History and Description of Area

The Cornwall at War Museum is housed within the remains of RAF Davidstow Moor, a World War II Coastal Command airfield set high on the remote expanse of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

The airfield was constructed in 1942 and played a vital role in anti-submarine warfare, with squadrons flying long-range patrols over the Atlantic. Before its requisition, the land served local farming communities—a history that, according to our investigation, has not been forgotten by all who once worked it.

Following the war, the site fell into disuse before being repurposed as a museum dedicated to preserving wartime memory. Today it houses an extensive collection of military vehicles, artefacts, and memorabilia across multiple areas including Hanger 10, an immersive Air Raid Shelter, the German Room, and the Officers Mess.

The isolated moorland setting, original military structures, and enclosed spaces such as the pitch-black shelter create atmospheric conditions well-suited to paranormal investigation. The airfield's proximity to Roughtor—site of the Charlotte Diamond memorial and the second highest point in Cornwall—adds further historical weight to an already layered location.

Reported Possible Activity

The Cornwall at War Museum has not been widely investigated by paranormal teams and limited information is available regarding prior reported phenomena. As a working museum on a historically significant site, activity may go undocumented or unreported by visitors and staff.

DCPI's investigation aimed to establish baseline findings for this location.

Cornwall at War Museum - Public Event - 28/03/2026

Arrival & First Impressions

We arrived at the museum for an evening investigation with full access to multiple areas including Hanger 10, the Air Raid Shelter, the German Room, and the Officers Mess. The venue sits on the site of a former World War II airfield, surrounded by the remote expanse of Bodmin Moor—an atmospheric setting steeped in military history.

Hanger 10

Human Pendulum
Liz took position in the centre of the circle throughout the session.

Spirit 1 – The Farmer
A gentleman came forward who confirmed he was not military and had no connection to the airfield itself. He was connected to the land prior to its conversion—a farmer who had worked this ground, married with children (no longer with him). He expressed happiness at our presence and willingness to communicate, explaining he remained here because it was the place he loved. However, he was not pleased when the land became an airfield and made clear his displeasure at the militaria on display—believing it should house farming machinery instead. The connection then faded.

Spirit 2 – Personal Connection
A female spirit came forward indicating a connection to a lady guest in the circle. The relationship was quickly recognised and confirmed. The conversation that followed was deeply personal and emotional for both the guest and those present. Out of respect for privacy, details are not included here. We said our goodbyes and asked her to step back.

Spirit 3 – The German Officer
A gentleman spirit identified himself as military—an officer stationed at the airfield during wartime. He was not happy with our presence and made clear he was not friendly. He expressed a strong dislike of women and indicated he could be violent, though confirmed he meant no one harm tonight. He knew of no evil spirits at the location. He had family but they were not with him. When asked his nationality, he confirmed he was German. The spirit then fell silent.

Spirit 4 – The Friendly Airman
A friendly gentleman came forward who loved the airfield and everything in it. He indicated a connection to something on display within the venue but fell silent before elaborating.

Physical Effects on Liz
Throughout the pendulum session, Liz experienced violent shivering and shaking hands despite not feeling particularly cold. The moment she stepped out of the circle, the shivering ceased completely. Shortly after, she felt suddenly unwell—nauseous and dizzy. She was escorted outside for fresh air and recovered within minutes before rejoining the group. She felt drained and required refreshments to replenish her energy.

Additional Activity

Cat ball flashed on a table approximately 10 feet from the circle
A loud bang struck the side of the hanger on the opposite side to the group—investigation revealed no one present and no apparent cause
Envirobell EMF detector activated repeatedly throughout, indicating fluctuating temperature changes (both cold and warm)

Following Liz's recovery, we conducted calling out and explored the hanger but received no further activity.

Air Raid Shelter

Guests seated themselves on benches lining the shelter walls. We warned of the complete darkness once lights were extinguished—so absolute you cannot see your hand before your face. We began with an immersive wartime re-enactment film depicting shelter experiences during bombing raids. (See video.) Once concluded, we switched everything off and sat in total darkness for calling out and quiet observation. Cat balls and K2 meters were placed throughout. We attempted communication for approximately 30–40 minutes.

Result: No activity whatsoever. No responses to tap-and-copy requests, no equipment triggers, no knocks, bangs, or taps. We invited spirits to walk the length of the shelter so we might hear footsteps—nothing. We concluded the session and exited.

