydney T. Boast, from
	the Front in Flanders, to Messrs.
	Gale & Polden, Aldershot, for
	printing.
29 November 1915	Mrs. Cheves wrote spontaneously,
	saying that she had a group-photograph
	of some 2nd South
	Lancashire Officers, which she
	could send if desired.
3 December 1915	Feda's (Mrs. Leonard's) further description
	of a photograph which
	had been mentioned through another
	medium, in answer to a
	direct question addressed to 'Raymond.'
6 December 1915	M. F. A. L. found an entry in Raymond's
	Diary showing that a
	photograph had been taken on
	24 August.
Morning of 7 Dec. 1915	To make sure, O. J. L. wrote to
	J. A. H. his impression of the
	photograph before it came.
Afternoon of 7 Dec 1915	Arrival of the photograph.
Evening of 7 Dec 1915	The photograph was shown to the
	home members of the family, and
	examined by O. J. L.

Footnotes

[10] ] This bit not written to J. A. H., but is copied from Peters's sitting, of which Mr. Hill had seen the record.

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CHAPTER V
BEGINNING OF HISTORICAL RECORD OF
SITTINGS

Although this episode of the photograph is a good and evidential one, I should be sorry to base an important conclusion on any one piece of evidence, however cogent. All proofs are really cumulative; and though it is legitimate to emphasise anything like a crucial instance, it always needs supplementing by many others, lest there may have been some oversight. Accordingly, I now proceed to quote from sittings held by members of the family after Raymond's death—laying stress upon those which were arranged for, and held throughout, in an anonymous manner, so that there was not the slightest normal clue to identity.

The first message came to us through a recent friend of ours in London, Mrs. Kennedy, who herself has the power of automatic writing, and who, having lost her specially beloved son Paul, has had her hand frequently controlled by him—usually only so as to give affectionate messages, but sometimes in a moderately evidential way. She had been sceptical about the genuineness of this power apparently possessed by herself; and it was her painful uncertainty on this point that had brought her into correspondence with me, for she was trying to test her own writing in various ways, as she was so anxious not to be deceived. The first I ever heard of her was the following letter which came while I was in Australia, and was dealt with by Mr. Hill:—