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One other duty we carried out here was weather reporting for the Met. Office, recalled former lighthouse keeper Harold Taylor, reminiscing about his year at the Royal Sovereign in 1972/73.
This again was where Tom allowed Bill to dominate. The Met would have liked us to report each synoptic hour, which is three hourly, but at the time they had negotiated, Bill had refused.
Even when I was there they had made representation that we reported at useful times before each Weather Forecast on the radio, for up to date details. Again Bill would not cooperate, although it would have been no inconvenience at all. I think in all we were giving about 6 reports a day, when they would ideally have liked at least 8.
One time the Met. sent out some equipment to be fitted by our DLF Dept., who came from Harwich. They came along and fitted this stuff for wave recording down below on a spring low. Within a couple of days the force of the sea had ripped the gear away, they came and fitted some more in a less precipitous position.
This was an interesting day because it was the day of another of my good catches. During the late evening of the previous day I had set up to catch a conger. I hooked it just before my weather report. I left my rod tied to the rail while I was away, but as chance had it that night, the Met. boys were late.
By the time I got back to my rod the tide had turned and the fish must have been jammed underneath the caisson of the tower. I struggled till after midnight to get the thing out before giving up. Tying the rod up again I left instructions for me to be called when the tide turned.
I might add that after my last disappointment, whilst home on leave I had had a five foot diameter hoop built upon which I had worked a net for landing future fish.
Early in the morning Bob Goldsmith who was doing a turn as S.A.K. called me and told me the line was clear. I could still feel whatever was on it was still lively and commenced reeling in and saw this enormous conger on the end.
I managed to lower my net and as I drew the fish across it I saw it was longer than the width, that gave me some idea of the size of my catch. With considerable difficulty I managed alone to haul the net up to railing level and I knew I had a biggy.
When I showed the others, which included Tom P., they would not come near it. I managed to disgorge the hook and lift the net complete with catch over the rail. I had to have a giggle, because the other two were so in awe of it that they would sooner walk all round the building, about 80 yards, rather than walk past it.
We were expecting the DLF that day and I delayed cutting the animal up in the hope that one of these chaps would have a camera. I had run out of film. I waited till dusk, when we gave up hope of the boat coming.
When I cut the thing up into three pieces, the combined weight was 49 and three quarter pounds despite some loss of liquids. Of course just after I had completed this job, the local boatman arrived with our visitors.
However I did win a rod of the week competition and got a write up by Alan Wrangles. I got 33 lbs of fillets off that fish. My other joy to catch was Black Bream, for their size I consider they give the best fight of any I have caught.
Lew Seabourne was in charge of the Harwich DLF. and I found him a very helpful and approachable person. I was also to come in contact with him much later as well. I also met a very helpful carpenter from Workshops, but for the moment his name escapes me but I think he was Harry Parker.
He very rarely visited stations but for some reason he came, I think he had made something for the station and as a treat they let him come to fit it. Which in itself was a waste of time. They were some huge chests which were to be on the Helideck to store various bits of equipment. We had a gale soon after they were fitted and they disappeared. I believe Harry was on station at the time.
All the fuel tanks were down the tube that supported the station, and when our tender arrived it was a task to go down to the set off and attach her mooring ropes to the stanchions on the set off and to pass the hoses inside the tower and attach them to the tanks. Apparently on one such occasion, accidentally the ACF fire protection equipment had been set off.
This consisted of a low density gas that would choke a fire. Unfortunately, being in the tube, the gas settled to it lowest point which was in the caisson below water level, where the suction pumps for the salt water fire system was situated. When the pumps failed it meant going down there to try and sort something out.
This presented a problem, because there was no way of ventilating this chamber, and although this escape of gas had happened a long time before I joined the station, it was still present and if one stayed down there too long one would feel effects of it. Water was stored in tanks in the floor of the main deck and were on the opposite side to that of the engine room so as to counter balance it.
