Allied invasion of occupied France secret, Duncan and other psychics were seen as a potential threat to security. According to Leslie Price, of the College of Psychic Studies where Helen was tested in 1931, the published diaries of former spy chief Guy Liddell confirm the security services had begun investigating Duncan in December 1941, little more than six months after the sinking of HMS Hood. Indeed, interest in Helen Duncan by the security services went as far back as 1931 when Major, later Brigadier, Firebrace of Military Intelligence and Oliver Villiers from the Air Ministry, who was involved with R101 airship case, both attended her seances. In January 1944 an opportunity presented itself when Helen was invited to Portsmouth by a local church to demonstrate her abilities of spiritual materialisation.
Materialising ectoplasm
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Almost immediately another seance was arranged for 19 January where undercover members of the security services and police were in the audience. On a pre-arranged signal they raided the event and Duncan, along with three members of the audience, were arrested.
“In the run-up to D-Day, the authorities were paranoid about potential security leaks and Duncan was in danger of disclosing military secrets during her seances,” said Robert Hartley, an academic and author of the book ‘Helen Duncan: The Mystery Show Trial’