This autobiography of one of England's best known direct-voice mediums, as told to Doreen Montgomery, was first published by Macmillan London in 1971, reprinted by Psychic Press in 1988, and was released by Two Worlds. In addition to the direct-voice, Flint (1911-1994) had clairvoyant, clairaudient, and trance mediumship abilities, but the direct-voice phenomenon was his primary gift. He demonstrated his ability before packed audiences in London halls and in small circles that included many prime movers and celebrities.

Flint opined that he must have been the most tested medium in England. "I have been boxed up, tied up, sealed up, gagged, bound, and held, and still the voices have come to speak their message of eternal life," Flint wrote. In direct-voice mediumship, discarnates draw ectoplasm from the medium to form a larynx (or "mask") some two feet from the medium. They spirit entities usually speak with the same voices they possessed when incarnate. Searching for a logical explanation, the skeptics (i.e., the cynics) often suggest the medium is a ventriloquist; hence, the reason for Flint being gagged in some of his tests.

In one test, he was forced to hold a cup of water in his mouth throughout the seance. In another, his lips were sealed with plaster. Of course, even ventriloquism could not explain the many different voices and the evidential information that came from them in different dialects. Nor could it explain how Flint could be observed now and then talking to the person next to him at the same time the spirits talked. In one sitting, the voice moved from above Flint to the other side of the room near the door, then began speaking loudly with a woman on the other side of the door. It turned out to be the mother of the spirit speaking. She had not arrived on time and was locked out of the seance. Although Flint and others in the room were unaware that the mother had arrived and was sitting outside, the spirit took the voice mask over to the door to communicate with his mother through the door. (The door could not be opened because light has a destructive effect on ectoplasm and can seriously injure the medium.)

In a demonstration before 75 people in New York City, Mickey, Flint's control and "gatekeeper," announced that the presence of one known on earth as Carl Schneider was there to speak. At first, no one responded, but a member of the audience finally spoke up and mentioned that he knew a Carl Schnieder and that the voice was unmistakably his; however, as far as he knew Schneider was still among the living. The next day, the person attempted to call Schneider, only to find that he had committed suicide a year earlier. In several sittings, the voices of people still alive came through, and upon investigation it was determined that they were deeply asleep or in a coma at the time.

Flint recalls his first psychic experience, or the first he can remember, coming in 1918 at age 7. It was shortly after his Aunt Nell had received word that her husband had been killed in the Great War. Young Flint observed a soldier standing in the kitchen and pulling at his aunt's sleeve, seemingly trying to attract her attention. His aunt took no notice of the soldier and shortly he vanished. Later, when his aunt showed him a photograph of his Uncle Alf, he recognized him as the soldier he had seen in the kitchen.

Because he did not feel he could bring himself to kill anyone, Flint was a conscientious objector during World War II. However, he still joined the army and volunteered for bomb disposal duty. When some of his fellow soldiers became aware of his mediumistic abilities, they harassed him until he decided to give them a demonstration one night after lights were out in the barracks. Mickey began speaking to them individually, giving them help and advice on various problems that Flint was unaware of. Mickey brought the deceased sister of one through and she began having a personal talk with her brother when one of the sergeants barged into the room and turned the lights on. This caused the ectoplasm to rush back into his body. "I felt as though I had been kicked in the solar plexus," Flint recalled the incident, stating that it caused him to lay winded and retching.

I purchased this book six months before I got around to reading it. Once I started on it, I couldn't put it down. It is a fascinating read.

Tapes of a number of Flint's seances also are available.

By Michael E. Tymn

First published by Macmillan in 1972 Voices In The Dark is the autobiography of leslie flint, a medium who, if most mediums have a direct line to the spirit world, he had a web-page. Describing his early difficult years as a child and uniformed and uneducated psychic, Leslie recalls his first link with the spirit world in which he saw his aunts' “dead” husband. Describing the man to his Gran Leslie received a good clout for his efforts. Not long after he described a “dead” neighbour… and again was clouted! Not exactly the sort of behaviour to make you pursue a life in mediumship, but nevertheless, and despite his poverish surroundings, Leslie Flint was destined to leave his mark upon the spiritualist movement. Astonishing evidence of survival after comes from the man who lists his previous occupations as grave digger, grate cleaner, casual labourer at a pub, cinema and men’s outfitters, dancer and bomb disposal officer- And who also originally held the view that “death was a pretty final event”.

Voices in the dark is an amazingly addictive read, full of superbly written snatches from Flint’s life. Doreen Montgomery pens this script with such style that no matter how sceptical you may be about the subject of life after death, you will still be captivated by Flint’s extraordinary life. A charming incident occurred when Leslie was invited to America for the first time. Having never been out of the country before Leslie sought advice from his friend Father Sharp on how best to fill in a passport, and how to get to the U.S.A on a small budget. “The Queen Mary was still beautiful but years of war time trooping had left her shabby and down at heel, a tired and aging lady badly in need of a face lift.” Flint tells us. “We were three in a small cabin and I did not need to be a psychic to sense the hatred between the two other men. One was a German the other was Polish Jew, and neither spoke the language of the other nor English. None-communication in that cabin was total except for the implacable loathing that filled it like a live and malevolent thing.

During the five days of the voyage I wondered what personal tragedy each man might have left behind him in the post-war chaos of his country, which could have bred such malignance. “One morning after we had been at sea for a couple of days a steward knocked and entered the cabin before I had had the time to escape from the oppressive miasma surrounding my room mates into the fresh air on deck. ‘The captain presents his compliments to you. Mr Flint,’ began the steward politely, ‘he wonders if you would be good enough to take Holy Communion Service on Sunday at eleven?’ The notion that such an august personage as the captain should know I even existed was dumb founding enough let alone his curious request, and I suppose I stood stupid and open-mouthed, trying to work it out. ‘You are down on the passenger list as a minister of religion,’ said the Steward with a patient sigh, ‘will you take the service?’ ‘Of course not!’ I blurted out. ‘I’m not that kind of minister at all!’ The Steward heaved a bigger even more patient sigh and left, clearly wondering what kind of a nut I was. I wondered why I had listened to Father Sharp when he had instructed me how to fill in my application for my first passport.”


Doreen Montgomery has written a classic. Not many autobiographical reads are this honest or well written. As Aubrey Rose tells us in her foreword to the book: “Leslie Flint displayed a rare dedication to his calling as a significant avenue linking two worlds. With this new edition of his story, we salute him as one of the most outstanding mediums and dedicated servants of the twentieth century.” Highly recommended.  

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