At the beginning of 1926 a very serious incident occurred at the lighthouse of La Vieille (The « Old Woman» in French).

After the First World War, the French government adopted several measures in favour of the wounded in the war. One of the things it did was established a list of reserved jobs that included, in addition to different administrative occupations, that of a lighthouse keeper…

Two war disabled were thus assigned to the lighthouse. An already arduous work for healthy and vigorous men! At the end of 1925 and the beginning of 1926 for several weeks very violent storms fell on France. Huge waves prevented any approach to the lighthouse. One day, the two men, exhausted, hoisted the black flag of distress, but the swell was so strong that no one could help them.
On February 19, 1926, tragedy struck. A schooner lost body and property on the surf. According to some witnesses, the two keepers had not turned on the lighthouse at nightfall and the fog horn had only functioned intermittently.
On February 28, 1926, a fisherman finally managed, despite the heavy weather, to rescue the two exhausted watchmen on shore…

A decree of 1st September 1927 excluded the occupation of light keeper at sea from the list of jobs reserved and after a trial the two light keepers were declared not guilty of the sinking of the schooner.