21/11/2024
Sad news of the passing of Ian Duff.
Ian was a keeper at Ardnamurchan in the late 70s. After retiring from the NLB he was an enthusiastic member of the Association of Lightkeepers. He was a regular visitor to Ardnamurchan & a great source of lighthouse stories.
We will all miss him (&his red jacket)
IAN S. DUFF
1948 – 2024
All at the Museum have been greatly saddened to learn of the sudden death of former light-keeper Ian Duff, who was a wonderful and cherished friend to the Museum and its staff over a great many years. It would be fair to say that in becoming a Northern Lighthouse Board light-keeper he achieved his dream job; a calling he was proud of and which he never really left.
Ian’s career in the lighthouse service began on the 26th January 1976 when he was called to No 84 George Street, Edinburgh, to embark on his training as a Supernumerary Light-keeper (SLK). On that day he was informed that he would be sent to his first Lighthouse, St. Abbs, where he began to learn the ropes. Being among the last Supernumeraries before new entries ceased, Ian had a long wait for his eventual appointment as an Assistant Keeper: in his case about 15 months which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
Usually we know very little from a “Supernumerary’s Travels”, but we know all about Ian’s thanks to a two part article he inserted into the NLB Journal over 1976/77 under the same title. Over those 15 months he was shifted 16 times and served over 12 different lights. Corsewall was his first Paraffin light; he was sent to his great love of Skerryvore on three separate occasions; and at Davaar he was put up in a caravan and first met one of his many life-long lighthouse friends, light-keeper Ron Ireland. When at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Ian recalled receiving the order “Pack your bags, the helicopter is uplifting you this morning to go to Hyskeir”. Three hours later he was there, such was the life of a SLK. Ian was proud to have served at each and every one of those stations, despite the life it meant and the fleeting nature of his stays. In addition to the stations mentioned, Ian also served at Pladda, Rattray Head, Cape Wrath, Rua Reidh, Muckle Flugga and Sanda as SLK.
Ian received his promotion to Assistant Keeper on 10th May 1977 giving him a more settled life. His first official posting was to Skerryvore. Not always a popular station, Ian would have been in his element to be back at one of his favourite lighthouses. Whilst on shore Ian took up residence at Pulpit Hill, Oban, with wife Caroline and son Stuart who shared the lighthouse years with him. The family remained at Oban until 1980 with a move to Duncansby Head. Earlier this year Ian was interviewed for Duncansby’s centenary celebrations and recalled the wind at the station: “I was afraid the wind would get in and lift not just my [garage] roof off but the whole lot and send the garages over the cliff. My wife and I tried to drive wedges in the door and on the way back we were both picked up clean off our feet and thrown against a wall. We ended up laughing from fright.”
After five years at Duncansby Ian was once again shifted, this time to Pladda which was his last full-time station. Joining the service so late Ian was fully aware of the inevitability of automation and on closing Pladda in 1990, when it became automatic, the reality hit home. Ian was able to enjoy two more years of the job he loved in the Relieving Compliment, which essentially saw him once again move from station to station as required, until he was made redundant in 1992. His service will not be forgotten partly due to the many articles he submitted to the NLB Journal over those years. He was also incredibly proud of his work improving the Health and Safety on lights for the last of the light-keepers over his lighthouse years.
For Ian, though, he would never truly leave the service. Ian Duff was an integral and enthusiastic member of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. For many years he served as the Scottish Regional Rep to the ALK and, as a sign of the high-regard in which he was held, was elected as this respected body’s President – a position he held at the time of his death. Ian loved the ALK. He loved the chance to meet those with a shared passion for lighthouses, as well as having the opportunity to share his many hilarious tales of times on the lights to audiences who hung on his every word…when they could keep up. He was a regular on their lighthouse holidays although not often dressed appropriately; whist the others were dressed in their outdoor gear, it was fully expected for Ian to attempt a landing in dress shoes, dress trousers and that most famous of lighthouse artefacts – the signature red jacket with his very many lighthouse patches. Following the tragic death of his son Stuart in 2000 and the sad passing of his wife Caroline in 2016 it was the ALK and indeed his partner Doreen who made Ian happiest in his later years.
Ian was no stranger to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, being a great friend to all managers and staff over the last thirty years. In recent times it was often the case that if the Museum did not know the answer, Ian Duff was top of the call-up list to get the answer; what Ian Duff didn’t know about lighthouses wasn’t worth knowing. He was extremely generous with his time and indeed latterly in his donations to the Museum.
Last year Ian became aware of the Museum’s joy at collecting two prized classical vent covers, so expensive they required external funding. In typical fashion Ian arrived at the museum a month or so later and pulled from a carrier bag an identical vent cover which he had up his loft. He simply handed it over – no fuss – knowing how much they meant to the museum. Whilst we will miss a great deal about Ian, what we will miss most are the chats we had, the stories he told and the knowledge he imparted. He will be sorely missed by all at the Museum. We are also incredibly grateful that we were able to give Ian his final lighthouse watches in 2018 and 2023 at Kinnaird Head Lighthouse as we commemorated the automation anniversaries. It was our privilege to spend time with Ian in the light-room as he did the job he loved, as he quietly added a 14th light to his list.
Despite the media interest in Ian as an ex-keeper he remained a modest man, happy to be able to indulge in his passion, happy to help those who asked and content to do his bit to promote lighthouses. In all that he did, both as a keeper and in his retirement, we don’t believe he fully appreciated neither the massive role he played as an ambassador nor the importance of the contributions he made in promoting lighthouse heritage in Scotland.
We send our condolences to Ian’s partner Do, and to Ian’s wider family and friends at this sad and difficult time. He will truly be missed by all.