Other features of this station was for it to act as an emergency base for drama at sea. For this purpose, we carried 200 gallons of aviation fuel for helicopters, as well as large quantities of medical supplies and three Neil Robertson stretchers and heavy cutting gears for rescue use. These spares were stored in our engine room workshop space. In a space below this floor I stored my fishing nets.
I say nets because I developed a means of crab fishing by using drop nets. I could only use these at dead slack water either high or low tide. It gave me about 20 minutes each tide. It was very profitable and except for the winter months I caught two or three crabs each drop.
I used two nets. I was lucky that during my short stay I also caught three lobsters. Graduating by 1 lb each time I caught, the first starting at 3 and three quarters, and the last 5 and three quarter pounds When I left the station I left all my gear there, which was put to good use. In fact where we gave all our catches away to helicopter crews and the ground crew at Shoreham, subsequent keepers I understand made a commercial venture out of it and sold their catches to passing fishing boats.
In the spring of that year we received the news that as result of the Prices and Income report, they were going to implement the Double Manning programme. This is what had been talked about ever since I had joined and was referred to as Month and Month about.
It was stated that the 11 Tower Rocks would be the first to be effected. This meant that there would be a P.K. for each crew. As such there would be 11 promotions. this meant both Bill and I would become P.K.s. But would we both be moved? The theory was that there would be a long serving and a short serving P.K. to each station.
I reckoned up the likelihood and considered that I would be moved. I also considered what stations would be involved. I knew where I did not want to go and where I was prepared to go. I therefore sent in an early report, to the effect that if it was intended that Bill was to remain at the R.S. and I was to me moved I would be quite happy to go to the Hanois Lighthouse.
During the late summer that I went to the Royal Sovereign there had been an International yacht race, and they had used us as a turning point. As misfortune would have it, they arrived at night, making a terrific din with shouting of orders for manoeuvring etc. Apart from which, the fools presumed that the water underneath the table was clear, and we were constantly having to warn them off before they ripped off their keels. They did not appreciate the advice they were receiving.
Later I wrote to somebody, complaining of the noise, liking them to small boys swinging round a lamppost, these included the P.M. Ted Heath. I received a letter of apology; and at Xmas a gift, arriving too late to come off with the gear for those who were incarcerated on that festive occasion. It arrived with Bill as I went ashore, so I did not know anything about it till my return.
An S.A.K who remained from that turn and served with me told how there had been 4 quart bottles of whisky. Bill had offered the lads a drink, but later consumed the rest himself. Bill had a bad reputation for drink. From Alderney I learned how he would become so inebriated that he would stagger his way back to the lighthouse along the centre of the road and all traffic had to go round his huge bulk.
I know that at least twice he finished up in the cells at Brighton whilst waiting the relief to the Sovereign, but as far as I know he was never charged. Although I believe he was after I left the station.
Because of his treatment then, I in some ways turned the tables on him the following Xmas. The local boatman was awaiting suitable conditions to come out and deliver goodies, from several local groups of Eastbourne. The weather was bad and he did not arrive till the 27th, and we were due off on the 28th.
I shared out the things with the other two aboard, who I think were coming ashore with me. One was a keeper on loan and the other an S.A.K. I cannot recall that there was any liquor, mainly food stuff.
One of those keepers was Paul Lee. because of circumstances he had been sent down to make up the crew. I will have to recapitulate a little to recollect why.
Tom Whiston had recovered and come back sometime during the year, but also during that year he had put in for and been granted the transfer to Bull Point, which was now ready for re-occupation following the earlier collapse of the building into the sea.
I got on well with Paul, as we had similar interests, such as birds and fishing. He was a more skilful and dedicated fisherman, where I was the opportunist. If the fish were biting I fished . He would spent hours trying to lure them onto his hook.
He was a much better caster than I, in fact was a bit of a perfectionist, and went in for dry land casting competitions, which I would never have thought occurred. It paid off because he could reach a spot where we knew local men came out to catch cod. In fact one afternoon he managed to pull out 3 where as I only managed three congers. I think my overall weight was greater than his, because we were having a bit of a competition that afternoon.
