THE NLB AND THE LIFE OF A LIGHTHOUSEMAN - The Lighthouse - page 27

Lossiemouth. What might be described as its only other claim to fame was that it was
theonlyScottish rocklighthouse where therelief wascarried outbytractor.Thetractor
driver was officially referred to as the boatman and he also resided at the shore station
withhis'trustysteed'.Atleastonetractorhadbeenlosttherewhenitwascaughtbythe
incoming tide, the remains of which could still be seen for some time afterwards some
distance up the beach.
The lightkeepers on the rock, unofficially and at their own risk, could and did fre-
quently walk ashore to their houses. There was nothing particularly wrong with this as
long as they paid heed to the tide times in relation to when they were due to go on
watch. There was a small rock, about halfway across, and so long as it could be seen it
was considered safe enough to 'walk on'. The 'half-tide rock', as it was known, was an
exceedingly important navigation aid in its own right. Mistakes did happen, of course,
and this could lead to some nervous yet exciting times in their efforts to beat the tide,
up to and including swimming for it. Rattray Head was said to run with damp and con-
densation, and with a large foghorn an integral part of the structure, sleep, at times, was
certainly difficult.
More than one lightkeeper was glad to move on to another station at the end of his
tenure.
The foregoing provides a general description of what the life of an NLB lightkeeper
was like, and, other than technological improvements, life was unchanged in many
ways from when Ducat, Marshall and Macarthur set foot on the Flannan Isles.
The life and work of an NLB lightkeeper can best be summed up as ordinary folk
doing an extraordinary job.
Notes
1 Haar. As explained in the text, this fog only affects the east coast of Scotland, not the west
coast
2 Information provided by NLB
3 None of these lighthouse organisations retain any manned lighthouses
4 Stevenson Archive National Library of Scotland File Acc.10706/119-123
5 Ibid
6 Ibid
7 Ibid
8 Ibid
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Ibid
12 Ibid