The Portsmouth Dockyard Poltergeist

During World War I, workers in a section of Portsmouth Naval Dockyard reported poltergeist activity that disrupted vital wartime production. The disturbances were officially investigated but never explained.

The Dockyards

Portsmouth’s naval dockyard has served the Royal Navy since 1495. During World War I, the yards operated around the clock to build and repair the ships fighting Germany. The intense pressure on workers created a charged atmosphere.

The Activity

In early 1917, workers in a particular workshop began reporting unusual phenomena. Tools flew from benches. Materials moved on their own. Strange sounds interrupted work. Some workers refused to enter the affected area.

The Investigation

Naval authorities investigated, concerned about sabotage or worker unrest. No human cause was found. The phenomena continued regardless of which workers were present. Production suffered as men requested transfers.

The Focus

Unlike classic poltergeist cases, no single person appeared to be the focus. However, the activity centered on a specific area of the workshop where a worker had died in an accident months earlier. Some suggested his spirit was responsible.

The Resolution

The activity ceased as suddenly as it began, coinciding with a reorganization that moved work to a different area. Whether moving away from the accident site ended the phenomena or it ceased coincidentally was never determined.

Assessment

The Portsmouth Dockyard poltergeist occurred during wartime, when stress and loss were pervasive. The death of a worker may have created conditions for supernatural phenomena, or the living workers’ anxiety may have generated the activity.