Farnborough Air Show Disaster - 1952

To say that I am excited about the material I have uncovered during my week at Cambridge University Library is an understatement. Some of the cases described could be re-written as individual episodes of the “Twilight Zone” or “The Outer Limits” they really are that good. I have no reason to disbelieve the individuals who were motivated to write in to J.B. Priestley in 1963. As I have stated before these are letters written by ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary events …. Individuals who seem to be embarrassed about describing what happened to them.

By the end of the week I had read around 450 letters and of those I have made full notes on around 67. I will be returning to the library soon to go through the remaining 800 or so letters. I cannot wait to read what amazing events they will describe.

One of the most interesting describes a series of events that took place in early September 1952. I am sure that this is the first time that this has been published in any shape or form, indeed, I suspect that I am only the third person to read this letter after Mr. Priestley himself and, possibly, his secretary.

These are my notes:

“In September 1952 “DP” and his wife were planning to drive home early from their holiday in Dorset to watch the Farnborough Air Show on the first public day and then carry on home after the show was over. As they were driving from Dorset his wife told him that she did not want to go to the show. The night before she had experienced a vivid dream that one of the aircraft had exploded during its exhibition and crashed into the crowd. She described the plane as silver with swept-back wings. However he convinced her that it was just a dream and that everything would be okay. They had already bought the tickets so she agreed to attend.

About half way through the show the DH.110 came out piloted by John Derry. This plane took off ready for its display. As it flew past David’s wife grabbed his arm and said “that’s the plane I saw in my dream – only it was silver not black”. Indeed this DH.110 was, indeed, black. She was really uneasy throughout the display but when the plane landed safely she was relieved.

They then travelled home to Welwyn. However the next day the evening papers carried the grim news that the DH.110 piloted by John Derry had crashed into the crowd killing twenty eight spectators. What was very odd was that the plane that crashed was, as his wife predicted, silver. It was not the machine that they had seen the day before. The black plane had been specially painted for the event but it had developed a fault on the Saturday morning. The first prototype was then used. This had not been painted and was still silver. John Derry had flown back to Hatfield to pick this reserve aircraft up and flew it back to Farnborough for the display.

This is an amazing precognition because it looked as if it was incorrect but then was shown to be uncannily accurate. In turn this dream was reported to somebody other than the dreamer before the accident took place.

The actual date was the 6th September 1952. The final death toll was 31 including the pilot.”

This is a short film about this event. In it you will note that the events that took place were exactly as described by DP in his letter to J.B. Priestley:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I-BkpWvwGc

For each case I have full supporting details including the writers name, address and, in many cases, original phone number.

The National Theatre website has now re-posted the short film they comissioned as a lead-in to my Platform Event in July 2009. The link below will take any interested parties straight to this movie. I appear after about a minute or so.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=42735&dspl=discover1

I am delighted to say that my interview with Amanda Lyon and Katrine Seidelin has now been posted on The National Theatre website. It is an excellent short film that explains in a very effective way why this particular production is of great relevance to my own theories on the nature of time, consciousness and perception.The link can be found at:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/50304/time-and-the-conways/play-now-time-and-the-conways.html

I would like to thank both Amanda and Katrine for an excellent short film.

The picture above shows the central character "Kay Conway" as she slips into some form of seizure, a seizure that places her 19 years in the future. It is interesting to note that in my theory I suggest that seizures (specifically temporal lobe epilepsy petit mal "absences") do open up the human mind to strange temporal anomalies such as the one depicted in this fascinating play.

Indeed the actress who plays Kay Conway, Hattie Morahan, will be on stage with me on the 23rd July together with particle physicist Professor Jeff Forshaw.

Red Ice Creations Interview & a Meeting with Tom Priestley

On Saturday evening I was interviewed for over two hours by Henrik Palmgren of Red Ice Creations Radio. Red Ice are based in South West Sweden but have a following across the world. After listening to the interview and checking out their website I can quite understand why. These guys are really professional in every way. The website itself is a credit to them. Indeed I am so impressed with how they have manipulated my photograph to show both the "Daemon" and the brain that I have decided to use that image from now on in my promotional material. I have therefore changed the image on here.

The first part of the interview can be listened to, or downloaded as an MP3 at:

http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2009/05may/RIR-090517.php

To listen to the second part you will need to become a subscriber to the site. However this is not a bad idea because this gives you access to some amazing interviews - many of them directly related to subjects that we have discussed and, hopefully, will continue to discuss on this BLOG and on my FORUM.

