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Retired lighthouse keeper Harold Taylor continues his memoirs:-
One other interesting bird I spotted one day on the 'stump'. I at first thought how on earth had an orange got up there, until I saw it move. Then through my binoculars I saw this bird which I knew I had seen pictures of, but could not put a name to. I therefore drew it and made a note of the colours, etc.
I then identified it as a Rock Thrush, a native of South East Europe. I got Ron and Duncan to view it and I submitted a claim to the Rare Birds Committee, and had the record accepted as the 8th visit, which I think took it off the rarity list.
The following day the bird was still about and was seen on the set off below me. Later I saw it flying towards Plymouth, whether, if it ever arrived one will never know, certainly it was not reported on again.
Every six months there used to be an Inspector from the Battery Co. to inspect their condition. The mans name was Crowley, I used to get on well with this fellow, and became quite friendly. I cannot remember whether he inspected our batteries one day when I was coming ashore, or whether we just met in Penzance, however the upshot of it was that I was kicking around the town on a Sunday afternoon.
I cannot think why, unless it was that a train was leaving the place earlier than from Penzance, but he took me to Redruth and left me. This place was even drearier than where I had left. On another occasion I had a lift from Michael Crisp of the Eng-in-Chief's Dept, who lived outside Exeter, he landed me at Plymouth I believe.
There were many odd incidents that occurred, like the time, shortly after we had had a service, and I went to start the Fog compressors, and heard a tinny rattling sound, only to discover that when they had tightened up a securing screw, they had put on too much pressure and fractured the thread, causing the cooling fan to come loose and hit the casing. It was decided to send a person immediately, aboard the T.H.V. Patricia which was in the area doing their Annual Inspection, although we were not on this round of visits.
Duncan Blair arrived and was given an hour to complete the job, which in normal circumstances would have been all right. The situation was not so, they had sent the wrong type of fan, with a different means of keying. Dunc. spent most of his time preparing the fan for fixing, before meeting demands from the ship to return. He left the job in my hands for the final preparation and fixing, which went off ok.
During my stay at this station Arthur Robertson who had replaced me at Bardsey, was made P.K. and appointed to the Wolf Rock. An appointment to our station was Don Waugh, a fellow from the North East somewhere.
The Wolf had been overdue for several days, and had a good landing day the same day as our relief was due. The ship was fortunate to be able to get both done on the same day and landed all three of us in Plymouth.
There was a train left that town for London at 12.30 a.m., but as it was the night sleeper from Penzance, they were always reluctant to let us board it. In fact they were positively obstructive. I believe the excuse was that as it was the sleeper, the carriage or carriages were for use of the sleepers before they retired.
We used to have similar trouble with a train from Milford Haven, for a different reason that I will describe later.
The evening in town passed pleasantly enough, Robby getting tanked up and purchasing half a bottle of brandy to drink on the train, Don had had enough too, but bought one of those half gallon cans of beer. I had stopped drinking long before they had, one because I was full up and the other because I carried little money with me.
We decided to go for 'fish and chips' after the pubs closed and went to this shop in the newly constructed part of the town. All was well till we got mixed up in the queue with a few half tight and equally boisterous matelots. I don't know how it happened but inside the shop there was a bit of a scuffle with Robby and a sick berth rating.
Robby was trying to tighten his tie so that it choked him. By the time I got out of the shop with my grub, there was another scene going on and he was choking another person by the same means. The Police were on the scene, and directed us to leave the area and get up to the station if that was our intention.
Ultimately we got on this train and settled down to the journey having the carriage to ourselves. The two of them chatted and consumed the can of beer before starting on the brandy, I think I had some beer, but was more concerned with getting some sleep.
I recall waking once or twice, because I was uncomfortable, but on one occasion I thought the train had stopped rather violently, and as I lay there trying to get back to sleep, the carriage door opened and the Guard ushered Robby into the compartment, saying, ' You'll be quite all right now sir,' and closed the door.
