Ghosts in the Great War, and true tales of haunted houses : Thrilling experience of "Daily News" readers

Collected from the letters of ordinary readers, this anthology gathers personal encounters with the uncanny that were first published in a popular London newspaper in the years after the Great War. From soldiers who claimed to see lost comrades marching across dark fields to families who heard footsteps echo through empty hallways, the stories span battle‑scarred trenches and quiet country homes, all told in the voice of those who lived them.

The editor sifted through thousands of submissions, preserving each witness’s exact words and awarding small prizes for the most striking accounts. The result is a surprisingly varied mix: some tales are chillingly vivid, others are oddly mundane, yet each carries the same sense of genuine puzzlement that made the original correspondence so compelling.

Listeners will find a snapshot of interwar Britain’s fascination with the unseen, a window into how ordinary people tried to make sense of sudden sounds, flickering lights, and fleeting silhouettes. The collection invites you to hear the ordinary turned extraordinary, one whispered experience at a time.