Maurice Grosse was widely admired as one of Britain’s greatest ghost hunters and leading poltergeist experts. He spent no time on theorising; rather he saw his job as an investigator to conduct field research, collect evidence and publish the results. Often impatient with academic debate, he didn’t hesitate to challenge woolly or inconsequential thinking and to correct error and falsehood, particularly on the part of sceptics.

Grosse was educated at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London. After an apprenticeship in commercial art and design, he served in World War II with the artillery and was evacuated from Dunkirk. He received a commission in 1941 and was responsible for the guarding and welfare of Italian prisoners during the rest of the war.