So,you want to be a Lighthouse Keeper? 1992
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- This was filmed in 1992, when I was sent at short notice, to cover for another Keeper on board the Needles Lighthouse. I was only doing 2 weeks at the Lighthouse, but although it wasn't a long trip, it started to get interesting, pretty quickly. We had rough weather, delayed getting on board and the realisation that "Murphy's Law" also applies to Lighthouses. Enjoy, and just be glad that they haven't invented Smelly Vision yet!...Oh yes, there are a couple of swear words in this film.
PS, anyone interested in Lighthouses can try The association of Lighthouse Keepers at the following
alk.org.uk/
The mechanic in this film was my dad ROD DAWES sadly he died on the 23rd of august 2007 i remember some of the things he used to tell me and my sister about the lighthouses and the keepers he worked with ,so nice to see him in the footage of this video.thanks for the memories of my dad .god bless you dad John Dawes
Like Peter Halil who was in the RN before becoming a keeper, my dad served in the Royal Navy for 21 years and no doubt during his shipboard postings had cause to thank lighthouse keepers of the day. My father passed in 2008 and I know the feeling of loss, he was a crusty old sailor but the stories were unforgettable. All the best to you in these strange days of 2020.
@@Dave-id6sj Cheers David and the strange thing is yesterday would have been his 71st birthday .I like your comment how right your are , all the best to you to take care in 2020
Wow, thank you John, sorry to hear the sad news about your Dad, what can I say, he was one of the "Good ones", Glad that I had footage of him to share in the video for you and others to see him as we saw him, at work on a Lighthouse. Sorry for the delay, but had no notification of several messages that I've just discovered by accident. Hope you and the family are staying safe, take care
@@PeterHalil Hi Peter thank you for getting back to me .
firstly Peter may i thank you for the videos which you have done a fantastic job in capturing what was once a way of life and now resigned to history . You should be proud of what you have done and achieved in you life well done . I was lucky to have meet some of Rods colleges such as Eddie Mathews from lizard point lighthouse and Avery Hash of beachy head lighthouse and Colin Jones from one of the land based stations down near penance depot .. Once again thank you for contacting me and thank you for your kind comment about ROD his grand children will be over the moon.
my very best wishes to you and your family take care and good luck for the future , and thank you from all of us in the Dawes family ..
@@johndawes2397 Thank you again for your kind words. As I said before, Rod was one of the good ones who was a pleasure to be around so no doubt will be sorely missed not only by Family but by lot's of us Keepers and fellow work mates. Hope you are staying safe during these troubled times, take care.
There is something profoundly beautiful here, the vignettes and glimpses of daily tasks and the power of the waves. Thank you so much for documenting this essential aspect of maritime life, so many benefit from this work Peter. I hope you and your kin are well, and your mates too.
Thank you very much for your very kind comments Geoffrey. Much appreciated, glad that you like the video and our story telling. Cheers and stay safe.
What a fantastic insight into lighthouse keeping, especially with camera equipment of nowadays & more importantly, having the foresight into actually documenting it into a “film”. I really enjoyed it, as apart from being a steam locomotive driver, a lighthouse keeper would have been my dream job. Probably more so, as I do enjoy inclement weather conditions. Hope all you guys are still well & thank you again for a rare uncensored life in one of my dream jobs. Shame it is no more! Thank you.
Cheers Simon, sorry you missed your calling, but if steam locomotive driver is the consolation prize, gimee gimee! Lol I only hear from other Keepers now and then, so don't know much about them, but I'm still well, keep safe and take care.
Really enjoyed this! Wonderful to have a window into this amazing world, thank you for posting!
Thank you Kevin, glad you enjoyed it cheers, stay safe.
@@PeterHalil I wanted to ask you, what was your favorite lighthouse (most comfortable, easiest to work, etc) and which was the most difficult? I know that may be a bit general, but overall I’m very curious. Thank you for your time!
@@KevinWPruitt To be honest Kevin it seems to change all the time. Also a lot of the Lighthouses you see on my channel, I was there just to film. I think that the men you serve with make it a happy or miserable Lighthouse to be on but, I liked the Bishop Rock, the Royal Sovereign for your own space and I would have loved to have served on the Needles proper but preferably with the crew I was with at the Christmas video, cheers.
I'm working my way through all your video's Peter and find them so fascinating. I love this one for showing the practicalities and challenges of working at the edge and you also gave me a blast from the part with Atlantic 252 radio station!
Thank you Douglas. I miss that radio station, almost like the "Pirate" days. Yes, I wanted to do a warts and all type video, and that particular trip, had it all. Cheers, and stay safe.
