The Fatima Sightings of 1917

About


At noon on May 13th 1917, 3 young children claimed to see an apparition of The Virgin Mary while watching over sheep for the family business. The apparition would appear every month for a total of 6 times. For the final event, an estimated 100,000 people who had heard about the visions turned up and witnessed what was labelled as a modern day miracle - the sun dancing in the sky.

The eldest of the children, Lucia would claim that the apparition would give them a series of prophecies, and 3 secrets which could not be revealed. Several years later, 2 of those secrets were revealed by Lucia in 1941 - the first was a vision of hell, showing demons and embers. The second secret was a statement that World War I would end, along with a prediction of another war during the reign of Pope Pius XI (World War II).

Lucia would never reveal the final secret, and with the other 2 children dying young due to influenza, nobody else knew either. Lucia would write it down on a single sheet of paper, seal it in an envelope and give it to The Vatican. In 2000, Cardinal Angelo Sodano would apparently reveal the secret to be a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, which coincidentally would occur exactly 64 years to the day of the first apparition in Fatima.

But conspiracy theorists have noted that the Cardinal was not reading from the same piece of paper that Lucia wrote the secret down on. Many people believe that the 3rd secret was a prediction of the Apocalypse. Lucia would die in 2005, leaving many to speculate what the final secret really was.

I traveled to Fatima in Portugal to see the exact spot where these visions were said to occur. I have also researched the case in depth.


Visit Fatima

Despite its remote location, Fatima is actually not too difficult to get to. I stayed in Lisbon during my travels, and bought a return bus ticket from Oriente bus station for around €20 (on the Metro, take the red line out towards the Airport, its a couple of stops before the Airport) The bus journey itself was about 1 hour 15 mins each way despite being advertised as 1 hour 30 mins, and was on a fully air-conditioned coach. Traveling from Porto will probably take a bit longer.

You can also book a tour from tourist information spots around Portugal, although these can cost a minimum of €60 depending on which day you go, and can go up to €300, and can last a full day. This also includes a lunch and visits to places of interest along the route, such as the house where the 3 children lived, which is a couple of miles south of Fatima, and also the village of Valinhos where the 4th apparition occurred. The spot is marked by statues. The children had been arrested the night before the day of the 4th apparition by local authorities who were fed up with the gossip that was spreading around Portugal. The children were weren't released until later the next day and therefore missed the noon meeting point.

If you go on a weekend, especially a Sunday, expect it to be very busy for obvious reasons. I went on a Tuesday afternoon in April 2019, and the place was actually quite quiet. There is a huge visitors car park and coach drop off, so that gives you an idea of how many tourists they get.

A huge religious site awaits, built on the site of the visions on the Cova da Iria. The Basilica of Our Lady of The Rosary is the name of the minor Basilica built close to the site of the visions. The apparition is said to have requested this church to be built here. Inside it contains the tombs of the 3 children, who have since been made saints.

The Chapel of the Apparitions is a small structure with glass on 2 sides and open on the front. It was built in 1919 to mark the exact spot where the apparitions took place (well 5 of them, one apparition actually took place in another village...see the video!). You will see this is where most people come to pray to a statue of The Virgin Mary which marks the spot that the children claimed she was.

Next to this chapel is a tree which is closed off so people can't touch it. This is said to be the tree the children would wait under for the apparition to appear.

Near the entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary, south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that the Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on the Our Lady of Fátima messages.

While in Fatima, you will notice that every shop in the city cashes in on the tourism. Everywhere sells rosaries, statues, Virgin Mary fridge magnets, postcards and keyrings. From what was once a small farming community in 1917, it is now a small city.

Greyfriar's Kirkyard (Investigation)

About

Greyfriar's Kirkyard is a must for all paranormal fans - it is said by many to be the most haunted Graveyard not only in the UK, but possibly the world. An entity is said to attack visitors to this graveyard after a disturbance in 1998, and as of recording, the poltergeist has been blamed for 2 deaths, and over 700 injuries.

There have been burials in this Kirkyard since 1561. It was originally a ravine that dipped below ground level, but as more and more people were buried here, the ground is now a bulging hill. Official records estimate that there are more than 750,000 bodies here, but given that many more people were buried here under the cover of darkness to avoid costs, and the fact that there are also plague pits with an unknown number of bodies inside, that number could stretch to well over a million.

It is said that after bad weather (and in Scotland, that often is the case), the ground can become soft, and it is not uncommon to find human bones sticking up. Most of the bodies were not buried at 6 feet, and many are literally just below the surface.

The darkest part of this graveyard lies behind a set of locked gates at the far side of Greyfriars, known as The Covenanter's Prison. The national Covenant was signed in this very graveyard in 1638, opposing the monarchy- but after the coventanters were defeated at The Battle of of Bothwell Bridge in 1679, captured rebels were locked in a walled section of land to the south of Greyfriars. Many of these rebels would die in captivity, under the commands of a man called George Mackenzie. His ruthlessness gave him the nickname "bluddy Mackenzie." The irony of this is that after George's death many years later, he was buried just a few feet from the site of The Covenanter's Prison. Many strange goings on are said to occur around the black mausoleum where his body is buried.

