No Doubt About it...

Sergeant Reginald Dack Baker of the Royal Australian 3rd Field Ambulance, A Squadron.

Click HERE for blog introduction.

A friend recently asked me an interesting question regarding Reginald Dack Baker's work - and I quote -: "did he perhaps have moments when he questioned his beliefs and perhaps published the volumes as a heavy handed warning to others?"

First of all, just to clafity matter: the volumes themselves were never published - they are a private collection; and, I think, were compiled with a mind to posterity. In creating his volumes of 'scrapbooks', I think that he may have hoped that the evidence substantiating his allegations of death rays would be found in the future, and that his quest would be vindicated - albeit, posthumously. Having said that, I know that Mr. Baker did publish and distribute various 'warning' leaflets locally, as well as writing letters to major political figures. of the day.

Did he, then, experience moments of doubt? Looking at the surviving evidence -and, if we are to take them as a reliable reflection of Mr. Baker's position - I would note that he never once questions his own beliefs - not ever. My impression is of a man completely convinced of his views. However, perhaps there is an element of heroism in his response to the 'truth' as he saw it - even if it was, in fact, a delusion.

Given that he genuinely believes the electro-death ray conspiracy, he does as much as any individual could to warn the world. For instance, he writes to the queen, Winston Churchill, Stanley Baldwin etc, asking for them to investigate this 'tragedy'. From his perspective he must have realised that this might put him at great personal risk; namely, that he might have been committed to another asylum - this time, perhaps, for life. He must also have lived with the genuine fear that he too would be targetted by the death rays. Perhaps, however, it was simply that he was in the grip of an obsession, and that he was unable to be silent.

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