Grief, Ghosts and the Search for Summerland
National Army Museum, SW3 4HT London, Chelsea
FREE
About
A talk at the National Army Museum exploring how spiritualism helped bereaved families cope with the trauma of the First World War. Dr Alice Vernon, a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University who researches ghost stories, examines Sir Oliver Lodge's 'Raymond' alongside similar spiritualist texts. Lodge, a physicist, sought to contact the ghost of his son Raymond, a young soldier among the more than 800,000 British military dead, and his book about their séances inspired other families to seek ghosts of their loved ones. The talk also looks at Summerland, a secular utopian afterlife developed through such séances, which let families imagine soldiers continuing their lives in comfort.
Written by a model, sources: nam.ac.uk
Venue
National Army Museum is in London’s Chelsea.
SW3 4HT London
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