And so we arrived in London. Don had to catch a train for the north whilst Robby and I were heading for the Underground. As we walked down the platform, he kept saying to me why are those people looking at me, and the same when we were on the underground platform, and we could recognise some of the same people that had come off the train. Robby was very conscious that people were staring at him. I left him at Victoria station as we went our separate ways.
Being on the same relief rota and having been relieved the same day, of course we arrived back in Penzance the same day. When I later met him in a local pub, he told me what had happened when he got home which brought back the whole incident to him. When he undressed, or at least took his shoes off he left confetti all over the place, which was stuck to his socks.
This triggered his memory, apparently he had gone along the corridor to the toilet and on his way back had entered the wrong compartment where there was a newly married couple, who were having intercourse. In his fuddled mind he had pulled the fellow off the girl and started choking him with his own tie.
The girl had panicked and pulled the communication cord, which had brought the Guard along and found Robby struggling with the couple, who may have been foreign, or at least were unintelligible to him. Whilst we had been in complete ignorance of what had happened it must have caused quite a furore and therefore he had been seen by a number of people.
I discovered later that Robby had this habit of tightening peoples tie around their neck in any argument. Never having served with him, it was new to me.
Stan was a good friend, a very disappointed man, and a man who liked to over indulge in the things that he liked. One of those was snuff, and only the best would do, I would have a standing order to go to a tobacconist and collect 1 lb of Red Cardinal for him. I think in those days it cost around £13.
He imbibed well when ashore, but not a lot on station, although latterly he did get me to bring back aboard 1 dozen cans. Ashore I think he was rarely sober, and very extravagant. He used to say he had four homes which was in fact true.
He kept a room in Kent with Tom Pay, an ex P.K. He had kept on his flat in Plymouth after he was made to take up the house at the Lizard provided for the Eddystone keeper. It had been occupied before by someone else for some other reason.
I believe he also kept a room at Newlyn after this transfer, because this was where he drank on coming ashore. He would have a taxi from here to the Lizard as he would have a taxi from Plymouth if he was landed there. He left me my freedom to do as I liked on station as long as I did not do the things he intended to do.
One nasty habit he had, and I am never sure if it was accidental or intentional, or not meant for me. That was to leave little piles of snuff around in odd places. This was a bit like naval ship skippers of old who would leave a penny under a mat or on top of a door to check if you cleaned properly. The way to cure this was to polish one side only and leave the dull side where it would first be seen, like uppermost if under a mat or underside if on top of a door.
I cannot recall all the names of people I met on the tower, but some spring to mind. Gordon Phillips was a cocky little Welsh lad, who had been a door to door salesman, I believe working for his father. Either they had had differences or his father had died and he had broken away from this precarious living. He was extremely cheeky to Stan and on the last day of his stay, as we were going down to set up the winch he was equally provocative to me, with the result that he was the first person to whom I showed any antagonism.
Among the mechanics there were Peter Mills, and a fellow they called Cheyenne who was just out of his apprenticeship. How he earned the nickname I do not know. There was Jock Dorman, and I renewed my acquaintance with Clem Leggat. One of the Hamlett brothers was also met and several times we had Eddie Hamblet, by which hangs a tale.
Eddie had a boat down on the Thames somewhere and he was anxious to make self sailing gear for the boat. He was looking around for any sort of material from which to make it. He came across a large bronze plate, for which none of us knew the use. There were many such things left for eons on lighthouses which no one threw away.
This plate was about 5 feet long 1inch thick and about 7 or 8 inches broad. On one side it had a spigot in the centre on the other side were two lugs at each end. From this Eddie cut several lengths of metal to make his gear. The mechanics usually had plenty of time as they came out for the month, and very often did not undo their tool box for the first week, rarely worked in the mornings, but usually worked in the afternoon and a little of the evening.
They were guaranteed 10 hours while on station. The senior keeper was responsible for signing their work sheet, which was 97% lies. By virtue of a dispute later, that responsibility was thankfully removed from us.
It was some time later that I learned the purpose of this piece of bronze, and I am probably the only person, other than the builder of the fourth Eddystone to know it.
Continued in part 8.
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