Paranormal Places
Part TwoMysterious military manoeuvres and echoes of war
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. Let’s look at some of the main places and events in the area that seem to be connected to the location’s past and the soldiers who stayed there and were laid to rest in this creepy party of Staffordshire.
The Katyn Memorial and the soldiers who haunt the Chase
The Katyn Memorial 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.
The site of the World War 1 hospital
The Brindley Heath Military Hospital, built in 1916 on Cannock Chase, was a major WW1 facility serving training camps at Brocton and Rugeley, with 1,000 beds for injured soldiers. Located near Hednesford, it later became a Ministry of Pensions hospital before being converted into "Brindley Village" for miners in the 1920s, with remains still visible today.
Key Facts About the WW1 Hospital:
- Location: Situated on Brindley Heath, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.
- Function: Built in 1916 for training camp casualties and to treat wounded soldiers from France, later managing "shell-shock" (PTSD) and poison gas cases.
- Structure: Comprised 12 large wards (20ft x 208ft) connected by corridors.
- Post-War Use: Converted in 1924–1925 into housing for miners and their families, known as Brindley Village or "The Huts".
- Closure: The village was demolished in the 1950s, though concrete pad foundations and remnants of the site remain visible in the landscape.
And if that’s not enough weird shit, UFO sightings at Brocton and other places including a well known sighting in 1990!!
Paranormal investigators (like the Ouija Brothers and groups featured in YouTube series such as “Cannock Chase Paranormal Investigation”) have visited the abandoned site, exploring the remnants of the old hospital/village huts and grounds.
• Local paranormal author and investigator Lee Brickley (who’s written books like Ghosts of Cannock Chase and A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Cannock Chase) has mentioned the old Brindley Village area as a place worth checking for activity, noting remnants of wartime huts and the hospital where spirits might linger due to its history of treating wounded and ill soldiers.
•There aren’t many specific, widely circulated eyewitness accounts of ghosts directly tied to the hospital building itself (like apparitions of nurses, patients, or soldiers in that exact spot), unlike the more famous soldier sightings near the war cemetery.
The site gained some creepy modern notoriety in 2021 when walkers found eerie baby dolls nailed or tied to trees in the “Doll Forest” area (on the former Ministry of Pensions Hospital grounds), which some paranormal enthusiasts linked to occult activity or urban exploration vibes—but this seems more like modern prank/art/horror setup than classic hauntings.
In short: No strong evidence or consensus that the exact Brindley Heath hospital site is distinctly haunted with frequent sightings but who knows? Maybe you know of any.
Join us next week when we look at strange creatures that are believed to live on the Chase.
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