The Spectres of War III- Valentina Cherkirova (World War II)

When we hear about ghosts from World War One or World War Two, we think of horrible battles, and heroic soldiers fighting beyond their time. Or we think about the "Angels of Mons", where British Soldiers were reported to fought with angels by their side, ultimately winning the battle. But sometimes, the most poignant and heroic ghosts aren't soldiers...

The photo above is of Boris Cherkirov and his wife, taken in the early 1950's after WW II ended. In the upper right corner appears to be aghostly figure of a young girl. The photo was analyzed by Eastman Kodak Professional Laboratory, and deed to have been untampered, and authentic. But the picture is only part of the story- a story that starts during the war.

Boris Cherkirov lived in a village called Klyzma just outside of Moscow. This village, like many others in the area was swapped back and forth between German and Russian control repeatedly during the war- sometimes on an hourly basis. Sitting on the Ucha River, it had strategic value as a crossing point due to a shallow area of the river nearby. Basically, a one street village, with roughly a dozen building, there is a cemetary just on the outskirts of the village by the church.

Cherkirov was a foreman at the Klyzma Tractor Factory during the war. Due to an accident that cose him his left hand, he was unable to serve in the Red Army against the Germans when they invaded Russia in 1941. He and his wife did their part for the war effort by working at the factory, producing tank motors instead of tractors. The two had a six year old little girl named Valentina.

One day, while Valentina was gathering berries, she heard a deep rumbling sound that reminded her of the tractors her father built at the factory... except there were a lot more "tractors" than she thought there should be. Wondering what so many "tractors" would like in a large group, she went to investigate. What she was wasn't tractors, but the first wave of Hitler's war machine rumbling towards the crossing point of the Ucha River... tanks...

Young Valentina knew what tanks were from the parades held in Moscow on Revolution Day. Even though she didn't understand the concept, she knew there was a war going on. Her father had told her what the black crosses on the tank hull meant- that people were coming to harm her family and friends. She also knew what had to be done- she had to warn her village.

Like all the other villages in the area, Klyzma had a siren that was hand operated. It was meant to summon the fire brigade. During wartime, it was used as an air raid siren, or to sound an approaching attack. It was to this siren that little Valentina raced in an effort to protect those she loved.

At first, she had difficulty turning the hand crank that would sound the alarm, but she kept struggling and fighting with it until finally, the high whine echoed out and across the village- a mournful wail that screamed, "Help! Danger!" At the factory, Boris, his wife, and others heard the cry of the alarm, and ran to see what was the matter.

The distant rumble of the tanks could be heard, so Boris and the other workers armed themselves. Valentina's mother used the phone at the factory to summon help. An artillery shell hit the alarm platform, destroying it completely. Dispite not knowing who gave the alarm, the factory workers prepared to fight off the approaching troops. They held off the Germany company until a flight of Russian dive bombers arrived to end the battle.

While the battle raged, nobody thought to look for little Valentina- assuming she hid during the fighting. They were unaware that she was the one who sounded the alarm, and was on the platform when the artillery shells struck it. Afterwards, while searching through the rubble of the platform, all that was found of the heroic little girl was her pail and a tiny shoew.

Boris was awarded the Order of the Hero of the Sovie Union for leading the factory workers in the defence of Klyzma. After the war, he simply hung the medal around the simple monument raised in memory of Valentina Cherkirov. The inscription on the marker reads:

"Cherkirova, Valentina Borisovna, 18 April, 1935 - 25 June, 1941.

Our Little Hero"

Boris and his wife attend to the grave everyday around sundown. They are always accompanied by a little girl- aged about six or seven. While the couple stand in memory of their daughter, the little girl will quietly play in the snow or sand, depending on the time of the year. Visitors to the small village, passing by have often reported that the couple will turn to the leave, and the little girl will wave good bye to the couple before slowly fading from sight. While others see her, the grieving couple are unaware that their l"Little Hero" is still with them...