Today, The Covenanter's Prison is now part of the Kirkyard. After a need for an overflow due to a need for more land to bury the dead, the Kirkyard was extended into the piece of land where thousands of poor prisoners were held for many months. A lot of the land was built on, but a thin strip of land containing tombs still exists.

And it is here where the hauntings are said to occur. In 1998, a homeless man broke into the black mausoleum while looking for a place to sleep during a storm. However, when inside, the man is said to have fallen through the floor and damaged the coffins of the bodies inside...including that of George Mackenzie. Just days later, all kinds of strange things started happening. People were reporting injuries inside the prison section. It became so severe that Edinburgh Council were forced to keep the gates to this section locked from the public. Only official tour guides have access.

In 2000, a priest named Colin Grant spent the night in the Kirkyard with a local reporter to perform an exorcism and to bring peace to Greyfriars. He would claim that he was tormented by the number of troubled souls in the Kirkyard. A photograph from the night even shows what appears to be a black figure behind him, watching. Colin was badly affected by his night in Greyfriars, and he would die just weeks later during a seance, after repeatedly telling people that something from Greyfriars was following him. The reporter from the local paper was also attacked while in the Kirkyard, and the next morning, she woke up covered in bruises.

In 2011, Dead Air Radio's Chris Felton also has a strange encounter alongside Steve Taylor and the team when they had stones thrown at them, and all witnessed a white mist floating towards them, all while live on the radio.

I was kindly given access to spend the night in The Covenanter's Prison section of the Kirkyard.

Visit Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Address

26A Candlemaker Row

Edinburgh

EH1 2QE

Greyfriar's is located in the old town area of Edinburgh. There are a couple of entrances to the Kirkyard which are open 24 hours. The most common way is behind the pub, Greyfriar's Bobby, which is named after a small Skye-Terrier dog who is said to have visited and sat beside his owner's grave everyday until his own death in 1872. Bobby is one of the biggest tourist attractions to Greyfriar's, and there is a gravestone dedicated to him in the entrance. However, not many people know that the story is actually a load of fiction. While there really was a dog called Bobby, there is no evidence to prove the existence of his owner, 'John Gray'. There is a gravestone for John along the East side of the Kirkyard, but nobody is buried beneath it. 

We know that Bobby was a real dog. The most logical explanation is that he was a stray dog visiting a local butcher shop, who would often throw scraps out of the back window...and into the Kirkyard. Animals weren't buried in Greyfriar's, so we know his 'grave site' is not genuine. In fact, if you really want to know the exact location, some BT engineers found it in the early 2000s just outside these gates while installing fiber broadband. They were digging in the road and found a shoebox size wooden box containing Bobby's bones. It was buried back in the same spot. That exact spot is where there is a grey rectangular patch of tarmac about 10 meters from the gates. 

A lot of Harry Potter fans also visit Greyfriar's, as it is believed that J.K. Rowling took inspiration for the character Voldermort from the grave of a man called Thomas Riddell. She was known to spend time in the Kirkyard, and would often write her novels in Elephant House Cafe nearby. 

Another entrance at the bottom of the Kirkyard is opposite The Budget Backpackers hostel, which is one of the cheapest places in Edinburgh to stay.

When going in via the main entrance by Greyfriar's Bobby, turn to the left, and walk along the tombs at the south side of the Kirkyard. When you see the black one, that is George Mackenzie's. Carry on walking and you'll see the locked gates of The Covenanter's Prison. If you really want to go inside and brave the Mackenzie Poltergeist, you'll need to book onto an official tour, with City of The Dead Tours. They are the only group who can take you in. Their office is just on the right hand side of the main gates, and tickets can be bought online or from here. The tour starts outside St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile. It takes in some stories from around the ancient streets of Edinburgh, before taking the group into the Kirkyard, and then into the prison. The tour starts at 21:00 between Easter and Halloween, and 20:30 over winter, and costs £13pp. The tour lasts around 1 hour 20 mins. 

People on this tour have genuinely been hurt by something while in the Covenanter's Prison. There are photos on their Facebook page. People with pacemakers are advised not to attend - not because of the scares, but because electrical appliances have been affected in here, and a man in the past was taken ill with a pacemaker. 

Contact City of the Dead:

Telephone: 0131 225 9044

Email: info@cityofthedeadtours.com

Note: City of The Dead also do tours into the Edinburgh vaults. That is also very much worth visiting!

There are many places to stay in Edinburgh. If on a budget, stay in The Budget Backpackers Hostel for £11 per night, and walk 10 seconds to get to Greyfriar's. For hotels...take your pick!

Food and drinks is also a huge option. There's everything from ubs that serve food and host live music, to Nandos and Pizza Express all within 5 minutes walk.

Finally...this is Scotland, so bring an umbrella and a coat! 

The Victoria Tunnel (Investigation)

About

The Tunnel is a sub terrain former wagon way, built in 1839 and opened in 1842 to transport coal from Leazers Main Colliery in Spital Tongues 2.4 miles to the River Tyne in Newcastle, where waiting boats could transport it out to sea.

