The British "sketical" ufologist Peter Rogerson included in his INTCAT catalogue a strory of about 1930, soming from a 1948 or 1952 ghost stories book by Elliott O'Donnell.
The story reportedly says that in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, at night, a Mr. Fenner was driving along the Rugby-Coventry road, when he saw powerful lights on what looked like a large vehicle coming towards him. The thing did not swerve and Fenner feared a collision.
He saw what looked like a white grinning face and then found himself driving on unharmed. He looked back but there was no sign of the vehicle.
Mr Fenner was driving along the Rugby-Coventry road saw powerful lights on what looked like a large vehicle coming towards him. The thing did not swerve and Fenner feared a collision. He saw what looked like a white grinning face and then found himself driving on unharmed. He looked back but there was no sign of the vehicle.
O’Donnell 1948 p67 citing direct from Fenner
Points to consider:
Elliott O'Donnell (1872-1965) was an author known primarily for his books about ghosts. He claimed to have seen a ghost, described as an elemental figure covered with spots, when he was five years old. He also claimed to have been strangled by a mysterious phantom in Dublin, however, no permanent effect would seem to have been suffered.
He wrote numerous books about ghosts stories and the supernatural:
For Satan's Sake (1904)
Unknown Depths (1905)
Some Haunted Houses (1908)
Haunted Houses of London (1909)
Reminiscences of Mrs.E. M. Ward (1910)
Byways of Ghostland (1911)
The Meaning of Dreams (1911)
Scottish Ghost Stories (1912)
The Sorcery Club (1912)
Werewolves (1912)
Animal Ghosts (1913)
Ghostly Phenomena (1913)
Haunted Highways and Byways (1914)
The Irish Abroad (1915)
Twenty Years' Experience as a Ghost Hunter (1916)
The Haunted Man (1917)
Spiritualism Explained (1917)
Fortunes (1918)
Haunted Places in England (1919)
Menace of Spiritualism (1920)
More Haunted Houses of London (1920)
Ghosts, Helpful and Harmful (1924)
The Banshee (1907)
Strange Disappearances (1927)
Strange Sea Mysteries (1926)
Confessions of a Ghost Hunter (1928)
Great Thames Mysteries (1929)
Famous Curses (1929)
Fatal Kisses (1929)
The Boys' Book of Sea Mysteries (1930) Dodd, Mead & Company
Rooms of Mystery (1931) London: Philip Allan and Co. Ltd.
Ghosts of London (1932)
The Devil in the Pulpit (1932)
Family Ghosts (1934)
Strange Cults & Secret Societies of Modern London (1934)
Spookerisms; Twenty-five Weird Happenings (1936)
Haunted Churches (1939)
Haunted Britain (1948? 1952?)
Ghosts with a Purpose (1952)
Dead Riders (1953)
Dangerous Ghosts (1954)
Phantoms of the Night (1956)
Haunted Waters, and Trees of Ghostly Dread (1958)
I found out that soe Elliott O'Donnel biblighraphies date his "Haunted Britain" book of 1948, others of 1952.
Regarding this case, I have the impression to read a poor and distorted report a mere road incident!
A vehicle all lights on in the night would explain the lights, and at the time of the probably frightening crossing, the "grinning face" would be simply that of the other driver who would have had every reason to make a face...
Peter Rogerson included such stories in his ufology catalog with the idea of showing that misinterpretations and inventions have always existed. Certainly nobody would dispute that.
List of issues:
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September 19, 2018
Patrick Gross
Patrick Gross
First source [ed1] not available.
Help needed.
Opened.
Evaluation:
Possible driving incident.
Sources references:
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
[ed1] ? "Haunted Britain", book by Elliott O'Donnell, U-K., page 17, 1948 or 1952.
[pd1] * "Coventry", web page of The PAranormal Database, U-K., not dated, at https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/hotspots/coventry.php
[pr1] * "INTCAT - International Catalogue of close encounters and entity reports", compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K., not dated, circa 1971-1972, updates 2005-2018, available at http://intcat.blogspot.com/2012/08/intcat-1930-1939.html
