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Rev. Dr Donald Omand & The Exorcism Of Loch Ness

FrKadash

FrKadash

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Messages
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I’m currently reading the brilliant Goblin Universe by Ted Holiday and I’ve become very interested in the Rev. Dr Donald Omand, C of E vicar, psychic and Circus Padre extraordinaire who performed the exorcism of Loch Ness. After a quick search I discovered that Omand published a book entitled Experiences of Present Day Exorcist (Kimber, 1970) and there was a book about Omand by one Marc Alexander called To Anger the Devil (1978). So far I can’t seem to find any more information on him online, I was wondering if anyone knew a bit more about him or what year he died (and year of birth), or has anyone read either of the above books?

I did find a short black & white clip from 1962 by British Pathé of a circus wedding which features Omand hugging a chimp!
From what I’ve read about him in Goblin Universe he was a very interesting character and led a colourful life. I especially liked the description of his cosy home in Devon surrounded by sleeping rescue dogs, one of them Holiday describes as a powerfully psychic hound :D

 
JamesWhitehead said:
Some more detail on the exorcism of Loch Ness!:)
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Thanks James! Also here's a couple of photos of Omand at Loch Ness, taken I presume during the reenactment of the exorcism he performed for the BBC. I can't find any footage of the BBC reenactment online, but would be very interested to see it as I don't know of any other footage that would also feature Ted Holiday.

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That's Holiday on the left in the second photo above, I'm not sure who the other two men are in the first photo.
 
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is this chap related? different church but that does change Stupendous moustache anyway :)
 
FrKadash said:
I've actually messaged that guy asking if he has any more information about him, I'll post if/when he gets back to me.
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Which guy? Not Bishop Manchester?!! :eek:

He and the FTMB had a run-in maybe ten years ago, and we did not part on friendly terms! (The details have faded from my mind now, but I was modding at the time and I think I banned him! If that thread is still around, I could perhaps look up the details there... or maybe some others of our ancient ones can remember what the fracas was all about...)
 
And another photo of Omand at Loch Ness, with Capt. Artus on the left. I presume this photo was taken during the actual original performance of the exorcism as in this one Rev. Omand is in casual clothes, and Holiday wrote in Goblin Universe that Omand performed the reenactment in full vestments for the benefit of the BBC camera crew.

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rynner2 said:
Which guy? Not Bishop Manchester?!! :eek:

He and the FTMB had a run-in maybe ten years ago, and we did not part on friendly terms! (The details have faded from my mind now, but I was modding at the time and I think I banned him! If that thread is still around, I could perhaps look up the details there... or maybe some others of our ancient ones can remember what the fracas was all about...)
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Haha! I had no idea that all that took place rynner! At least he doesn't know I'm a member of the forum!

Edit*

I just found out that the BBC footage of the reenacted exorcism used to be up on youtube but when I tried to watch it it says the account no longer exists or something like that. Anyway the footage was from a 1976 BBC documentary called "The Legend of the Loch'', I hope we can find a copy of it online. The author of the article may have meant this film though as it was also made in 1976, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248958/

I found out about the documentary via this article, http://lochnessmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/ted-holiday-and-exorcism-of-loch-ness.html
And for reference here's the link to the dead youtube video,

And here's a clip of a documentary that I reckon is probably the same one from the article, though there's no footage of Omand in this short clip,

 
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rynner2 said:
Which guy? Not Bishop Manchester?!! :eek:

He and the FTMB had a run-in maybe ten years ago, and we did not part on friendly terms! (The details have faded from my mind now, but I was modding at the time and I think I banned him! If that thread is still around, I could perhaps look up the details there... or maybe some others of our ancient ones can remember what the fracas was all about...)
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I don't remember that. I don't remember you ever being a mod either.
 
I was just re-watching this really interesting piece of old black and white documentary footage about lake monsters in Connemara, Ireland. I think it's from the RTÉ archives. Anyway, as I was watching it who should come on camera to be interviewed? None other than Ted Holiday!
I've seen the footage before but I had no memory of Holiday being in it, perhaps because I wasn't reading his books at the time his appearance in the film just didn't register. I was hoping to find some footage or interview with Holiday and now I have, I'd love to find some other obscure interview with him as I'm really enjoying his books at the moment.


Just to add to this, I recently came back over to my place in Ireland for Christmas and when I got back my dear old mum said she had some books for my library she bought at a local auction, and when I looked at the large pile of books, the first one to stand out, was amazingly The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters by F. W. Holiday (Ted). I was really chuffed as I have The Dragon and the Disc (1973) and The Goblin Universe (1986), So to complete my collection of Holiday's fortean genre books I just needed this one and the final one to get hold of is The Dyfed Enigma: Unidentified Flying Objects in West Wales (1979). All his other books are about angling I believe.

It's a nice first edition 1968 hardback too, there was also an interesting little 40 page pamphlet style book called, Loch Ness Investigation by (British MP) David James (1919 - 1986), published by The Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau Limited (1968).

I haven't got a working camera or scanner here at the moment but I found this picture online of the little Loch Ness pamphlet book.