I am very pleased with how this interview went. I had just returned from a fascinating meeting with Tom Priestley. Tom is the only son of the playwright J.B. Priestley. As many of you will know I am involved in a "Platform Discussion" at the National Theatre in late July and I will be talking about J.B.Priestley's philosophy on time as presented in his "Time Plays".

I spent over an hour with Tom and he was very interested in ITLAD/CTF. Indeed he gave me the ultimate complement when I said that his father would have been quite fascinated by my work. As JBP wrote plays influenced by the ideas and theories of Peter Ouspensky and J.W.Dunne this was an honour indeed!

Tom will be in the audience for my "Platform Event" at the Lyttleton Theatre on Friday 24th of July. I only hope that after reading ITLAD that Tom is still as intrigued!

As many of you may be aware, I have been invited to contribute to a "Platform Event" at The National Theatre in London. I will be on stage with Professor Jeff Forshaw of Manchester University.

The event will start at 1800 and will last for about 45 minutes. Note that this will take place in the Lyttleton Theatre.There is an intention for any itladians in the audience to meet up afterwards and go for a drink at the Doggetts Coat and Badge, a nearby drinking house much frequented by A Dark Philosopher in recent years and in the late 1970's by himself (although I am sure that it has much changed). Check it out at http://www.doggettscoatandbadge.co.uk/.

It is planned that Jeff and I will be signing copies of our respective books after the event. For details on Jeff's book (co-written with Professor Brian Cox) check out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Does-E-mc2-Should/dp/0306817586

It is possible that some itladians may wish to sit together in the auditorium. If so you have two options. The theatre has a Groups Department.Their number is 020 7452 3010. and tickets can also be booked in-line at:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/45917/platforms/an-experiment-with-time-and-the-conways.html

This could be one of those special nights (particularly if the weather is nice and we can sit outside - I mean the pub event by the way, not the theatre event!)

Anthony Peake at The National Theatre 24th July 2009

I have been invited to be involved in a "Platform" event at The National Theatre in London on Friday 24th July at 6:00pm. Myself and Jeff Forshaw, Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester will be discussing the scientific and philosophical implications of the time theories of J.W.Dunne. This will take place before a performance of J.B. Priestley's play Time And The Conways.

Above is a scan of the leaflet.

Anthony Peake at The National Theatre - 6:30pm Friday 24th July 2009

For those of you in London there is now an opportunity to be involved in an event that will be discussing on of the most interesting areas of my theory, the nature of time.

I have been invited by the National Theatre in London to be involved in an event they call "Platform".

These are panel discussions that take place before the main performance of a play. In this case the play will be J.B. Priestley's Time And The Conways. This is one of the three so-called "Time Plays" that Priestley wrote in an attempt to explain and popularise the theories of philosopher-engineer J.W.Dunne.

The discussions usually last for around forty five minutes. The first twenty five minutes involves the guest and the chairperson in an interview-like format in which they discuss a particular theme and then the final twenty minutes allow audience participation.

The theme will be Dunne's theories and will involve myself and a physicist (yet to be decided). The theatre are interested in having me involved because in my first book I discuss in some detail Priestley's "Time Plays", in particular the rarely performed I Have Been Here Before". Indeed this play contains many elements of my "Cheating The Ferryman" theory so I am delighted to be given a (literal) stage to present this theory. Priestley, like myself, was fascinated by the implications of Dunne's famous (at the time) book An Experiment With Time. Indeed it was my intention in writing my first book, to attempt a version of this book for the 21st century. It is for others to decide if I have succeeeded.

The list of individuals who have done Platform discussions before me is a real roll call of the famous and talented: Julie Walters, Richard Attenborough, David Attenborough, Shirley Williams, Roy Hattersley, Vanessa Redgrave, Corin Redgrave, Doris Lessing, Helen Mirren, Peter Hall, Judi Dench, Germain Greer, Alain de Botton, Lauren Bacall, Alan Bennett, Jane Fonda, Phillip Pullman, The Archbishop of Canterbury and ..... Anthony Peake!

Words cannot express how honoured I am to be involved in this presentation. I am hopeful that this may be the first event that will bring "Cheating The Ferryman" out of the shadows and into the public domain. It is then up to the public to decide if it is a valid and rerasonable attempt to understand the human condition.

For those interested in attending the event will start at 6:00pm on Friday 24th July 2009. It will be in the Lyttleton Theatre.