| Description | Tape 1 Side A: ANTONY DAVID (TONY) SIMNETT born 4 February 1943 Norwich. Has not lived outside Norfolk. Feelings about Norfolk identity. Paternal family: father from Lowestoft, fought in First World War, an older father. Details. Relationship between Norfolk, Suffolk. Maternal family: Norfolk people. Grandfather a cattle trader/dealer. Details. Recalls own ambition to be auctioneer, auction day routines. Spent years living with grandparents in Acle. Describes grandfather, relationship with him. Recalls his brown, long coats when in the ring, his cattle-prodding stick. Grandmother, lady of leisure, bred dogs. Recalls her death, funeral details, smell of arum lilies, wake. Children kept in background during funerals. Is middle of three children. Details re siblings. Father an administrator. He worked at Hilarity Theatre. Artistes stayed for summer season in Gorleston boarding house run by mother, e.g. Charlie Chaplin, Jimmy Jewel. Recalls childhood activities. Family moved to Walcott, North Walsham. Father chief clerk in canning factory. Later returned to Norwich. Mother 18 years younger than father. Recalls father's death just after retirement. Details re undertakers, sounds. Describes parents, mother's social attitudes. Inherited father's artistic abilities. Details re his paintings, handwriting. Mentions his war experience which he talked little about. Maternal grandfather gassed in war. Brother in Royal Air Force then went into electrical business. Followed him to same electrical company. Parents and self politically conservative. Went to North Walsham Secondary Modern, left at 15. Recalls influence of father, e.g. in fishing, football as Norwich supporter. He was always supportive, had his values. Never hit by parents. Family Church of England. Enjoyed sport, not good at it. More of an individualist than team player.
Tape 1 Side B: Recalls influence of grandfather in outside, practical work. After leaving school, lot of work around, went to college for year, then started electrical apprenticeship with Palmers' Electrical. Comments on 11-plus exam. Feelings about school. Recalls admiration of friend David Ellis who was good at sport. Started apprenticeship1959, went to Technical College. Recalls social life. Wife was ex-Tiller Girl as dancer. Details re her, marriage 1969, son, step-daughters, names. Details re dance hall routines. Details re accidental death of stepdaughter 1989. Explains electrical apprenticeship requirements, City & Guilds qualification. Details re personnel in Palmers' Electrical, work done by firm, groundwork for later career, JIB grading. Became leading hand. Explains skills of electrician. Paid well. Not aware of oil/gas industry at time. Became self-employed with brother as Simnett Brothers 1966. Finished 1968 because of Labour Government. Explains. Details re brother. Recalls work done for Palmers possibly obtained through Masons etc. Examples of jobs done. Recalls insistence on correct procedures in Palmers'. Background to joining Furze Electrical, Bacton gas site 1969. Worked on night shift. Details re meeting wife, her children. Joined Shell late 1969, married a month later. Details. Recalls early electrical maintenance work done for Shell through Furze. Describes Bacton at the time, layout, minimal industrial feeling of it in agricultural area by sea. Suitable position for pipes coming ashore from gas fields. Isolated situation, small village. Mentions contours of seabed. Details re pipeline, its path buried across beach, through cliff face, across country via processing plant. Details re gas conditioning process. Reference to Transco delivery site. Gas doesn't stop moving between well-bore and lady's cooker.
Tape 2 Side A: Further details re Bacton. Most pipework has to be buried. Reference to Shell, BP, Phillips. Explains function of tanks which hold condensate. Condensate further refined at North Walsham. Details re distribution of gas. Not conscious of UK oil discovery at time. Feelings re getting job with Shell as Production Technician (Electrical) Bacton Gas Terminal Offshore 1969. Details re early responsibilities. Details re Shell organisation, personnel. Recalls boss Bert Evans. Describes daily routine running maintenance schedule. Explains Shell's departments, Engineering and Production Operations. First impression of Shell, feelings about being asked to go offshore. Recalls Shell's reliance on contractors. Offshore Leman platforms originally designed, by Crest, to be unmanned - did not work out that way. Recalls helicopter travel from Lowestoft to platform. First impressions of platform. Reference to photographs of current Leman platforms. Regularly spent time offshore. Describes electrical maintenance daily routine, shift patterns. Safety always paramount but application of safety changed. Example of flying procedures compared with today. Details re drilling, production work on platform. Details re hierarchy offshore, work disciplines, service crews, crane drivers, visitors, catering crew. Explains portacabin accommodation for Shell people, galley, radio-room, dormitory, mess-room etc. Describes galley. Platform designed for day-crews only. Fishing was allowed, now forbidden because of divers. Details re sleeping arrangements. Promoted to Electrical Supervisor, Bacton 1970. Had team of electricians. Responsible for whole terminal. Spent nine months on production operations training in Holland 1972-3. Birth of son 1971. Details re personal life, housing. Impact of work on family. Recalls being on call. Example of an emergency call-out, situation on platform with no power. Reference to helicopter routines.
