Terry Smith, Who Died in WW I When the British Ship Hood was Sunk by the German Navy, Describes his Experiences in Heaven, a Telepathic Cat and a Welcoming Committee

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Source: Communication from the deceased in this case was facilitated through the direct voice mediumship of Leslie Flint. George Woods and Betty Greene were present during tape recordings of Flint’s mediumship sessions and they asked questions of the deceased, who spoke in their own natural voices. Neville Randall reviewed these recordings and summarized the dialogues in his book, Life After Death. Dialogue in the article provided below has been slightly edited to make it more concise.

To learn more about the mechanism of communication with the deceased, go to: Leslie Flint and his Direct Voice Mediumship

Terry Smith describes his Drowning in the Sinking of British Warship Hood and Arrival in the Spirit World or Heaven

In a session that took place on July 16, 1966, a young male voice announced his identity as Terry Smith. He said that he was blown up and drowned when a shell from the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser Hood in the cold green waters of the North Atlantic 

“It all happened so sudden. None of us really had a chance. It was hopeless.” 

Betty Greene: “Terry, can you describe your reactions after your death? What happened to you?” 

“The first thing I remember was going up a street. It was a street I had never seen before. I couldn’t realize at first that it wasn’t a real street. It was all very attractive. Lovely trees on either side of the road and lovely houses. There were little bungalows dotted about here and there, and there were bigger houses, and it was ever so attractive. I didn’t recognize the place, and yet it seemed as if it could be somewhere, perhaps in California. I’d seen pictures of wide sort of boulevards with trees, sloping lawns and pretty little houses. I couldn’t make head or tail of it. 

There was nobody else about. It was just as if I was all there on my own, you know. I thought this is odd. I thought I was probably dreaming. The road was not a bit familiar, yet there was something about it that gave me some sort of inner confidence. Not a sound, you know. Nothing.  

Terry Meets his Spirit Guide in the Afterlife, Who Adopts Him

Then when I came further along I saw a very sweet lady, a very pretty woman, perhaps 28 or 30 years old, standing at a little gate. It was the first house with a  gate, all the others seemed to have no gates 

Anyway, this little old lady–funny thing about her was she looked young, yet I felt she was old. She was leaning over this gate, and as I came to her she smiled. I stopped and she said: ‘Are you looking for something, sonny?’ 

I said, ‘I don’t know quite what’s happening or where I am.’ 

‘Oh,’ she says, ‘that’s alright sonny, I’ve been waiting for you. Come in.’ 

I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got nothing to lose, so I’ll go in.’ At least it’s someone to talk to.  

She took me into the front, I suppose you’d call it the parlor, a nice little room it was, with nice curtains and chairs, and it looked very homey. And there was a cat sitting in one chair. A beautiful black cat. I thought, “Cats?” I can’t be dead with cats.  

She says, ‘Come on Sonny, sit down.’ So I sat down in the other chair with no cat in it.  

A Cat in Heaven Speaks Telepathically

All of a sudden, this cat did a most funny thing. He jumped off his chair and came to me, sat on his hind legs and looked up to me, sort of cocked his ears up and he didn’t meow, didn’t make a noise like a cat, but it was just as if the thing spoke. Do you know I nearly dropped? I was so shaken. 

‘Oh. don’t worry,’ she says. ‘You’ll get used to that. The animals over here have developed to a great extent their ability to make themselves understood. Of course, on Earth in a way they can do that, but we don’t hear them speak because they don’t have a language as we understand it. But over here their thoughts are such that they can vibrate the atmosphere so you can hear the sounds. It’s merely their thoughts being transmitted to you so that you can hear them.’ 

This cat says: ‘How are you?’ 

I thought, ‘By Christ this quite mad. Cats don’t say how are you?’ I didn’t know what to do, what to say. 

‘Don’t worry,’ she says. ‘You’ll get used to that. Animals are much more sensitive than people realize and they have their own knowledge of things. They can transmit thoughts and pick up thoughts, and you’ll get used to the fact that animals can convey a great deal more from this side then they can on Earth.’ 

I sort of got adjusted to the idea and said: ‘Very well, thanks.’ 

And it seemed as if the cat said: ‘I hope you’ll be happy here.’ Then he went back and sat on the chair, curled up and went to sleep.  

My friend told me the cat’s name was Nelly, which was given to the cat by her mother.  

‘Your mother? I said. ‘How old is that cat then?  

‘This cat,’ she said, ‘must be now, by material age, about sixty years old.’  

Terry’s Spirit Guide informs Him that He is Dead

She then said, ‘Would you like something a drink?’ 

So I said, ‘Yes, I would please.’  

She asked, ‘What would you like?’ 

So I said, ‘I’d like a lemonade.’  

‘Would you? All right.’ So she he goes out and comes back with a glass of lemonade.’ 

‘You know you’ve got nothing to worry about, sonny,’ she says. ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’ 

Waiting for me? 

‘Yes.’ 

I didn’t know what to say. I sort of sat there, and she says: ‘You know you’re dead.’ 

What?

‘You’re dead’ 

‘Come off it. I can’t be dead sitting in a room with a cat over there and drinking a glass of lemonade. And your solid and real enough. How can I be dead? I admit it’s all a bit strange.’ 

At first I thought I was having a dream or something.  

‘It’s no dream, sonny,’ she says. ‘You’re dead.’ 

‘Well if you say I’m dead, how did I get here?’ 

‘I was thinking about you and praying for you, and I’ve been given charge of you.’ 

‘What do you mean you’ve been given charge of me?’ 

