New Addington Advertiser – 16 Sep 2005

Bill Bylett New Addington Advertiser
– 16 Sep 2005

An elderly man is convinced his home is being haunted by his late wife who died less than two weeks ago. Bill Bylett says he has twice seen his wife’s spirit in front of him – and has invited a medium into his home to try and explain why his wife has not passed on.

He says he has regularly seen two ghosts in his flat in Fieldway, New Addington ever since he moved in 25 years ago, but since 76 year old Dorothy died on September 5 they have been joined by a third ghost – who sits in his late wife’s favourite chair.

Bill, 72, said “I semi-believe. Of course I can see the funny side of it. I saw Dolly on Sunday. I jumped up to give her her needle (she was diabetic) and she just looked at me and laughed. Then I suddenly realized what I had done.”

“The other time I just looked at the chair, saw her and she just faded away. Dolly, before she died, has seen the others. We’ve never had the priest up here because we don’t believe in exorcism”.

Bill’s grandson Danny and nephew Billy Dale also say they have seen one of the ghosts – a tall gentleman who walks through the flat wearing only a pair on pants.

Danny, 21 said: “about three weeks before my nan died I saw him. He was pretty clear. I thought I was imagining things and when I walked out of the sitting room he walked into the kitcen and walked through the wall and he was gone.”

“It was weird. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. Bill just said “don’t worry about it, he won’t hurt you’ and that was it”. My nan said “he comes and goes”.

After seeing his wife’s ghost for a second time, retired circus clown Bill invited medium Val Hood who told him his wife’s ghost would be sticking around.

Bill said “I just wanted that little bit of extra confirmation to make sure I wasn’t going round the bend.”

“The room gets very cold. You either believe it or you don’t believe it.”

As well as the gentleman who walks around the flat, Val said she had found spirits of an old lady who Bill and his late wife had also seen – and a queue of ghosts of ex-circus performers lining up in the hallway.

Val, who trained at West Wickham Spiritualist Church and is a full-time medium, told Bill: “You can feel the activity in here. There’s a whole queue of people out here. All performers from when you were a clown”.

“You know that Dolly will never leave your side”. She is saying “remember what she was like when she was working with you. All her discomfort is gone.”

She believes the gentleman is as an old colleague who had a limp which he got when he fell from the high wire of the big top. The old lady she added was called Margo, who was in charge of the circus horses.

Val said names such as Grimaldo came to her from the other side who Bill said he knew in his clowning days. She even sensed his dislike of elephants and the fact that he had met legendary comedian Tommy Cooper several times.