Tape 2 Side B: Emergency call-out (cont'd). Describes situation on platform with no power generation etc. Explains cause of problem. Centrality of generators to operation. Explains electricity demand on platform, particular responsibilities offshore dealing with high and low voltages. All equipment was suitable for hazardous, explosive areas. Compares hazards in early days and now. Mentions electronic equipment. Explains pressurising of buildings holding electrical equipment, processes involved, level of pressure. Explains other safety systems offshore. Doesn't recall unsafe practices in early days. Never uneasy being offshore. Recalls feeling more nervous about media training. Explains trust in colleagues, company. Shell looked after staff and dependents - family affair. Difficult communicating when offshore. Details re salary, overtime earnings. Shell generous with Christmas parties, social events, Wives' Club etc. All friends were within the company. Explains. Mentions wife's attitude. Compares own stable situation with colleagues who travelled a lot. Industry could become cliquey. Links with other companies. Compares their cultures, styles with Shell's, eg in use of safety equipment. Compares hierarchies. Mentions Shell feeling of superiority in safety, procedures, local organisations. Children went to local Lowestoft schools. Always liked painting. Painted offshore, played chess but few pastimes. Mentions contact with children. Promoted to Production Operations Supervisor 1972, in charge of Indefatigable K, equivalent of OIM (Offshore Installation Manager). Explains training for this, duties, approach to management. Regime was disciplined. Most demanding part of work was safety procedures. Details re exercises. Recalls an early evacuation exercise, need for improvements, changes to ways of working. Next appointment was as Well Operations Supervisor, Well Testing, primarily in north 1973. Recalls dealing with a discipline situation, safety failures.
Tape 3 Side A: No attempt by unions in early days to come offshore. Never any union background. Feelings about unions. Reference to caterers. Not large numbers of workers offshore. High proportion of migrant workers. Workers would be Not Required Back (NRB) in certain cases, particularly in northern construction phase. Promoted Wells Operations Supervisor 1973. Work involved well completions in the north. Explains technical detail. Reference to Bakers, contractors. Describes role of wireline operators. Makeup of well-test teams including perforating crew. Reference to Schlumberger. Details re locations, bases. Some jobs took weeks. Recalls unexpectedly being put in charge of a job. Lost well. Explains. Details re heave compensators used on Staflow, breakage because of weather, abandonment of well, attitude of boss. Explains stimulation of job. Mentions attitude on drilling rigs. Explains what could have been done to avoid losing well. On your own offshore, 6-hourly radio-telephone, telex reports to shore. Drillers a different breed, money driven. Explains their rougher mentality, attitude to work, potential for conflict with petroleum engineer. Their job to make hole, not product. Describes well stimulation work in southern gas wells. Attitude of company to progress. Explains pressures on service companies re performance, safety. Their attitude. Gives example where a choke manifold was malfunctioning, conflict with drillers etc, need to assert authority. Outcome of situation. Had to account for every minute of rig time. Explains possibility of miscalculations, pointlessness of taking short cuts. Describes relationship with colleagues. Appointed Offshore Operations Supervisor (Field) 1976 in gas fields. Onshore job. Explains role, extent of Indefatigable, Leman fields. Details re hierarchy. Explains appointment as Head of Offshore Operations 1979-86.
Tape 3 Side B: Head of Offshore Operations 1979-86 (cont'd). Always enjoyed work, didn't feel pressured. Preferred frontline role to office work. Explains installation of compression offshore, technicalities of boosting compression for delivery to British Gas. Mentions 'machine era' offshore compared with 'natural era'. Details re own brief, number of platforms etc. Mentions Rolls Royce engines used for compression. Details re hierarchy, design etc decision points in company. Involvement in commissioning of installations. Stages of design, building, commissioning installations. Describes daily routine in this job, links with other personnel, staff management, platform visits. Mentions relationship between engineers, electricians. Appointed Sole Pit Coordinator 1987. Details re field, new drilling etc techniques available. Reference to monopoly by British Gas. Appointed to get wells in on time. Involved in total spectrum of industry. Details re colleagues. Explains uniqueness of project - drilling, engineering, producing at same time, safety implications, negotiation for certificate to operate from Department of Energy (DoE). Unions involved with construction crews. Mentions 1989 strike. Impact of Piper Alpha disaster on design. Feelings about industry pre-Piper, cause of disaster. Explains trust necessary in industry. Comments on Shell's procedures, application of procedures. Impression of DoE, HSE (Health & Safety Executive) pre- and post-Piper, inspections. Comments on benefit of safety case regime, volume of information, shortage of inspectors, over-bureaucratisation. Knew OIM of Piper Alpha. Details. Disaster touched everybody working offshore. Comments on survival rules offshore. When Sole Pit Coordinator, taken away from front line. Responsible for recruitment of senior staff. Explains complexities re parity of OIM appointments etc. Effect of company reorganisation on own job. Few people left Shell, felt sense of loyalty.
Tape 4 Side A: Appointed Head of Production Programming, Planning, Sales, Contracts & Billing 1993. Office job, not so dynamic. Details re responsibilities, staff. Explains hydrocarbon accounting. Involved in contract discussions. Explains fiscal metering process, supervision, buyers other than British Gas, activity planning. Reference to DTI (Department of Trade & Industry). Recalls noises, smells on drilling rigs, platforms. Background to appointment as Terminal Manager, Bacton 1996. Details re company reorganisation. Soon after had to report to Aberdeen. Explains satisfaction of job - very much a manager's job across the spectrum. Involved with community, HSE. Benefit of being a local. Impression of impact of oil/gas industry on Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth. Shell's role in Lowestoft, support for local community. Mentions moves of service companies. Impact of Aberdeen. Current situation locally, changes to patterns. Likely future for Lowestoft etc and oil/gas industry. Recalls early days of industry. Recalls opportunity to work overseas, reasons for not going. Gives example of Shell's paternal style, appointment patterns. Attitudes in company to international staff. Recalls contacts with Americans. Retired 2000 after 31 years. Explains. Career in retrospect. Recalls retirement function. Since then has been doing housework. Feelings about retirement. Details re daughter, son. Comments on colleagues, camaraderie for self and wife in Shell.
Tape 4 Side B: Blank
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