The German Room

EVP recorder positioned near the entrance door. K2 meters and cat balls placed randomly throughout. REM Pod positioned atop a cabinet.

Ouija Board Session

Ros began the opening prayer but before completion, the planchette began moving—the spirit clearly familiar with the board.

Spirit 1 – Chaotic Entity
Asked to identify itself, the planchette spelled: I K I L L C L A L A — "I KILL CLALA." The movement then became erratic—rainbowing in wide arcs across the board with no coherent message. We requested it stop; it refused. We closed the connection and said goodbye.

Spirit 2 – "Boris"
A new spirit came forward—a gentleman with a connection to something in the room.

Key responses:

Not the one who spoke earlier
Worked on something top secret at the airfield
Aware the war is over
Gave name as Boris, aged 36
Not an airman—connected to tanks
Drove tanks in the desert
Died in 1945 when his tank was hit by a bomb
Suffered shrapnel injury to his right arm

During this exchange, Ros experienced sharp, escalating pain in her right side—upper chest and rib area—grimacing visibly. We asked the spirit to remove the effect; he complied and the pain slowly eased.

A guest felt something small brush and rub against her lower leg. We asked if a spirit cat was present—Yes.

When pressed further, the spirit admitted:

He was not really called Boris
Much of what he had said was untrue
He was, in fact, the German Officer from earlier
He would rather women were not present
He did like the British (surprising given earlier hostility)
His wife had left him because he was nasty to her
He had not learned from it
He resented women because she had hurt him
He did not like Ros
He admitted to having romantic relationships with men—something forbidden in his time—and that his wife left him because of this

When challenged on his rudeness given our respectful approach, loud bangs sounded in the room (captured on EVP). He denied causing them but indicated someone at the table had—and suggested they deserved "a slap."

The spirit then fell quiet. We closed the session, thanking him for his eventual honesty.

Officers Mess

Voice recorder running. Cat balls and K2 meters placed around the immediate area. Motion sensor and EVP positioned in the adjacent WW1 section

(unoccupied during the session)

Estes Method – Ellie

Key words/phrases received:

"Ask him," "Surprise," "Nearly, I knew," "The reckie, training," "America," "Finally," "I miss her," "Around," "Talk," "Beside," "Everyone," "Liability," "Ambulance," "Identity," "Veteran," "Information," "Get out," "Move," "Yes," "Kelly," "The time," "Any/Emmy," "Company," "Air strike," "Your wife," "Yeah OK," "Try," "You control," "Essential," "Serving," "Sometime," "Briefly," "The full," "Military," "Lives close," "Might cry," "Hear it," "The last one," "You can take," "Don't know," "As I walk"

During Ellie's session:

Guest Kelly felt unseen hands touching her leg repeatedly
Male voices heard talking outside—Paul investigated immediately but found no one
Sound of a helicopter heard clearly by all—Paul confirmed no helicopter flew over or anywhere near the venue
Two distinct taps heard behind Ellie from the opposite side of the room

Ellie reported multiple spirits communicating—possibly three different voices, both male and female.

Estes Method – Pete

Key words/phrases received:

"War music/More music," "Girl," "How many," "I don't care a crap," "Nice to see you," "The man is dead," "You're for it," "Darling I think you're," "You can park it there," "Music," "Cigarette," "In hole," "Yes," "After his death," "I was," "Murder," "Something spoken in German," "Why shouldn't I," "Be careful," "I've got more," "It's broadcast," "Can I talk," "I'm faced with her," "I believe," "Music," "I shall be taken for it," "I left it here," "Can't wait for you," "I can try," "He's good," "If you want to," "What a move you have," "If it is," "It's the highest," "Like you can"

During Pete's session:

Ros touched gently on top of her head
Guest experienced sharp pain in her ear
Temperature in the room dropped noticeably
Kelly repeatedly smelled a foul, unpleasant odour that no one else could detect
Several investigators then smelled a sweet, strong perfume—as though a lady wearing it had just swept through the room
Pete sighed audibly in a feminine manner during the session
German speech came through the spirit box

Recording Anomaly
Both Ros and guest Dominique had voice recorders running throughout. Dominique also recorded video. Immediately after the session, Dominique discovered her video had vanished entirely from her phone. On Sunday, Ros checked her voice recording to review the helicopter sound—it too had completely disappeared. Both phones were checked thoroughly, including connection to laptop—the files were gone. Both investigators used the same devices in other areas of the venue without issue; all other recordings, photographs, and videos remained intact. Two out of three evidence recordings from this session were inexplicably obliterated.