I just discovered your channel. Incredible footage! My father was (now retired) a lighthouse keeper and also a Decca Navigator engineer in Spain. I grew up living first in the Decca station and later in lighthouses. A lot of great memories. Happy member of ALK since last year! I would love to have a chat with you someday!
Thank you Sif, It would be great to hear about your Fathers career as a Lighthouse Keeper, where he served etc. also your memories of growing up in Lighthouses. Hope you are staying safe during these horrible times, take care.
well posted, thank you.
thank you much appreciated
Ah, the joys of mopping up raw sewage...
I liked the more personal feel of this video, Peter. Thanks for posting it.
Stay safe.
It was a horrible job, that just kept growing Ha Ha Hope you are hunkering down while the CCP virus is sweeping the country.
Amazing all the names carved in the walls, you even left your own! Maybe in 300 years it will still be there!
Thank you, I suppose the carved name and my videos are a bit like "Kilroy was here" us humans have this need to leave something behind, stay safe
Another magic snapshot of life aboard a lighthouse, Peter! Presumably the more remote stations didn't get so many visitors?
Hi, It's amazing how many get sent out to these places, but yes, some get more visits than others, cheers.
Id like to be a light house keeper is ther eney job openings
You have to learn to spell the English language correctly before applying
Hi Frank, no no more Lighthouse jobs going unless an attendants ever crop up.
I am morbidly fascinated by these films. As an ex-professional diver, I have an inbuilt fear and respect for the sea. I own a 40ft boat, but get seasick. I have a PPL, have Sky-dived, but have no head for heights. I am also claustrophobic. All of these shortcomings mean that I could never be a Lighthouse Keeper! So I have absolute respect for these men and the critical job they do. Fantastic videos, all of them.
Thank you ever so much for those kind comments. You certainly challenged yourself and overcame a lot, respect man, really, respect. Cheers and stay safe.
Lighthouse keeper... What an interesting job! For those who love a simple life without unnecessary frills... Hello from Liège, Belgium.
Hello Georges from Belgium, glad you enjoy the videos, stay safe.
Great camera work considering the small space, you portray the challenges of keeping a lighthouse very well, thank you for this video insight.
Thank you for that, I do try, or as my wife would say, after 2 months of lockdown, very trying! take care and stay safe.
Another great record Peter. Thank you.
I'm wondering though, since you were relieving the 2 AKs early, due to the 3rd taking leave, would that not have meant thier remaining stores of meat would've been available to yourselves? Or perhaps there's a little tradition of taking whatever's left home with you as a cheeky bonus or something?
Hi Lefroy, no the Keepers food left behind was sacrosanct. They had their own lockers and an area in the freezer. However there was a Keeper who shall remain nameless who reportedly arrived on station with very little food, but didn't get any slimmer in the month he was out there!
@@PeterHalil Haha, love it! Thank you for further enlightening the enlightnment.
If I couldn't have been Jacques Cousteu back then, I'd have been a lighthouse keeper...if only.
Your videos are gold. Thank you.
Amazing video my most favourite interest I was born 20 years to late
Cheers for that Alan, sorry you missed a lovely life as a Lighthouse Keeper, take care.
Great again thanks Peter. I love those shots and clips you take from the helidecks. Especially when the sea is lively. Jack. BTW- my new cycle of poems about Lighthouse Keepers 'Song of the Lighthouse Keepers'is now published in my latest book. On Amazon etc. Is there a way to get one to you?
Hi Jack, Hope your book does well, I can be found on facebook, but I'm reluctant put my email address up here because of those other lovely people who love to destroy things. Thanks for your comments and poems, take care.
@@PeterHalil Thanks Peter. Yes I know what you mean.
That’s only a few miles from my house.thank you Peter for a brilliant vlog,well done 👍😁👏👏👏
Thank you David, so the Isle of Wight or the mainland?, glad you like the videos and stay safe in these horrible times.
Peter ive been binging your videos lately as i find them so relaxing and atmospheric, and ever since going up the smeaton tower as a 5 year old, i was always fascinated with rock towers like eddystone and bishops rock, and just the idea of being almost alone, out there in the worst the ocean has to offer at times, i doubt youd ever get much more vivid a display of the raw power of the ocean which even just from the shore astounds me! I did visit the needles last summer along with alum bay and i did the tourist boat out to the house and the captain did explain about the reefs and the order and sequencing of the lights to warn you if you were approaching into the rocks, it was amazing. I did also go up to the headland to the coast watch station and a very kindly coast watchman gave me a tour of a bunker they used as storage, that was never ever open to the public, just cos he was about to go in there anyway at the time i was there. I also distincly remember him saying, the needles held the record for the highest windspeed in the uk at something like 126mph, but he did also say, the wind speed machine actually broke and blew away at that speed, and that the wind speed was probably actually even higher!
