Lychgate: The Entrance to the Path

By 1940 World War II was raging and one of the most prominent men in the UK was Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding - more widely known as Lord Dowding. Dowding was the commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is generally credited with playing a crucial role in Britain's air defence, which contributed to the defeat of Hitler's plan to invade Great Britain. What is less well known is, after the Battle of Britain Dowding devoted most of his life to exploring life after death; what we now refer to as psychical research. He authored four books on the subject: "Many Mansions" (1943), "Lychgate" (1945), "The Dark Star" (1951), and "God's Magic" (1960). After the war ended, Dowding was often contacted by mothers and loved ones of the airmen who died on his watch, and when he asked his local vicar how he should respond to their grieving, allegedly, the vicar replied, "Tell them they're with God." Not being content with the vicar's answer, Dowding continued his own investigation in an attempt to find the truth to the age-old question, "what happens after we die?"