David Appleby was a lighthouse keeper in England for 32 years. After he was hired by Trinity House in 1965 and trained at Harwich, he spent some time as a supernumerary keeper at various light stations. His first assignment as an assistant keeper was at isolated Eddystone, one of the most famous lighthouses in the world.
Other stations where David worked included Wolf Rock off Cornwall and Longstone in the Farne Islands. His longest stint was seven years at Lynmouth Foreland in North Devon. David was the last keeper at St. Mary’s Light and Souter Point Light, and he was one of the last crew of lighthouse keepers in England when he left the North Foreland Light in 1998. He lives today in northeastern England.
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Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org