Hi Josh, Thanks for that. Glad you are liking my videos and you have such a love for Lighthouses. That bit about the Needles wind speed was something else, I have been told that in big storms the waves hitting that place make the tower invisible at times. They also did rocket testing in that area above the Needles that you visited, I also went up there to get the classic looking down at the lighthouse shot. Thanks again, Take care and stay safe.
I would find it terrifying and lonely..... Look at that rough sea..shiver
Hi Patricia, I used to love the rough seas, those Lighthouses were built to withstand it. As for the lonely bits, on the whole it was the opposite, you couldn't escape the other two! The only time that you felt truly alone was on the midnight to 4 am watch, but I loved that. The time when loneliness really hit was if something went wrong at home and you were impotent to help, then you were lonely. Take care and stay safe
Peter, I love your videos. Thanks for documenting all this before it came to an end. I really wanted to become a lighthouse keeper spurred on by many trips past the Edistone. I don't really know what the draw was - I would lie in a comfortable bed during a storm on a dark night and imagine the guys on lighthouses and think that I would much rather be there. I think the vulnerability and isolation had something to do with it :) Unfortunately, they were all being automated when I got to an age where I could have followed that ambition. Watching your videos kind of puts me there and lets me experience it, but it also makes me sadder that I missed out. Fantastic videos though. Well done!
Thank you al for that, sorry you missed what could have been your calling. Glad you like the videos, and the burst toilet didn't put you off? LOl, take care mate and stay safe.
An excellent video Peter. It just shows that a lighthouse keeper did a vast amount more than just keep the windows clean and the lamp on. Getting your own back on TH with a loo pipe bursting as a bit too much LOL. Thanks as always.
Thanks Stephen, yes it was an interesting trip where we were beginning to wonder, what next?
Hi Peter, yes I always wanted to be a keeper, sadly I never got the chance but your films make me feel connected in some way, you have probably documented life on board a lighthouse better than anyone else, I love your channel and I love how it keeps this subject alive, keep up the great work my friend 👍👍
Thank you very much, much appreciated. My efforts started off slowly and got ever more frantic as the end was quickly approaching. I wish I could have done more, but it wasn't to be. Still, all these years later I've recorded a few Lights during a Florida trip. Hopefully they will be out before the end of the year. Cheers and stay safe.
@@PeterHalillook forward to seeing those, take care mate 👍
Thanks very much for the very interesting video.
When I was at school I wanted to be a Lighthouse Keeper, sadly this never came to fruition as by the time I left school lighthouses were being transformed to automatic.
One I would have loved to have a look around was the BAR Lightship in the entrance to the River Mersey.
Hi Roy, Sorry you missed your calling, but hopefully the videos will be a slight help, cheers
Thanks for the sharing of the this kind of video I'm really interested to come
Thank you, there are still plenty more to come, take care.
Wow! Between the meat getting left behind and then the broken sewage pipe, you certainly had quite the experience. Very rare for a remote lighthouse to have so much action.
I noticed in the last video of the Needles, there was what looked like a little tree attached to the crane; was that just for Christmas?
Hi Mack, yes it was when everything was going wrong on that trip, and yes that was the Christmass tree on that other video.
It's an interesting and challenging career. I'm just not sure that I could live in the constant presence of that Diesel engine sound. I guess one may get used to it after a while.
Hi, Yes you do put the engine noises into the background after a while but also I'm not sure whether the video recorder amplifies the sound more than I remember it. Still, some lighthouses were quieter that others, obviously the taller ones where you are further from the engines. I seem to recall that the Needles had steel floor/ceiling supports that magnified the engine noise and the tower was short, so much closer to the engine room.
Cheers and stay safe.
Another good video never got to that one all the best owter
Sorry Peter
Cheers Mark, it was a lovely station, short and wide so seemed like more room inside, stay safe
Thank you Peter, some beautiful sunsets, and sewage, not so beautiful!
Yes the sewage, I can still smell it Ha Ha! cheers
Wow, I can't even imagine having to live in that small space with 2 or 3 other people. I am glad my lighthouse is not like that at all! haha. And having someone smoking in there as well, it must have been something else to experience. Kudos to you and what you had to endure for your job.
