Geoscience Reference
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the man's head and what David Collin found odd was that there were lengths of rope
lying on the bed. The person who had arrived with Collin left to go back to his elderly
father on the west quay and Mr Collin senior rang both the police and a doctor. He was
told to stay put and to wait with his son until help arrived and his suggestion to take
theinjuredmantoRossBay,wherehecouldbecollected,wasdeclined.Theauthorities
contacted George Poland who commanded the NLB's launch to take them out to Little
Ross Island.
David Collin and his father settled down for what turned out to be a considerable
wait. In his account of that afternoon Collin mentions some unsettling details. On their
arrivalattheisland,theyhadnoticedanabandoneddinghynearthemouthofRossBay,
which they resolved to look at later on. Rather than stay right by the lifeless body, the
two wandered around the lighthouse station in a state of great unease. Another look in-
side the PLK's cottage again showed nothing unusual. There was a budgie in its cage
and nothing appeared out of place. However, one thing in particular made them wary.
When they went into the workshop at the base of the tower they found the sawn off
barrel of a rifle in a vice. They also found that the last entry in the station log book had
been at 3 a.m. and wondered why there had been no entry since then. Their thoughts
turned to the abandoned dinghy at Ross Bay and they began to wonder if it belonged to
the other keeper, who they surmised may have gone for help. The two men then went
up to the top of the tower to await the arrival of the police and doctor. Eventually they
saw the approach of the NLB launch with the expected help. They went down to the
eastquaytomeetthelaunch.Onboardweretwopolicemenplusadoctorand,bizarrely,
a representative of the NLB who had come to officially inform the two lightkeepers on
the Little Ross Island lighthouse that the station was going to be automated and would
nolongerbemanned.Thewholepartythenmadeitswayuptothecottageandthebody,
and David Collin and his father gave their account of the afternoon.
An examination of the man in the bed by the doctor confirmed that he had died and
the NLB official who had come to deliver the news regarding automation of the light-
house, ran outside the cottage and was sick. It was also confirmed that the dead man
wastwenty-four-year-oldrelieflightkeeperHughClarkofDalry.Afteransweringques-
tions put by the police, both David Collin and his father were allowed to leave. It was
dark by the time they left the island, so they were towed back to Kirkcudbright har-
bour by the two people who had assisted them earlier in the day. When they arrived at
the quay in Kirkcudbright, news photographers were already waiting for them and the
men were subjected to a barrage of flashlights - news had obviously spread rapidly and
greatinteresthadbeenaroused,astherewasobviouslyfoulplayofsomekindinvolved.
Withinashortperiodoftime, themissingALK,namedRobertDickson,wasfoundand
arrested in Yorkshire.
