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Retired lighthouse keeper Harold Taylor continues his memoirs:-
I have mentioned that up to about 1954 and perhaps later certain stations were two handed, although three during the winter. The Breakwater was one of these, and the story goes that George Floyd and Wally Long borrowed a boat and rowed over to Cawsands to get a drink.
When they decided to come back, Fog had set in and during their rowing they lost direction and were eventually picked up by a destroyer, the skipper of which refused their request to be set down upon the breakwater. The station being two handed there was no light exhibited nor fog bell sounding. There is also the possibility they were inebriated both being Irish.
This story is also told of George Williams and Bill Roach. This is also very much a possibility as George was married and lived at Cawsands. There is another story about these two, and they were on station shortly before I went there. It was to the effect that they were in the habit of having their wives brought out to the lighthouse by the same boatman who brought the vicars.
One keeper would retire to the bedroom with his wife and the other would take over the kitchen, ordering the S.A.K. to go for a walk on the breakwater. One time they chose the wrong person to send out of the building, he reported the matter to the Superintendent and they were consequently moved.
My brother was visiting the Plymouth area whilst I was on the lighthouse and I told him who to contact if he felt he would like to make the trip out. This he did with his eldest son.
I have never met any homosexuals on the lighthouses to my knowledge, and the only person who I have ever heard alluded to as such was Stan, but prior to my joining there had been an incident at the breakwater that on re-telling makes a joke of the affair. It must have been when there were only two keepers on station.
The man in charge was a person who had left the service before I joined, Pedlar Palmer. Bert Tromans as far as I know was an S.A.K. at the time. Pedlar had made an approach to Bert, which he resented and so sent a letter ashore with the result that the Superintendent arrived on station. I think his name was Gibson.
Retired when Whiffey took over. Gibson said to Bert, ' 'what's this all about Mr. Tromans'. Bert in his down to earth 'black country' accent replied,' He tried to stick a tail me sir.'
When Alfie resigned from the Stone, there were several rumours as to what he was doing, but among the work he had taken was at the Post Office where he had his Trinity service counted towards his pension. This started me thinking.
I knew from when I had been in the police, that service in the Post Office could be counted towards Police pension, so I reasoned that that being the case and with the information that Trinity service being able to count towards Post Office pension then Police service must be accountable for Trinity pension.
I therefore wrote away and got an agreeable answer. I was given three options of how to go about it. One was to repay the returned contributions in a lump. Two, was to make monthly contributions until the sum had been paid, or three to agree to have the sum deducted from my Lump Sum when I retired. I chose the latter not realising how much to my advantage this would eventually prove.
Another thing I also learned, was that there was available an interest free loan for keepers upon transfer, to enable them to purchase their own house. At that time it was £600 repayable at 10/- per week over 10 years. I calculated this out as being cheaper and less than I was paying on my present mortgage, but it was only available on transfer.
Whilst on the Nab I became aware for the first time of the willingness of the local lifeboat to turn out and bring gifts to the lighthouse, and for that at Christmas we welcomed the Bembridge Lifeboat, although it did not tie up, they passed parcels of goodies subscribed by local well wishers, they too were accompanied by a local vicar the Rev Bucket, who I was to meet later in his role of Missions to Seamen.
During one communications period, we heard the Hanois Lighthouse reporting difficulties with one of their lighting engines. They had been the next station to be electrified after the Stone. Clive Hearn was In-Charge, and he arranged a direct line to Blackwall. On this he discussed the problem, and convinced them that he was a fully qualified Electrical Engineer.
They gave him the go ahead to try and rectify the fault. This utterly amazed us; as most of us who had had dealings with the man, knew that he was a complete idiot. I am of the opinion that the only time he had seen anyone working on these particular machines was when he observed me at the 'Stone' and was about all the experience he would have achieved.
It was a huge giggle to us to imagine the outcome, what was more surprising was that they allowed him to do it. The next thing we heard was another message reporting the whole station out of action. When we listened into the following direct line communication, we literally rolled about with laughter.
It transpired that he had taken the engine apart, and when it came to putting it back together had too many bits left over. He therefore took another one apart to see where they should go, but had not kept a careful check so took a third engine apart, and none of them now worked. When Blackwall finally got a set of workers to the station, it was found that the fault was not mechanical after all.
There was water in the oil. When they had installed the fuel tanks there had been no provision for sumping off the water accumulation and the tanks had water above the draw off level. I did hear it stated that there was 40 gallons of water in each tank.
Subsequent to this they issued a substance called Blue Chalk, which although white in colour, was to be wiped on the dipstick for the tanks. When this was dipped into the tanks it would register blue depending on the depth of the water present. I had good use of this later at the Hanois and again at Sark when at these various stations.
We had little trouble with fuel and water at the Nab as we were generously treated by the dockyard, who really did this to serve their own staff. Therefore a water tender would come out and fill our water tanks before, during and after they had finished their period of work. As they required lighting for 24 hours a day, which we were not allowed by Trinity, they also supplied fuel.
They had their own sleeping quarters down in the bowels of the tower, below an area designated as 45. Why the name I do not know. One has to remember that the structure was intended for a naval establishment. Together with 4 other towers it was to be part of a submarine defence, and support huge nets across the Channel.
In a compartment even lower than the sleeping quarters was a huge engine room; possibly below water level. There was a large diesel engine and a massive array of copper bars which would have connected up an immense battery system, not now present. The engine was tested every year.
During the last war there was a naval presence, but I am not sure of their role. No doubt for signalling but whether for anti-aircraft I do not know. There was a huge mast with all the usual naval fly's and there was a locker of signal flags including a paying off pennant about 40 feet long. Dave revelled in this and would fly all the appropriate signals. He was communications mad, from the days at the Breakwater he would call up any yacht that anchored close by.
I recall in particular that just before she went out of commission the Queen Mary made a record speed crossing of the Atlantic. As she passed he had to get out the Aldis lamp and signal his congratulations. It must have come as a bit of a surprise to those on the bridge, for by the time they acknowledged his invitation to transmit they were nearly round into Spithead.
Time passed along, until one day Uncle Tom, the Superintendent arrived and told me that he wanted me to go to the Needles. A long serving member on that station had resigned and he thought my presence would be good for the station.
It transpired that the resignation was that of Frank Vaisey, who had been junior keeper there when I had joined Trinity, but was K.I.C. when he left. Was it a clash of personalities?
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