Thanks for your comments, tell us more about your Lighthouse. As for smokers, I was on the Bishop Rock with a chain smoker Yuck, not pleasant. stay safe
@@PeterHalil There are still 27 manned lighthouses in BC, Canada but only one of them is like this where all the keepers have to live in a single shared space. All the other stations are built on land masses that allow for more buildings and so at my station, I live in a full size 3 bedroom house by myself and the other Keeper, he has his own 4 bedroom house that he lives in on his own so if either one of us were smokers, we would not have to pollute the others personal spaces. It is kind of an ideal situation really. I would have great difficulty having to live in a space with a smoker and I can't even imagine living with a chain smoker. Yuck indeed.
Great video, excellent content of the reality of life on the light.
thank you glad you enjoyed it, take care
great video!
Thank you Stuart
Your videos are tremendously useful. I'm working on a project, so need to know about lighthouses and life on them
Thank you Debbie, sorry about the delay in responding, but I've just found your message along with a lot more, by accident as I wasn't notified that they were there. I don't know if you have heard of the ALK, The Association of Lighthouse Keepers (You don't have to be a Keeper to join or ask questions) there are loads of x Keepers there with a vast pool of knowledge, who are normally only to pleased to answer questions, stay safe and thanks. alk.org.uk/
@@PeterHalil oh thanks for the link. I'll check them out
Is it just me or are large sections of the audio monaural?
Still fantastic viewing as always. I hope you've got a lot more footage chap!
Cheers Matt, yes, still more videos to come, some longer than others. I didn't notice the monaural sound when editing, but I was using a rifle mike at different times,when filming, so that may be the answer. Also, these were shot on tape , which didn't age well before technology and cost enabled me to get them digitised. Stay safe.
@@PeterHalil I imagined it had a lot to do with the old to the new transfer. It's utterly fine when it's on my desktop speakers but as soon as I put my Sony MDR-7506 headphones on it's too distracting.
I'd love to see if there's someone out there with the skills to upscale some of these wonderful slices of history to HD. As for the sound I imagine just duplicating the channel and winding down the volume a touch would do the trick.
As always... thank you and I hope you're enjoying getting these videos out as much as I enjoy watching and indeed rewatching them!
Fantastic video.
Thank you Handori, glad you enjoyed it.
Yes id like to be one where do i sign up? That would be the perfect job for me, because i find people annoying!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed this vid😊 i am not going to lie though i did chuckle when i saw you cleaning up sewage
Just you wait till they produce smellyvision!, stay safe
@@PeterHalil must have been grim stay safe my friend
No washer and dryer....not really any amenities....doesn’t seem like they were treated very well.
Hi Chris, This tower didn't have those things but I don't know if that was down to the Keepers who were on there not asking or the fact that there may not have been anywhere to put them? stay safe
Incredible documentary work as usual, Mr. Halil. I do have a silly question which answer I presume. When aboard rock lights, was any kind of alcohol out of the cards for the full 1 month service? I'm asking because if I remember correctly in the footage you shared in Christmas in a different light, among the goodies you got I believe there were few bottles of wine?
Thank you for the extraordinary work you are sharing with the whole world, Mr. Halil.
Hi jud, I'm not sure if it was ever written in stone about no alcohol on a Lighthouse, but I've seen a the odd bit from time to time. Christmas on the Needles was one example, and what I didn't show on this video was some whisky being consumed. but on the whole, Keepers were sensible as alcohol and Lighthouses for the safety aspect, don't really mix. Thanks and take care.
Great Video, i was born in Portsmouth and live in Lee on Solent. I bet you were never bored there, there's always something going on in the Solent, Especially in 92 when we still had a full Navel Fleet, some amazing sights back then. Its the Submarines i miss the most though, such beautiful boats. Also once a year, at low tide some sand banks were revealed, not far from the Needles, they used to play Cricket there, right in the middle of the Solent.
Hi jez, I was a sailor back in the 60's so was in and out of Pompei on the Ark Royal, stay safe.
I went on a trip round the Needles as a kid. Nice vid Pete as usual.
Hope you enjoyed the trip out as it can be a wee bit bumpy, thanks for your comments
Just found your excellent channel, I’ve always loved lighthouses and always been curious how you guys lived and worked on them, thanks for some superb, well documented and rare footage. As a stonemason I’m also fascinated about their construction.
Thank you very much Brad for your kind comments, glad you found the channel, Take care and stay safe.
@@PeterHalil You’re welcome, and thank you for having the foresight to record your experiences working in these Lighthouses, so much more informative than a soulless ‘documentary’ narrated by somebody who has no personal connection with the content.
