... and the Ghost?
My original story had been called 'A Ghost at Garden Gate' but I was told it was not a suitable title to hand to the Household! For some it was what made this story interesting in the first place.
The original story of the PC being killed started to sound like a myth because there were only sketchy outlines of the bombing and the reports of ghost sightings. It appears that officers posted to the area of the Garden Gate have, over the years, had strange experiences. One story told to me by a Sergeant is of an officer hearing scratching noises on a wall near to the Gate. The noises were also heard by a police officer patrolling in Constitution Hill. Not able to determine the source of the scratching a Police dog was called to search, with no success.
Another story is told of an officer near the swimming pool calling the officer at Garden Gate who he could see standing next to the gate wearing a raincoat. The only thing is the officer working near the gate wasn’t there, nor was he wearing his raincoat. Each of the officers involved still disbelieves the other's story.
With such like stories of ghost and fallen colleagues you can imagine one particular officer’s reaction when posted to the gate. Standing next to a gate pillar at night the officer felt something brush against the back of his neck. Frozen solid he felt it again, his hair on end and near to having a heart attack he bravely turned to find a stray cat standing on a ledge beside him!
Well these stories are from officers I served with but strange sightings have been experienced for many years, in fact ever since the bombing. One misty morning some time after the damage had been repaired Sergeant Bowles, who had travelled with Steve to hospital, was talking to an officer at the North Centre Gate. Suddenly he stopped talking and announced that he had just seen Steve standing outside the Garden Gate...
The original story of the PC being killed started to sound like a myth because there were only sketchy outlines of the bombing and the reports of ghost sightings. It appears that officers posted to the area of the Garden Gate have, over the years, had strange experiences. One story told to me by a Sergeant is of an officer hearing scratching noises on a wall near to the Gate. The noises were also heard by a police officer patrolling in Constitution Hill. Not able to determine the source of the scratching a Police dog was called to search, with no success.
Another story is told of an officer near the swimming pool calling the officer at Garden Gate who he could see standing next to the gate wearing a raincoat. The only thing is the officer working near the gate wasn’t there, nor was he wearing his raincoat. Each of the officers involved still disbelieves the other's story.
With such like stories of ghost and fallen colleagues you can imagine one particular officer’s reaction when posted to the gate. Standing next to a gate pillar at night the officer felt something brush against the back of his neck. Frozen solid he felt it again, his hair on end and near to having a heart attack he bravely turned to find a stray cat standing on a ledge beside him!
Well these stories are from officers I served with but strange sightings have been experienced for many years, in fact ever since the bombing. One misty morning some time after the damage had been repaired Sergeant Bowles, who had travelled with Steve to hospital, was talking to an officer at the North Centre Gate. Suddenly he stopped talking and announced that he had just seen Steve standing outside the Garden Gate...
© Alan Graham 2021