Possible Spirit Identification
The references to "Charlotte," "Matthew," "murder," "I shall be taken for it," and "the highest" may connect to the Dartmoor folk story of Charlotte Diamond and Matthew Weeks. Charlotte was 18 years old when she was murdered on 14th April 1844. Matthew Weeks was hanged at Bodmin Jail for her murder, though local legend maintains he was innocent and another man committed the crime. A memorial stands on Roughtor—the second highest point in Cornwall. Further information can be found at Bodmin Jail and via online research.

Communication Experiments

Human Pendulum (Hanger 10)

Four spirits communicated: a farmer connected to the pre-airfield land, a female relative of a guest (personal), a hostile German officer, and a friendly military gentleman. Significant physical effects on the subject including violent shaking and subsequent nausea.

Ouija Board (German Room)

Two distinct spirits. The first chaotic and incoherent ("I KILL CLALA"), the second initially deceptive ("Boris") before revealing himself as the hostile German officer—eventually providing honest, personal information about his life, relationships, and resentments.

Estes Method (Officers Mess)

Two sessions conducted. Multiple spirits communicated—male and female—with references to military service, murder, and possible connection to the Charlotte Diamond case. Significant physical phenomena including touch, temperature drop, phantom smells, and unexplained deletion of recordings.

Auditory Phenomena

Loud bang on exterior wall of Hanger 10—no cause found
Loud bangs in the German Room during Ouija (captured on EVP)
Male voices heard outside Officers Mess—no one present upon investigation
Distinct helicopter sound heard by all—confirmed no helicopter in vicinity
Two taps heard behind Ellie during Estes
German speech received through spirit box

Environmental & Physical Effects

Liz: violent shivering and shaking during Human Pendulum—ceased immediately upon leaving circle
Liz: sudden nausea and dizziness after session—required fresh air and recovery time
Envirobell EMF detector: repeated activations indicating temperature fluctuations (Hanger 10)
Cat ball activation approximately 10 feet from investigators (Hanger 10)
Ros: sharp escalating pain in right side chest and rib area during Ouija—removed upon request
Guest: sensation of small animal brushing against lower leg (German Room)
Kelly: repeated touch sensations on leg during Estes
Ros: gentle touch to top of head during Estes
Guest: sharp pain in ear during Estes
Kelly: repeated foul smell detectable only to her
Multiple investigators: strong sweet perfume scent passing through the room
Noticeable temperature drop in Officers Mess
Two out of three audio/video recordings from Officers Mess session inexplicably deleted from devices

Conclusion

Davidstow Airfield delivered a complex and layered investigation. The Human Pendulum session in Hanger 10 revealed a fascinating spectrum of spirits—from a gentle farmer resentful of his land's transformation, to a deeply personal family connection, to a hostile German officer whose presence would resurface throughout the night.

The Air Raid Shelter, despite its immersive atmosphere, yielded nothing—a reminder that not every historically charged space chooses to communicate.

The German Room provided the evening's most confrontational exchange. What began as deception ("Boris") eventually gave way to surprising honesty—a lonely officer admitting to hidden relationships, a failed marriage, and deep-seated resentment toward women. His eventual candour, achieved through patient and non-judgemental questioning, demonstrated the value of persistence in spirit communication.

The Officers Mess proved equally significant. Multiple spirits engaged through Estes, with tantalising references to murder, Charlotte, Matthew, and "the highest"—potentially connecting to the tragic 1844 case of Charlotte Diamond. Physical phenomena abounded: touches, phantom smells, disembodied voices, and the inexplicable sound of a helicopter that never existed. Most unsettling was the complete deletion of two investigators' recordings from this session alone—files that simply ceased to exist.

The Cornwall at War Museum holds within its walls not only artefacts of conflict but, it seems, the spirits of those who lived it—soldiers, farmers, and perhaps even echoes of Dartmoor's darker history. Some welcomed our presence; others made clear we were not wanted. All left their mark.