@@bradsteele7762 Thank you Brad, More coming, cheers.
How wonderful to capture a lost way of life that is unmourned by all but those who lived it themselves and a handful of others. Some of us dream what it must have been like but it is priceless when the few who really understand, document it for the rest of us. I would love to hear a lighthouse keeper’s perspective on life and humanity. Our world is suffering from a loss of connection and a plague of loneliness and I feel that people who have lived this experience could probably teach the world about how to deal with these things. Thank you for sharing this historical insight with us.
Thank you for those very kind words. During my former life as a Lighthouse Keeper (in the latter years) I kept journals to record everything that my life in a lighthouse was all about, even my thoughts. Even down to what niggled me about the other 2 as time went on. I wrote down my shopping lists etc for my trips, all pretty boring stuff to a lot of people. Maybe one day I will try to get them published. The only time that I can say that loneliness hit me was when things happened at home and you were impotent to do anything about it. Hope you and your Family are keeping your heads down during these horrible times. Stay safe and take care.
Peter Halil I would certainly buy a copy if you were to publish them or maybe you could put extracts on a website along with your videos. Your ex colleagues might find it compelling reading too if you decided to go with an unedited version! 😆 I can’t imagine how well I would cope with being with two colleagues and no means of escape. Everyone has a story to tell and yours would certainly be unique. Thanks again and I hope you and your loved ones are also keeping safe and well.
Thanks Peter, all these videos are amazing! Ever since I was 8 years old in 1969, I have always wondered how lighthouses run and what they really looked inside etc. I live near the Souter lighthouse in Marsden South Shields area., up in the NE of England. Recently the lighthouse nearby at THE SOUTH pier also in South Shields... the Top blew off, check that out mate.
Thank you very much and yes I saw that about the damage done to the Light at South pier. I wonder what other damage is done to the lights out to sea, that they don't want to tell us about? Cheers and stay safe.
The Germans always cause problems!
If they don't garrison lighthouses, they at least want to wreck their yachts off their cliffs. 😂
Nice video Peter.
Greetings from Germany!✌
Thank you very much and I hope you are all ok over in Germany. Don't mention the towels on the sunbeds! 🤣🤣Cheers Mate and stay safe.
So ghosts are real then .. i don't doubt what there telling us
You betcha! Stick my silly ass on some God forsaken rock out in the middle of the ocean, in a light house and I would be happy as a clam!! 😂😂😂
Me too, Take care and stay safe.
Hi Peter . Excellent video as usual. I was wondering about the water tanks .were they lead ,iron etc ?. how did you keep the water from fouling ?. were they sterilizing tablets or did you have to boil the water to keep it potable?..
Thank you Thomas, As far as I can recall, the Needles seemed to be iron (But thinking , it was probably stone as well, just the top was iron?) and other towers out to sea, were stone (Granite?) They did line some with a clear fibre glass? in fact I recall them doing that on one Lighthouse and sticking a playboy magazine centre fold in the gel coating! So every now and then during filling, you caught a glimpse of a topless lady, but I can't remember which Lighthouse, so will have to re read my journals. We had water filters up in the kitchens, and water was boiled on the Aga, there was a kettle always on the go on top of that. cheers and stay safe.
No.
Woah, I see what you mean by Murphy's Law - that sure was a lot of excitement for a two week stay!
Ah yes the famous lighthouse ghosts - I sure have heard a lot of ghost stories too, being on the railways... needless to say, when a colleague showed that he was scared of ghosts, we ripped him to pieces, lol... there's no room for sissies when one works nightshifts alone in a location that's from Victorian times. He was scared of mice too by the way. So I took some of my cat's toy mice with me to work and suddenly swung round during shift changeover and showed them to him... he thought they were real, jumped back, crashed into the fireplace and complained bitterly that he thought I was a nice person! HAHAHA...
By the way, I'm not some rough old guy that's seen it all. I'm actually a girl! Haha...
Watching some of your videos as I'm longterm off sick waiting for an operation without which I can barely move.
Ha Ha!, Thanks for that, you certainly need a good sense of humour to do our jobs. Yes, those night shifts in creepy Victorian buildings/lighthouses, that's when a vivid imagination is more of a hinderance Ha.
Sorry about your long term sick, hope your operation comes sooner than later and you can be up and about again. Above all, take care and stay safe.
@@PeterHalil Thank you! Take care and stay safe too!
Hi Peter Just found this again and had another Viewing Just as good as the first, This time sound all OK, Thanks Peter.
