Maurice Grosse
Encyclopedia
Maurice Grosse was a British paranormal
investigator famous for his involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist
case.
in London
. After serving an apprenticeship
in commercial art and design, he served in World War II
with the Royal Artillery
and was among those evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. Commissioned in 1941, he became responsible for the guarding and welfare of Italian
prisoners of war for the remainder of the war. He married his wife Betty in 1944 and they had two daughters and a son. After the war, he became an inventor, and he filed the first of his many mechanical patents in 1945. His most successful invention was the rotating advertising billboard. In 1961 Grosse founded his own design and engineering consultancy business which became responsible for launching many patents throughout the world.
and the Ghost Club. In September 1977 he investigated a poltergeist
in a house in Green Street, Enfield
, North London
. This became the famous Enfield Poltergeist
case. Grosse supported the family for many months, staying at the house for long periods and recording many hours of cassette and video evidence of the phenomena. The poltergeist activity is summarised in the book This House is Haunted (1980), written by Guy Lyon Playfair
, who also investigated the case.
A controversial aspect of the case was a voice resembling that of an old man but speaking through an 11-year-old girl who was the focus of the poltergeist activity. When the girl was accused by ventriloquist Ray Alan
and others of faking the voice, Grosse offered £1,000 to anyone who could duplicate the voice by ventriloquism
or any other form of trickery. No one took up his challenge.
. He also put together an extensive collection of alleged examples of psychic photography. He continued this work right up until the summer of 2006.
Grosse appeared posthumously in Channel 4's documentary
Interview with a Poltergeist which was transmitted on the 6th March 2007. He also made an appearance on the Channel 4 mockumentary
Da Ali G Show
in which he was interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen
.
In the 2010 film The Infidel
a principal Jewish character's wife had left him for a psychic investigator called 'Morris Gross', a clear parody of Maurice Grosse.
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
investigator famous for his involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist
Enfield Poltergeist
The Enfield Poltergeist was a period of apparent poltergeist activity in London, England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.-Activity :...
case.
Early life
Grosse was educated at the Regent Street PolytechnicUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After serving an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
in commercial art and design, he served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and was among those evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. Commissioned in 1941, he became responsible for the guarding and welfare of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
prisoners of war for the remainder of the war. He married his wife Betty in 1944 and they had two daughters and a son. After the war, he became an inventor, and he filed the first of his many mechanical patents in 1945. His most successful invention was the rotating advertising billboard. In 1961 Grosse founded his own design and engineering consultancy business which became responsible for launching many patents throughout the world.
Psychical Investigator
A personal tragedy launched Grosse into psychical research, when his daughter Janet was killed in a motorbike accident in August 1976. Following her death, members of Grosse's family experienced a number of coincidences and psychic happenings. These led him to join the Society for Psychical ResearchSociety for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand "events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal by promoting and supporting important research in this area" and to "examine allegedly paranormal phenomena...
and the Ghost Club. In September 1977 he investigated a poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
in a house in Green Street, Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. This became the famous Enfield Poltergeist
Enfield Poltergeist
The Enfield Poltergeist was a period of apparent poltergeist activity in London, England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.-Activity :...
case. Grosse supported the family for many months, staying at the house for long periods and recording many hours of cassette and video evidence of the phenomena. The poltergeist activity is summarised in the book This House is Haunted (1980), written by Guy Lyon Playfair
Guy Lyon Playfair
Guy Lyon Playfair is a freelance writer and translator best known for his books about parapsychology.Additionally, he's worked for several U.S., British and Brazilian magazine, newspapers and publishing houses. From 1967 to 1971 he worked in the press section of the U.S. Agency for International...
, who also investigated the case.
A controversial aspect of the case was a voice resembling that of an old man but speaking through an 11-year-old girl who was the focus of the poltergeist activity. When the girl was accused by ventriloquist Ray Alan
Ray Alan
Ray Alan was an English ventriloquist and television entertainer from the 1950s until the 1980s. He was associated primarily with the puppet Lord Charles and later also with the puppets Tich and Quackers.-Biography:...
and others of faking the voice, Grosse offered £1,000 to anyone who could duplicate the voice by ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
or any other form of trickery. No one took up his challenge.
Later life
Grosse investigated many other cases, and served as a member of the Society for Psychical Research's Council, as well as being the long-serving Chairman of its Spontaneous Phenomena Committee. In 1995 Grosse was at a vigil in Charlton House when it was claimed that a piece of crockery materialised and shattered. In 2000 he again was able to record poltergeist knockings on videotape at the home of a family in north London. In addition to ghosts and poltergeists, Grosse also investigated numerous claims of precognitionPrecognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
. He also put together an extensive collection of alleged examples of psychic photography. He continued this work right up until the summer of 2006.
Grosse appeared posthumously in Channel 4's documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Interview with a Poltergeist which was transmitted on the 6th March 2007. He also made an appearance on the Channel 4 mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show is the name of two related satirical TV series created by and starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G....
in which he was interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
.
In the 2010 film The Infidel
The Infidel (2010 film)
The Infidel is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Josh Appignanesi and written by David Baddiel. The film stars Omid Djalili, Richard Schiff, Yigal Naor and Matt Lucas and revolves around a British Muslim who goes through an identity crisis when he discovers he was adopted as a child and born...
a principal Jewish character's wife had left him for a psychic investigator called 'Morris Gross', a clear parody of Maurice Grosse.
External links
- Obituary from the Ghost Club
- http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/obituaries/22/space_stalwart.htmlObituary from Fortean TimesFortean TimesFortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing and then I Feel Good Publishing , it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of December 2010, its circulation was approximately 18,000...
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