‘Well,’ she says, ‘When your ship down…’ 

And it suddenly came to me. When the ship went down. Last thing I remember was in the water holding onto a bar of wood. Sort of thought it might hold up, but of course I realize it was hopeless. 

‘You were drowned,’ she says. 

‘Oh.’ 

‘There’s hundreds and hundreds of lads,’ she says, ‘have come over.’ 

‘Oh.’ 

‘Yes, and every one of those lads has got someone somewhere to look after them. Some have their own people, relations and friends. Some have got other souls, and I’m the one in charge of you,’ she says. 

Terry was Telepathically Directed to Meet his Spirit Guide

‘You don’t really realize it, but you were directed. You thought you were walking on your own up the road. but you weren’t. You were being helped by inspiration from a soul whose job it is to help people when they come over suddenly like you did.’ 

‘Well I don’t understand all this.’ 

‘Don’t you worry,’ she says. ‘You stay with me. I’ll look after you. I’ll be like your mum.’ 

I thought, ‘Well, that’s something.’ And she started talking about my people. It rather shook me, because she seemed to know about my mum and dad, and how they sort of separated, and about my sister, about us, so I says: ‘Are you in any way related to us?’ 

‘Not really,’ she says, ‘but it is part of my job to know something about your people, being as how I am to look after you.’ 

‘Well, that’s funny,’ I says. ‘Since you say as I’ve only just come over, how do you know about my lot?’ 

‘Oh well, that’s not difficult. It’s only a matter of tuning in.’ 

‘Tuning in,’ I says. ‘Sounds like the wireless.’ 

‘Oh well we can,’ she says. ‘If we have a special reason for wanting to know about a particular person or persons, and it’s a special work that we have to do, and we’ve got some sort of a connection there that is necessary for us to know things, then we tune in. A little later on, not yet, we’ll go see your people.’ 

‘Oh, that’ll be nice.’ 

Terry’s Spirit Guide informs Him He Can Visit and Observe his Relatives on Earth

‘Of course, you know they won’t know your dead. I mean they won’t know that you’re there. They’ll know that you’re dead, but they won’t know that you’re still alive, that you can sort of watch them or go and see them. You mustn’t be too upset if no one takes any notice of you.’ 

‘Oh welI,’ I says. ‘I did have an aunt who is a Spiritualist.’ 

‘Oh, that’s good,’ she says. ‘Perhaps we can get something through in that direction. You never know. We’ll have to try her.  

For the time being, you must try to be content here. I’ve got a son on Earth and I’m hoping one day when he comes over here that we shall be together again. I expect we shall. But in the meantime, I’m going to look after you as if you’re my own son. I’m going to do all I can for you and try to make you feel happy. You’re not to worry, and you’re not to feel sort of alone or anything like that. 

A little later on, when you’re rested—I think you should rest: this has all been a bit of a shock for you–I’ll take you out and you’ll be introduced to all sorts of interesting people in our community.’ 

Light in Heaven Generated Without a Sun

A little later she took me out, and what appeared to be the sun–although later she told me there was no sun, that it was illumination from which all of us, all of life was able to draw some power…Funny thing about this illumination-this may seem odd-but it didn’t seem to cast in the shallow shadows. It seemed to me as if everything was pleasantly bright without being harsh, and it didn’t seem it was necessary to withdraw from the light, because the light was so pleasing and pleasant, and it wasn’t what you say is hot. You didn’t feel as if was burning you, yet it was a pleasant warmth.  

Anyway, we went out, I went out with her. And she just pulled the door. ‘Are you going to lock your door.?’ 

‘Oh, there’s no need for that here you know.’ 

I told you when I came up the road in the first instance it seemed as if the place was empty. It was like a dead city, with no one at all, and yet everything looked trim and clean and fresh as if everyone had gone off for an afternoon siesta.  

A Welcoming Committee in the Afterlife or Heaven

This time going up the road it was as if everybody was out, standing at the door, or coming down the pathway. And goodness me I hadn’t got very far up the road before I was surrounded by people–mostly young people. One or two seemed to be elderly, and yet looking back on it I realize they weren’t old, but there was something about them that suggested there was age, and yet didn’t look old. I can’t explain that.   

Anyway, they were all shaking me by the hand and calling my name. I thought, well, that’s odd, everybody knows my name and everyone’s calling me Terry as if they’ve known me all their lives. 

I realized afterwards that there’s very little that escapes them if a new person is coming into the community, or a number of new people coming from Earth.  

I found afterwards it was a special community whose task it was to help newcomers and to guide them. And with the war on there were loads of youngsters coming over. Anyway, they were all around me making me feel welcome, and I really felt as if I was among old friends. 

I thought, ‘Well, this is extraordinary. Here was I arriving in a place where everyone seemed dead or away, and no one bothered. And now it’s as if they’re all here, all coming out to meet me. So, I asked my friend” ‘Why is it that when I arrived, no one came to meet me?’ 

‘Oh,’ she says. ‘That was deliberate.’ 

‘But why deliberate?’ 

‘That was very necessary, really. It was necessary for you to come direct to me as I was the one who was chosen to take care of you. The others knew, of course, of your arrival. And every house you passed, though you didn’t see anyone, their love was so strong that it was helping you. They know that the right moment would come when you’d adjusted yourself and you’d been helped by me to see and understand a little. Then you’d be more ready to be received by a lot of people. If we’d all been there it would have been too much for you. 

Now you’re settling in, you’re getting to know people, and next thing will be to find you the kind of work you’d like to do.'”