When Fanny, (Gordon's mother) was a young girl of 14 her Aunt, Mrs Taylor took her to the Longton Spiritualist  Church, Stoke-on-Trent. It was here that she was to receive news that her Mother had passed to spirit during their absence.

The medium that afternoon at Longton was Mrs Annie Brittain.

As Mrs Brittain was working she came to Fanny and described a woman in great detail including a very distinctive birthmark on her face, a mole about the size of a silver threepenny piece.

Following Mrs Britain's description of this lady in spirit she said to young Fanny:

" This lady is named Fanny. She tells me that you are named after her."

And Fanny replied "You are quite correct. That is my mother - but she is living, and is not passed. We left her at home to come here!"

"No my dear, your Mother has passed away while you have been sitting here," said the medium. "You had to come here today because it was necessary for you to receive this evidence.

You will one day stand here where I am and have a son who will follow you.

Your name will be linked with this church for over 100 years.

And, during this time, this church will be successful."

Gordon's mother refused the message "No" she said and was in tears as she ran home.

There she found that while she and her aunt had been at the church, her mother passed into spirit; it had indeed been she who made her return that afternoon at Longton.

It was this remarkable visitation from spirit that changed young Fanny's life.

Gordon's mother went back to speak with the medium, whose husband was the president of the church. The medium was Annie Brittain one of the finest trance mediums in the country. She took Fanny and trained her and also trained her aunt. Fanny had always seen spirit people, but didn't really before what it was all about. In fact she had only ever told her aunt about it.

Now they were both trained by this famous medium.

Gordon's mother was a medium when she and his father married.

She commenced working as a medium after four years of development and took her first service at Longton when she was 18.

Gordon's father was not a Spiritualist, but Fanny told him that she must remain a Spiritualist and a medium. She did not ask him to be one, but knew by the earlier prophecy that she must continue with her spiritual work.

She also said her children must know about her religion, which was Spiritualism, but that they would also know about her father's religion. So they were brought up to know both Spiritualism and Christianity.

The first child born to his parents was a boy so Fanny Higginson thought this was the son that was to be a medium. The second child was also a boy so she thought, "Well it has to be one or the other." He was also taken along to the church to be named. Then came a girl so it was then decided that three children were enough.

Nearly three years later, they realised another baby was on the way and were not very pleased, but along 'he' came. And it was he that was to become the medium.

Gordon's two brothers and sister have no mediumistic powers.

The wonder of this story is that Gordon's mother had been told at the age of 14 she would stand on the platform at Longton Church, and she would have a son who would follow her. His mother stayed at Longton Church as their medium for 70 years. Gordon took his first Spiritualist service at Longton as a medium when he was 12 years old and so together they spanned over a century of time.

There was nothing wrong with Fanny's mother when she went to the church that afternoon. There was no reason to suppose for one moment she was about to pass, but she had a sudden heart attack. This was just in time to give such marvellous evidence to Fanny to show her the way forward. But not only for Fanny but for Gordon. This shows that mediums are coming into the world not by mistake, but through the influence of a higher mind, which is in charge of things.

I remember him telling how when he was a baby his mother had to take him to church with her for his father would not look after him.

So from the time he was in 'swaddling clothes' he would be placed in the circle with his mother during the developing class.

His years of training under his mother's watchful eye helped make him the fine medium he was to become.

But in the early days, he was convinced he was much better than he really was.

He would always work better when his mother was not present and admitted that he thought he gave really good evidence:-

Gordon M. Higginson