David%2BJames%2B-%2BLoch%2BNess%2BInvestigation.JPG
 
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Omand. Belonged not to the CoE as such, but to whatever the official designation is for the Anglican church in Scotland? (A Scottish vicar, even if Anglican, would not be happy to be called "Church of England"?)

Recollections: he met Hitler in the 1930's, claimed to recognise possession, and regrets not trying an exorcism. I wonder what international incident might have been caused by this...

Also, he made the sober and completely serious assertion that it is possible for a human psyche to transfer between bodies - possession can be by other humans, made by an "adept" transferring from one body to another, or switching his essence with a no doubt bewildered host who ends up in the original body, loudly proclaiming his body has been stolen, only to find nobody believes him, and he ends up in a nuthouse. There's a really incredible tale of Omand meeting an old Arab who tells him he was born French, this is his fourth or fifth body, he is genuinely tired of it, regrets the harm he has caused and wishes to die with dignity. (Robert Anton Wilson uses this idea in one of the "illuminatus!" novels, where an occult circle composed of African-Americans guided by a Vietnamese monk evict the souls of the US President, his immediate circle of associates and some very highly placed powerful industrialists. Meanwhile in Philedelphia, a no-account black guy from the ghetto goes crazy and insists he's really President Nixon, why will nobody believe me?, and is carted off to the fate reserved for insane black people with no social connections - ECT and horse-doctor doses of strong drugs. The fact the crazy black guy knows so much about the President is treated as part of his obsession - hey, there's nothing he's saying that he can't have got or inferred from published material. He does get put in the same ward as other crazy black guys claiming they're really Vice-President Agnew or the CEO of Boeing Aeorospace or President of the Federal Reserve, however. It's held to be good therapy.)
 
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Donald Omand was my Great Uncle. He was born on 01 May 1903, and died in 1983.
Every year he would send cards from his exotic travels around the world, and from circus events such as blessing the lions. He performed an exorcism of the Bermuda Triangle as well as Loch Ness. Not sure how successful that was - but you don't hear of any planes or ships going missing there any more .....
 
AgProv said:
Omand. Belonged not to the CoE
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Never saw these last two replies until just now. Thanks for that AgProv, I wonder why the sparse few sources say that Omand was retired as a vicar of the C of E? Can you recall where you found out that he was S.E.C.?

Just to add to my earlier post about the books. After I made this thread someone bought me a copy of The Great Orm of Loch Ness by Ted Holiday (1968), and a copy of that exact same pamphlet by the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (also published in 1968) which I posted above. I found it interesting that they found both books (original editions) for me in a rural charity shop in Ireland, and Holiday had been investigating reports from rural farmers in Éire in the 60s, I had this nice (if a little fanciful) idea that Holiday had given a farmer the two books as a gift for being interviewed and they ended up in a little charity shop in the middle of Southern Ireland, only to be found and given to me, a fortean investigating Omand and reading Holiday's books in the same year! :)
 
Lesley Dunlop said:
Donald Omand was my Great Uncle. He was born on 01 May 1903, and died in 1983.
Every year he would send cards from his exotic travels around the world, and from circus events such as blessing the lions. He performed an exorcism of the Bermuda Triangle as well as Loch Ness. Not sure how successful that was - but you don't hear of any planes or ships going missing there any more .....
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How interesting. I would have loved to have met him.
 
Lesley Dunlop said:
Donald Omand was my Great Uncle. He was born on 01 May 1903, and died in 1983.
Every year he would send cards from his exotic travels around the world, and from circus events such as blessing the lions. He performed an exorcism of the Bermuda Triangle as well as Loch Ness. Not sure how successful that was - but you don't hear of any planes or ships going missing there any more .....
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There's a book about it written in 1980 here: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Exorcised-Bermuda-Triangle/dp/0498024679

http://paranormal.lovetoknow.com/Recent_Disappearances_in_the_Bermuda_Triangle seems to differ.

Maybe the gremlins figured it was safe to return. <shrug>
 
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FrKadash said:
Haha! I had no idea that all that took place rynner! At least he doesn't know I'm a member of the forum!

Edit*

I just found out that the BBC footage of the reenacted exorcism used to be up on youtube but when I tried to watch it it says the account no longer exists or something like that. Anyway the footage was from a 1976 BBC documentary called "The Legend of the Loch'', I hope we can find a copy of it online. The author of the article may have meant this film though as it was also made in 1976, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248958/

I found out about the documentary via this article, http://lochnessmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/ted-holiday-and-exorcism-of-loch-ness.html
And for reference here's the link to the dead youtube video,

And here's a clip of a documentary that I reckon is probably the same one from the article, though there's no footage of Omand in this short clip,

Click to expand...

The clip shows sea urchins, kelp and sea anemones all of which are salt water species. The clip f the fin seems to be of a sleeper shark. None of these are found in Loch Ness.
 
Coastaljames said:
...and the most wonderful Colin Wilson, please! :)

Not read- but you've reminded me that I need to. Thanks a lot!
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I finally got around to reading The Goblin Universe, and just wanted to add a note of clarification here that while the book itself is by Ted Holiday, it is the lengthy Introduction that is by Colin Wilson. Appreciation to all in this thread for posting biographical, book and video info on TH and DO!
 
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