After the colliery ran into financial difficulties, it was forced to close in 1860 ending the tunnel’s main purpose of transporting coal, having only been in use for 18 years. The pit was closed down and the tunnel was sealed up and forgotten about. The entrance was built over by housing, and the exit made way for The Glass House Bridge foundations.

Following the outbreak of war on 1939, underground public air raid shelters were needed. The tunnel has to be rediscovered, modernised and new entrances constructed along its 2.4 mile route. At its peak, it could hold up to 10,000 people below ground

Following the war, most of the entrances were sealed up and forgotten about. Years later, it was voted #1 as Britain’s Worst Air Rade Shelter due to its dark and damp conditions. Legend has it that one man who suffered shell shock during WW1, refused to leave the Victoria Tunnel, and spent 6 years underground without ever leaving. The tunnel was the safest place to be.

The main ghost said to haunt the tunnel is that of William Coulson, who was killed in 1852 when he was struck by an out of control wagon. He had been showing 2 businessmen the Tunnel with the intention of selling it. A note asking for no wagons to be sent down failed to reach the pit head in time and a wagon was sent into the tunnel. A dark figure is the most common sighting in the tunnel, most recently made by a tour guide in April 2018 while on a tour with a group of 12 other people. Many people believe this to be William’s ghost.

There were also deaths at the entrance of the tunnel by the pit head. 2 accidents involving a stationary steam engine exploding claimed 3 lives. 

During the war, a young boy was killed while standing at the air raid entrance in Shieldfield. It was the night of September 1st 1941, and German bombers flew low enough to be undetected by radar. That night, most people heard the bombs before the they heard the sirens, many dying in their homes. Over a thousand people became homeless that night, and the loss of life was horrific.

Some young children used to try to avoid going into the Victoria Tunnel, and preferred to watch the planes, and collecting shrapnel to take to school the next day. A boy known as Ben was struck by a piece of shrapnel and lay dying in the street outside of the tunnel. This story is not available online, but only by the accounts of living witnesses. One medium picked up on Ben’s presence in the tunnel, and claimed Ben was carried to safety inside the tunnel but sadly died of his injuries. This cannot be verified by myself at the time.

In 1941, a 7 year old girl called Irene Page fell into a bomb hole on Tarset Street. When she did not climb out, another local boy called Ernie Smith went looking for her using a rope, but he also failed to surface. 2 off duty firemen climbed down, and again, neither came back up. That day, 4 dead bodies lay at the bottom of the hole, killed by a pocket of poisonous gas. The Victoria Tunnel runs under this spot. The presence of Irene in particular is commonly mentioned by mediums. Strange activity is also reported at this spot - torches being turned off, and a child’s voice has regularly been heard.

In 2014, a ghost hunting group posted a video on YouTube that shows strange EMF activity responding to questions, and footsteps audibly coming towards them and then stopping right beside them. They soon left the tunnel!

Other strange activity includes flashing lights, growls, sudden cases of extreme emotion and the constant sensation of being followed. Many of the tour guides at the Victoria Tunnel will refuse to go down by themselves.

Visit The Victoria Tunnel

Address

Victoria Tunnel Tours (Meeting point)

55 Lime Street

Ouseburn Valley

Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE1 2PQ

(The Tunnel entrance is on Ouse Street, a couple of minutes walk away)

Telephone: 0191 230 4210

A 700 meter section of tunnel is open to the public today thanks to lottery funding, and this is the same section we were given access to in our show. This is run by The Ouseburn Trust. An entrance close to the Great North Museum (formerly the Hancock Museum) is still visible but not accessible to the public. 

The closest Metro station is Manor’s. Exit the station and walk away from the city towards Byker. Turn right at The Tanner’s Arms onto Crawhall Road and walk down Stepney Bank. This was the location of a WWII entrance. Also, note St Dominic’s Church - the tunnel runs directly below it, and is marked by a cross on the wall of the tunnel where people would often go to pray during an air rade.

From Gateshead, walk over the Millenium Bridge and walk east until you reach the point where the River Ouse merges with the Tyne. Head along there and it’s a 5 minute walk, and very pretty. 

Tours are just £7 per person and will last around 2 hours. This includes a tour of the Ouseburn Valley and use of the Tunnel’s own torches and hard hats. Due to high demand, tours need to be pre-booked. Note - food and drinks are not allowed inside the tunnel, and there is nothing living in the tunnel, so no rats or spiders!

Word of advice - keep your tour tickets, as it gets you discount off food at The Cluny nearby, which is also one of the city’s best live music venue. There is also discount available at The Ship Inn pub, which specialises in Vegan food.

Paranormal events are also heavily in demand and do sell out. 

Every Halloween, the tunnel runs a scare night called Terror In The Tunnel in which actors and actresses dress up and scare people in the dark. I have been on one of these, and at £6.66, it is cheaper and scarier than other events of its kind!

Edit: Every few months, tunnel tour guides are given a chance to access the 'north' end of the tunnel, and I was allowed to record with them on a one of these visits in July 2019. This section of the tunnel is not open to the public. To see what this area looks like, see the video below! Sadly as you can see!