The Ghosts of Politics V: Vladimir Lenin

We travel from talking about the political ghosts of the United Kingdom and two of its former colonies to talking about the political ones of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic.

What better spirit to discuss than that of the USSR's first real leader, Vladimir Lenin?

Unlike most ghosts, the first sighting actually took place before Lenin was dead. Early in the morning on October 19, 1923, a guard overheard a phone conversation between a duty officer, and one of Lenin's administrators. The duty officer was asking why Lenin had come to the Kremlin by himself, with none of his body guards. When he contacted Gorki- Lenin's residence, he was informed that the great leader was still there. At this time, Lenin was gravely ill. The sighting took place three months before Lenin passed away.

As you can imagine, Lenin's entourage were quite confused by this report of Lenin being at the Kremlin that night. Marxism-Leninism dictates that spirits do not exist. There were, however, several who saw the ghost of Vladimir Lenin walking Red Square that night. This sighting forced the authorities to make up an official report stating that his last visit to Moscow was October 19, 1923.

At the time, many people did not believe the "official" reports- and many still don't. Historian, and writer, Alexander Gorbovski was told of the overheard conversation through a former courier that had stopped by the guard house that night for tea. Gorbovski, after researching the reports, and the memoirs of Nadezhda Krupskaya (Lenin's wife), and Lenin's bodyguard- Alexander Balmas, states that their are too many differences in stories between them. In Krupskaya's journals, she wrote that they'd gotten to the Kremlin earlier, stayed the night, and went back to Gorki early on the morning of the 19th, but Balmas' says that Lenin spent the whole of the 19th riding around town, and visiting the Agricultural Exhibition.

How could Lenin be riding around Moscow if he'd left for home early that morning? Another question is, why did Lenin even make the trip to Moscow in the first place. Many doubt he would've simply to walk the halls of the Kremlin, and have a nap... especially when he was ill. Also, despite his state of health at the time, the "ghost" was reported to move quickly and energeticly- which did not fit in with the fact that Lenin was suffering from paralysis of his left leg and arm. In fact, it was reported that Lenin climbed the stairs to his apartment and study, and went to the Council of People's Commissars, then he also went for a stroll in the courtyard of the Kremlin. A group of cadets even greeted Lenin, and reported him not having the walking stick he needed to walk about at the time.

And what about witness reports of his walking around with no bodyguards? There were too many questions connected with the "official" version of the incident. Many feel that the ghost was a harbinger of Lenin's death... and a portent of his spirit remaining behind.

After Lenin's death, Sergei Kuleshov, another historian happened to be having lunch with a friend who introduced him to a KGB colonel. The colonel told Kuleshov about the strange sounds, and footsteps often heard in Lenin's old apartment at the Kremlin. The sounds have been described as furniture moving around. The old apartment had been locked and sealed- and had a round the clock watch by guards.

It is also claimed that Sergei Filatov- Boris Yeltsin's Chief of President's Staff heard the same noises coming from Lenin's study late at night. A journalist for the Komsomolskaya Pravda, Alexander Gamov, wrote that the occurances took place in 1993, during the summer. The 2005 article about the story said that Filatov's office was right below the Lenin apartment. While working late one night, the Chief of President's Staff heard the floorboards above him creaking- as if under the footsteps of a nervous person pacing. Filatov ignored the sounds, and continued working. After hearing the footsteps several times, he asked the security detail what was going on in the sealed apartment. He was informed that nobody was up there, and that the room, which is open to tourists during the day, was locked up every night.

He told the guards to check again. They conducted a complete inspection of the apartment and study, and found nobody. Filatov, stopped being worried, but also stopped working late... just in case...

A report by Igor Vinokurov, cochairman of the Commission for the Study of the Mysterious Phenomena, claimed that a student of the Moscow State University saw Lenin's spirit walking at Oktyabrskaya Square in Moscow. The report states that Lenin's ghost was quite clear- clear enough for the student to make out his facial features and famous beard. As if noticing that it was being observed, the apparition "stepped back into his monument and disappeared."