Thanks, glad you liked it. stay safe
Is there any possible way to change the audio to mono in the youtube settings Peter? it is nigh on unwatchable with headphones I'm afraid.
Hi, once the video is posted, I don't think you can alter anything, sorry
Clever guy that Frenzal fella
too bad - really poor sound level 😞
Peter, I read years ago that in the Victorian era, there was another on of the needles and it collapsed into the sea. I cant remember where I read that though. Have you heard about that?
No I haven't read that, the Association of Lighthouse Keepers may know different, sorry.
@@PeterHalil just looked it up. It’s actually true, although I got the time period wrong. I can’t paste a link here, so here’s the main paragraph…This needle-shaped rock, about 120ft high and known as ‘Lot’s Wife’ collapsed into the sea in 1764 with a crash which was said to have been heard many miles away. The stump of this pinnacle can still be seen at low water where it forms a dangerous reef.
So very fascinating! I really appreciate you showing us some of what it’s like to be a keeper! EDIT: what would you say was the most harrowing experience you had in your time as a keeper?
Thank you for that. Not an easy question to try to answer. Whilst on St. Catherines on the Isle of Wight 2 young boys decided to get their Dads lobster pots in for him. They both drowned not too far from my Lighthouse. I helped carry one of the bodies into the Lighthouse till they came to remove him. As a Father, looking into the eyes of a dead child staring up at you, not a great experience, I still see that child's face at different times. Take care and stay safe.
@@PeterHalil wow! That’s a shame. And sad
Watching crew change day with all the passing of the luggage, it took me back in my mind to my days when I was an Officer in our American Merchant Navy. On so many American vessels, port & starboard, at just about amidships, will be a small crane. Oh and they will use the crane to lower a basket over the side down onto the dock. And the men that are changing crews will put their luggage in the basket after they take the luggage out of the guys that are disembarking from the ship.
Many times, if the ship your assigned to is riding empty at the dock, the gangway would be so high, and at such a steep angle, You would not want to carry one of your bags that high up the gangway. Then go back down to get another one and then go back up the gangway!! Lol it would wear you out so fast.!!
How did they build the steps and stone work next to the water ?
Shutter it off an pump the water out.
Hi check this link out, it doesn't show the Needles but it will give you the general idea.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5111787/Photographs-construction-light-house.html
Even though the lighthouses became automated, they didn’t need to remove every single Keeper out of the Lighthouses!!!! They could have kept at least 1, in each lighthouse.
Hello Peter. Thank you so much for your wonderful footage. Really a treasure to watch and much enjoyed. Thankyou.
Love these videos, thanks Peter.
Thank you Richard, much appreciated, take care. cheers
Does anyone know if food costs were covered while on station?
Yes Chris, we had a "victualing" allowance offshore, but I can't remember the amount, cheers
I've seen three of your films so far, and I am mightily impressed. Fascinating seeing inside, with many different viewpoints, traffic passing and the mundane tasks required. Everything all in one place and in an unusual building and the one room per floor concept with very tight and steep stairs is what drawn my attention in. Building these things also blow my mind as well as the installation of equipment, how the oven, the cupboards, the machinery was all brought into place. With the modern lighthouses, it certainly seems safer, though with a smoker with you and the inability to open a window during the worst of the weather, I can imagine it becoming intrusive. I don't envy the role, just the solitude.
Thank you for that. if I was on a posting to an offshore Lighthouse, I tended to do all of that with the filming. But, a lot of my other tours were done as walk throughs as I literally only had a couple of hours on station. I like all the extra bits to try and give you a "Flavour" of what our life was like. Cheers and stay safe.
Was the engine that the mechanic fixed situated under the lighthouse? I'm trying to understand the layout of the structure.
Hi Kevin, The engine is in the base of the Tower, to get a better understanding of everything I had done a previous video with the Principal Keeper doing a full tour of the Lighthouse. found at the following link, cheers.
th-cam.com/video/2i7xhZK1LTQ/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=PeterHalil
@@PeterHalil Thanks for the reply.
totally enjoyed watching this
Thank you, glad you liked it. Stay safe
Brilliant video. I'm so glad you chronicled and recorded such life, and the art in this one is even better than in the many others.
I'm wondering if ex-lighthouse-keepers are able to give us all advice on social distancing, surviving degraded conditions, keeping relationships going at a distance, resilience and staying positive in difficult times. Could be great skills of use to much of the UK/ world population at the moment.