We had a snow storm also whilst he was there and during it there was a fall of birds. Whilst checking the Battery Room I looked through the porthole, and resting on a strand of cordage I saw an unusual bird, which I identified in my opinion as Mealy Redpoll.
When I called Paul for watch I took him along to show him. He immediately went outside and picked up the bird, came in and stated it was an Arctic Redpoll, a much rarer bird. When I asked where it was so that we could check it, he told me he had released it. This was perhaps a failing of Paul's.
He was a twitcher, whose aim in life is to find and see something new. He spent days of his leave chasing all over the country upon the hint of an unusual sighting. I am not saying he was not good, but like on this occasion he did not give you any chance of contradicting his opinion. I have known highly qualified people in this field even disagree with a bird in the hand.
Helicopter flights could always be a bit of a mystery. I recall once going off, our reliefs were carried out on a Sunday. The Bristow's chopper brought into service that day was a Sea King, possibly the usual one was delayed in the Channel Islands.
This huge 24 seater started out over the coast when suddenly we almost looped the loop and came back in what turned out to be a search and rescue mission. It seems that a report had arrived that there were some divers overdue. We circled the crowded water this sunny summer afternoon and located our quarry which turned out to be a false alarm.
Another occasion, I had relations visiting me, who offered to take me to the airport when I got the nod. We were hanging around for final clearance when I asked the pilot if there was any chance of my friends coming out to see the station. He agreed and my wife, my brother and his wife climbed aboard and had the thrill of their lives, but unfortunately they did not see a lot of the station.
They had been waiting a long time, and by the time they had landed, used the W.C. it was almost time for them to board the plane again, but it was a thrill that has stayed with them, despite all other types of flights to various countries.
My last turn off was not a very satisfactory one, weather was bad, although during the summer cowls had been fitted to the engine room vents, which now prevented driving rain and snow covering the floor. Everything was breaking down, and I did not have the support of people who knew about the equipment, I was being called on more and more often.
The salt water pump finally failed, and the tank leaked. This was later coated in cement. The boiler had some problem with carboning in the chimney which restricted its draught, and the Radio Beacon was a swine, in fact I think that Ron Nugent condemned it. I recall that there had been continuous blow outs.
The only way to spot them was to have the drawers of the cabinet open and let the instrument work so that you could see where it flashed to earth. Bind up the offending area and try again. The final straw was when I could not get to the area and had sent for assistance. The fault seemed to be in the base of a valve holder. Ron had gone ashore for Christmas and closed the instrument down. I was not to know it but that was my last turn.
I recalled one incident when we had other than the usual helicopter for the relief. There was another, when Bob Goldsmith and myself were going ashore. For some reason Bristow's sent down from their school at Gatwick a Bell's 'chopper which transported us to Shoreham. We had a convenient arrangement also at that place for relief transportation.
It came about by virtue that the Coast Guard at that port relayed our weather messages and also wished to know weather conditions for their own purposes. From this they were prepared to lay on arrangements to move us from the airport to the nearest railway station with their patrolling Land Rover. In my case though they took me to my front door. Come to think of it, they also came to collect fish.
There was one occasion that this differed, it was at the time when the Supt. visited and he offered to drive me to where I wished to go, which was home. I seem to think that on this occasion Gerry D-S was with me, but then it might have been another time when I seem to think that the Welfare bloke did a similar favour.
I believe I have mentioned that there was no satisfactory way for mounting the lighthouse from the sea, other than being picked out of the launch in a basket and being hauled up to the deck. This was carried out for the Visiting Committee as well as any other honourable company. Once I recall we were visited by the equivalent of the German Board of Trade, to examine the prospects of using this style of construction for other means. Our Coast Guard hierarchy did a similar mission to view the prospects of a similar design for the separation channel off Dover.
And so in October 1973, lighthouse keeper Harold Taylor's short tour of duty at the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse came to an end.
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