During my time there an elderly lady came to us, reached into her shopping bag and came out with what appeared to be a piece of old blanket in her hand. As she unrolled this, a work of art was revealed, about one yard square the blanket piece was heavily embroidered with coarse wool, depicting drums, flags, battle honours and the words ‘44th. East Essex’. The lady could give us no information about this and requested that perhaps we could return it to the Regiment concerned, I eventually received the flag or cover (my opinion is that it was an altar cover hand-worked by a soldier in his spare time).

I opened up the computer and found the following information; the ‘44th. East Essex’ were formed in the year 1741 and amalgamated with the West Essex in 1881. I found the Museum, spoke to the Curator and promised to send the article on to him. Incidentally the battle honours were, ‘Egypt’, Badajaz, Salamanca, Peninsula, Bladensburg, Waterloo, Ava, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastapol, and Taku-Forts’. A good selection in anyone’s eyes.

On Wednesday November 15th 2006, my wife wrapped and securely taped the cloth ready for posting on the following day. I went to bed early on Wednesday night and was soon asleep. In the early hours of Thursday morning I awoke. Two things had aroused me, one, most important, I needed to visit the toilet and the other a smell of burning. Originally I thought it was a neighbours bonfire left smouldering but I realised it was more of a tobacco smell, like a cigar. I got out of bed and crept across the top of the stairs to the toilet. The tobacco smell was stronger, no one smokes in our house. My attention was drawn to the bottom of the stairs. There to my surprise was a figure.

Even without my glasses and my weak eyes I could clearly see the details. It was a man, a soldier, wearing a black shako hat, a red coat with white facings. In his left hand he held a pipe to his mouth. I could see his face so clearly, he smiled, then raised his right hand in a thumbs-up sign and vanished.

The whole vision could not have taken more than two seconds. I was not dreaming, I was not frightened. As I went back to my bed I noticed that the time was 1.50am and I thought that the vision was the ‘44th’ of Foot soldier who had created the cover, possibly pleased that it was being returned to the Regiment after a break of more than 100 years.

Now the cover, altar cloth maybe, is in the post to the 44th Museum. Whether my soldier returns with it I do not know, maybe the Curator will inform me if he does.

December 3rd: Cloth is now safely in the Museum at Chelmsford. At the moment it is in the deep freeze, just in case any Crimean bugs are still lurking  inside. Will be on display later.

Submitted by: Brian S
Location of story: Leicestershire