Thank you for the very kind words Doug, much appreciated and so glad that you enjoyed the video. If I was just day visiting a Lighthouse, in the main the video's are just a tour. If however I was sent on duty to cover someone else, I had plenty of time to get a bit more "Arty" or creative, plus of course some of the unfolding events just were a I found on Lighthouses for a Month with 2 others, not of your choosing, it was the little things that got to annoy!
On the whole, most Keepers were happy souls with a good sense of humour, but as in life there were exceptions! Godsend! Cheers and stay safe
that would awesome with a ounce of killer buds and a stocked pantry
Brilliant film, really well made.
Thank you very much, much appreciated. Glad you liked it. Cheers and take care.
I absolutely want to be a lighthouse keeper. Blown pipe or not!
Ahh,job of my dreams..
Sorry you missed out, it was a Dream job to me too, Cheers and take care.
These are great, Peter, toilet troubles notwithstanding. I'm really enjoying my way through your channel. Thank you again, brother. Hope you are well.
Thank you John, glad you are enjoying them. Cheers and stay safe.
*SIIIIGH*
Born too soon for space exploration, born too late for Lighthouse keeper work. C'est la vie...
I feel your pain!
My opinion on automation upgrading a lighthouse
Firstly all lighthouses should still be manned and powered by undersea mains power cable comms but keep generators with solar back up just in case
What a job to do
Thank you for your comments, cheers
Love it Peter. This is a profession that if it still existed I would have got into. After spending 4 years on a naval destroyer. I see so many similarities between that and here. The bunks are just one similarity.
Thanks for that Mark, glad you enjoyed the video. I was in a middle bunk in a stack of 3 on an aircraft carrier back in the day, cheers, stay safe
No wonder that they automated lighthouses
Thank you so much for these videos Peter. They are amazing to learn about the day to day life of a Wickie, Keeper, Lighthouse Keeper.
Thank you Greg, glad you like them, cheers.
Footage is amazing. All this is before gopros camera phone etc etc. so steady good stuff
Thank you Scooter for those very kind words. I tried to take a tripod with me everywhere and in between I just tried to be mindful of all those stomach churning holiday videos, panning and zooming everywhere that I've had to endure over the years! Lol, stay safe and take care.
Wonderful video! Kind thanks for sharing. The blow-back of the toilet was, sorry, I had to laugh. I can certainly imagine. And your fellow crew member did a fine job with the bandaging. I was a commercial fisherman for 35 years. In my time at sea, there were many lights but I'm sure they were all automated. Still, I could envision keepers of old manning them. Those lights were and still are a waypoint and assurance of location at sea. Instant LIKE and SUBSCRIBED! Greetings from Alaska.
Hello Alaska, Thank you for your kind comments. Yes I bet you are glad that they haven't invented "Smellyvision" yet! You've put in some serious sea time, 35 years, I'm always glad that I was snug in a strong warmish Tower out to sea in a storm, rather than what you would have experienced out fishing, hats off to you guys. Thanks again, take care stay safe, safe winds and calm seas.
@@PeterHalil That has to be the kindest reply for me. You're a fine man.
Thank you so much for sharing this film. Absolutely fascinating.
Thank you Rachel, it was just one of those trips that kept giving! Lol, take care.
This is my favourite of your videos Peter - the pick of an excellent bunch!
Thank you for that, there wasn't much else that could have gone wrong on that trip LOL!, stay safe
Hi Peter - discovered you’re channel yesterday and am loving it! Great insight into this way of life. Can you tell me what the sign by the main entrance says? I’m presuming what I can see above the door is a Trinity House crest?
Also, what was the temperature like in the lighthouse - the weather makes me think cold but the walls were so thick so very insulating? How was the building heated?
Hi Alan, Thank you for your comments, I don't remember the content of the sign by the door. As for the Tower heating, the Needles still had the AGA cooker, so it was quite toasty. In most Towers the granite rock makes it cold, especially in bed at night, when not on watch, cheers.
This is awesome!
Thank you very much Martha, glad you liked it. Take care and stay safe.
Being a Lighthouse Keeper would be a very interesting experience! I would love it !!
Fantastic Insight into a lighthouse keepers life
Thank you for your kind words, stay safe.
Hi Peter I've just discoverd your videos and can i say what amazing videos they are to watch very interesting and for the future generation to discover I watched them back to back cheers stay safe
Thank you Adam for the very kind words. So glad you like them, still plenty more to come, welcome aboard, take care and stay safe.
