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The Truth in the Light – Dr Peter Fenwick and Elizabeth Fenwick

 At the time of his experience in 1961, David Whitmarsh was 17 and serving aboard a Royal Navy frigate.  Part of his duties was testing power points with a portable fan blower.  David describes how he plugged this into a socket above a hatch around which were hung safety chains.  He leaned against these… unfortunately, the fan had been connected incorrectly; the earth wire swapped with the 450 volt live supply.  When David switched on the fan, his bare leg resting against the machinery, he became a live circuit between the fan and the steel chains;

The powerful throbbing of the ship’s turbines seemed to force the electricity through my body.  I heard myself screaming as all I could see was a mass of flashes like flames licking around my body and heard a terrible roar.

Eventually the flashing stopped and silence ensued.  I seemed to be floating in a beautiful velvet like darkness, feeling completely at peace away from the frightening flashes.  I seemed to be going through a tunnel angled slightly downwards when suddenly I found myself standing in a field of beautiful yellow corn.  The sky on the horizon was the deepest of sky blues I have ever seen and I felt even more at peace in this lovely tranquil place.  The brightness was strong but not overbearing and I felt comfortable and appeared to be wearing a blue gown.

Suddenly, on the distant horizon I saw something that appeared to be a train, in fact a blue train.  At first I thought that there was no sound but the beauty of the scene had been so intense that I hadn’t noticed gentle music in the background plus the quiet rumble of the blue train. 

For some unexplained reason I appeared to get closer to the train, which stopped in front of where I was standing.  I could see people in the carriages beckoning to me and telling me to climb aboard.  It was difficult to make out their features, which seemed to be shrouded in grey mist.

Then , again almost as if by magic, I was in the train compartment with the faceless passengers, who, I noticed, seemed to be dressed in the same way I was.

I felt a complete sensation of happiness and contentment as I listened to the happy babble of the passengers.  It was almost like being a child again going on holiday with all your friends.

Then it began to happen.  I felt a pressure on my shoulders and a strange sensation as I began to rise.  It didn’t make any sense – I felt I was being pushed down yet I was going up.  I didn’t want to leave my new found friends, who were begging me to stay.

The speed of my ascent became faster and I felt a feeling of anger mixed with regret.  I didn’t want to go back.  Suddenly I came to and was lying face down on the deck of the frigate passageway.  My colleague was pushing on my shoulder blades in the old Holger-Nielsen method of resuscitation.  My first emotion was one of anger; why did they bring me back?  I was happy on that train.  I wanted to know where we were going.

To this day I still remember those events as if it were only yesterday, and strange to say I seem to have no fear of the end of my life.  In fact I am looking forward to that trip on the blue train and maybe next time I will reach my destination