Paranormal Places
Cannock Chase Part 2Mysterious military manoeuvres
Having been there on a foggy November day close to Remembrance Sunday it is no wonder that the location has tales of paranormal activity. With such loss and sorrow concentrated in one place and the natural energy that the Chase seems to have it’s no surprise that strange things are happening here.
The Katyn Memorial and the soldiers who haunt the Chase
The Katyn Memorial on Cannock Chase (in Staffordshire, England, near Cannock and Brocton) is a poignant tribute to the victims of the Katyn Massacre. In 1940, Soviet NKVD forces executed around 22,000 Polish military officers, police, intellectuals, and other elites in the Katyn Forest (near Smolensk, Russia) and other sites, an atrocity initially blamed on the Nazis but later confirmed as a Soviet war crime
It’s widely regarded as one of the UK’s most active paranormal hotspots. Reports over the years include:
• Sightings of ghostly soldiers (often in WWI/WWII uniforms, sometimes specifically German soldiers near the nearby German War Cemetery)
• The infamous “Black-Eyed Child”
• Werewolf-like creatures
• Other entities like a ghostly woman in white, a phantom parachutist, or shadowy figures
Regarding specific ghosts or hauntings tied directly to the Katyn Memorial itself, there aren’t many widely documented or specific eyewitness accounts of apparitions of Polish victims appearing there (unlike the more famous soldier ghosts elsewhere on the Chase). However, the site’s tragic historical resonance—commemorating a mass execution in a forest setting—contributes to its eerie reputation. Paranormal investigators and visitors sometimes describe feelings of being watched, a heavy or oppressive atmosphere, unexplained sounds, or a sense of “lingering energy” or presence around the memorial, especially given its somber purpose and isolated woodland location.
It’s not just here however…
The hotspots for these encounters include:
• German War Cemetery (also called Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery): This is the most frequently mentioned site for soldier ghosts. It holds nearly 5,000 German and Austrian servicemen (plus a few others) from both world wars, many of whom were POWs who died in UK captivity and were later reinterred here in 1967. Reports describe ghostly soldiers in German uniforms (WWI or WWII era) patrolling or standing among the dark stone crosses and the central hall. Visitors often feel an oppressive presence, cold spots, or the sense of being watched. Some accounts mention a particularly eerie “9ft headless German soldier” roaming the broader Chase area, though this blends into wider folklore. Paranormal groups and YouTube investigators have captured claimed EVPs, shadows, or figures here during night vigils.
• Nearby Commonwealth War Cemetery (Cannock Chase War Cemetery): This site buries over 500 Commonwealth troops (mostly New Zealanders from WWI, plus some WWII), along with 286 Germans. Ghosts of Allied soldiers (in British/Commonwealth uniforms) have been reported wandering or running through the woods around it.
• General woodland trails and former camp areas: Soldiers are seen sprinting through trees or appearing as misty figures, especially at dusk or night. Some tales include “time-slip” experiences where people glimpse entire platoons in old uniforms fading away.
Join us next time for more paranormal activity on Cannock Chase including werewolves, big cats and even a pig man!
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