@@PeterHalil hi Peter I've heard that' thers video footage that wos not used they call it out takes I think it will be be great to see this I hope you have monitiesd your channel ( LOL) ARE YOU STILL IN TOUCH WITH ROBBIE GOLDSMITH AND Baz bloy THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK FILMING FOOTAGE I KNOW HOW FOCUSED YOU HAVE TO BE cheers n take care
@@adamtheed1309 Hi Adam, I haven't really got any "Out takes" as such that I can think of. I haven't monetised my channel, one, I don't really know how to and two, I'm not sure if it only works if you have enough subscribers, which in my case is still fairly low in the grand scheme of things.
I'm not in touch with Barry or Robbie, although Robbie pops up on here from time to time, especially if I'm struggling with an answer as he was appointed to the Hanois and knows lots about that Lighthouse and I was only filling in for an absent Keeper there. Cheers and stay safe.
Hi Peter No Sound until 31 min have checked my end all ok ? anyway have sailed past that Lighthouse many times and allways looked upon it as Home. Cheers
Hi ramsey, I've just tried it again, and there was sound, so not sure what is going on there, hope it works your end. cheers, stay safe.
Only first few seconds were muted.
Hey Peter, I'm curious, after watching so many of your vids some of the things have naturally been answered. How ever and i know your out the loop perhaps to current affairs, Given planning events for maintenance crews are not likely going to be a spare of the moment thing, But are things like the water tanks still used and refreshed from time to time for drinking from, or long life food rations kept in store on light houses in case of extreme weather leaving crews on them for longer then expected, or is it the simple case far to much is taking to cover these freak events, and fresh bottled water taken now ? or has helicopters transformed retrieval of crews beyond the elements, that its no longer a issue. As its lightly spoke about in the light house keeper interviews, that keeper relief did see a reduction of overtime in times of bad weather etc
Hi Minty, The Helicopter can fly in almost anything, it obviously can't in the real nasty stuff, but I've never known it not to come. Water etc is flown out with the technicians now and I haven't heard of any overdues since automation. I don't know if they still have the emergency rations on a station, but we used to have them, but I've never had to tuck into any of them, cheers
Hi Peter, another gem I love the personal vids of life n the towers & the lil nuggets of stories by the keepers not the first eerie stories I've heard from keepers got the same from the guys in the Hook Hd lighthouse over here, tks again Peter stay safe
Thank you Tony, glad you liked the videos, stay safe
I saw the Alk site mentions currently serving and former lightkeepers, are attendants lightkeepers according to the Alk
You will be better off asking the ALK that one but I would assume not unless they were Keepers before.
@@PeterHalil Thanks
My dad was a lighthouse keeper I grew up in 2..
Thank you John, tell us more please.
What ya wanna know?
@@johnsixx8745 more about your Dad and where he served etc and you of course.
@@PeterHalil my dad was a Bosun Mate 1 for the Coast Guard. My dad after Beavertail Light he & my mom toting 3 kids he had option of Alaska or Brown's Head Light on Vinalhaven here in Maine so he choice Maine, Living on an island is a different life yes we can go to store but when it comes to groceries we'd make that monthly trip to mainland to fill the Ford LTD station wagon and if we were good we'd get a famous WASSES HOTDOG go back hit the ferry back to mainland late in day.. Um yes we had a school a small school pretty much mainland living but on an island.. Stationed at Brown's Head as a kid it was great we went outside and did things combed the Rockies shoreline, helped my dad build wooden lobster traps, even taught me how to at least steer a car lol, you knew everybody on the island, most days I'd sit on shoreline as a kid watching the lobstermen haul traps and my dad helped a friend and my dad took me to haul traps and his friend let me steer the boat and we'll yep I turned out to be a fisherman funny how that worked, I remember having Admirals stop in by either boat or Helicopter and actually my mom & dad have a video of me in the chopper, I on nice days would sit up facing ocean of course and just stare for hours, and there was not sure if there still out there a postcard of Brown's Head Light w a picture of my dad,mom,me,my middle sister and younger brother w 2 high ranking Admirals.. My younger brother was born at Brown's Head Light.. It was really great back then.. Today I own my parents home and yes it is filled w lighthouse pictures, lighthouse figurines, lighthouse wallpaper it didn't matter to them a lighthouse was a sacred thing to them it didn't matter if it was Brown's Head Or Beavertail and everything stays the way they left it when they passed..
@@johnsixx8745 Wow John! What a brilliant interesting life you have all had. You and your Family have certainly led a life that is worthy of a book, I do hope you will have a go at writing it someday? Or perhaps, sit down with a digital recorder and get it all recorded and who knows, even put it on youtube with your photos? I would love it if you ever did. You and yours are some of the few that have led a life that most of us will never do. Thanks again, stay safe and take care.