| Description | Tape 1 Side A JAMES SMITH MILNE born in Tullos, Aberdeen 26.12.1940. Youngest of 9. Siblings Hugh, Joseph, Alexander, Robert, Lilias, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret. Family scattered far and wide. Father born in Boddam, NE Scotland, Doric country, mother born in Longside. Knew paternal grandmother. Maternal grandparents were crofters, had general merchant shop/post office. Doric (language) heavily spoken there. Spent a lot of time with grandparents. Plain living, charming people. Mum was a real smiler. Lost her when 22, she was 62. 26 when dad killed in tractor accident. Describes mother, recalls her hard work, milking cows etc. Never heard parents raise voices to each other. Compares with situation today. Father was firm with children. No drink (alcohol) in house. Good Christian upbringing (religion). Bible, prayer etc meetings. Details of Brethren routines. Still active in church.Details re making own fun, toys etc. Recalls harvest time. So much manual work then. Describes in detail harvest procedures using scythe etc, doing the cows. Experience gave stamina which has served in business life. Admiration for father. Problem today with kids being left to do what they like. Recalls middle-of-the-night calving. Story of local vet who liked a good drink, his process of calving - in spite of father's impatience. Recalls, after death of father, experience of lambing ewes, losing a lamb because too quick. Farming a great experience in teamwork etc. Recalls farm smells, helping father.Family observed meal routines etc. Didn't drink (alcohol) till in 30s. Current habits. Mentions drinking in business environment. Does a lot of entertaining. Church against alcohol.Took first real holiday after finishing (apprenticeship) time as engineer. Recalls childhood holidays, helping Mr Legg on mushroom farm. Has always been a worker. Achievement was instilled in childhood. Recalls checking sheep with father after school in the winter dark. Was scared in the dark. Mentions one occasion misleading father. Recalls great snowfalls. Father farmed in various places. Details. Explains early decision not to farm, but to follow independent life, to be an engineer, have own business. Details. Always a terrific worker. Did not like school. Explains. Liked woodwork, metalwork, working with hands. Noticed by teachers for backchatting. Recalls respect for teacher who gave biggest belting. Never did any bad things.Encouraged to read, eg bible, but not much time to read because of work. Brother Sandy worked on the farm, in spare time grew vegetables, hired cars etc. Worked for him at nights. Details re long hours. Took over brother's business when he married. At age 16 was in business, employing people, spare time farmer etc while doing apprenticeship. Details re hire car business. Always the entrepreneur of the family. When father killed, was the one the family looked to to look after the farms. Did not like farms. Liked doing things bigger and bigger etc, unlike brother.Never much time for sport. Not a loner, but nobody else doing same things, so did many things alone. Also worked with brother etc. Reference mushroom growing in Fyfe.In family was closest to sister Margaret. Describes family's attitude to self. Mentions brother Bertie.
Tape 1 Side B Music important in childhood, singing hymns etc. People coming and going at home all the time. Recalls buying first record player, father doing his nut. He was so strict. Brethren were, and are, still very strong around North East, do a lot of work in the community. Father took leading part in church. Pre-oil Aberdeen different. Explains. It was the biggest fishing port in Europe, now Peterhead. Parents looked on as quite wealthy. Mother gave away food etc. Describes her. No airs and graces. There was a 'society' but not the one family was in. North East farmers pretty plain, genuine people. Aberdeen people are very tolerant, don't care where you come from. Compares with attitude in other areas to outsiders. Lot of industries here that export to all over the world. Mentions engineering, granite, biggest paper mills in Europe to this day, farm produce, cattle, woolen mills, soap etc.Recalls always working on the farm. Describes pulling neaps on frosty mornings, cutting cale etc.Spoke Doric as a child. Never lost it. Gives example. Spoke (recently) at Chamber of Commerce dinner in Doric to give them a laugh. Reference Maitland Mackie. Mentions not being a public speaker. Explains. Reference Susan Rice. Details re speech to Chamber. Recalls wife's teasing re use of Doric. Children being taught it at school. Details.Wife Jill died when she was 40. Has had a lot a personal grief. Details re deaths of mother, father, brother, nephew. Kept going by faith. Life has to go on.1954 Left school at 14. Applied for job as message boy with agricultural engineers. Then served time as apprentice. Details. Worked in Maitland Mackie's firm - he always speaks about it. Recalls his father. Recalls repairing machinery that had never seen before. Early lesson doing job on a combine for some hard grafting farmers at Rothienorman. Details. Explains lessons, useful later, learnt at that time.Interested in aesthetics of machinery. Spent time in drawing office - made decision there re own future. Explains situation involving corrosion. Did technical, market research on new products. Recalls wheeling, dealing, making money etc. Story of a nice customer. Recalls discovery of glass fibre. Loved job, paid a pittance.Decision to ask for raise, left job when turned down. Spent 3 years on technical market research into glass electronics, raw materials. Lived on savings, sidelines. Explains belief in importance of knowing the subject. 1965-68 researched with leading people in Europe. Didn't work on Sunday. Still tries not to. Balmoral works Sundays. Fishermen don't work Sundays to this day.Woods and Craigs were prominent families. Craigs were Brethren. Approached by old father Wood re possible takeover. Recalls his office in a tin hut. Ian Wood made the company. Mostly when sons take over from fathers they make a disaster of it. Comments on Mr Wood (snr). Reference Douglas Craig; old father Craig.After spending time researching fibreglass, decided to build a factory in Stonehaven rather than Aberdeen. Explains. Turned down by Board of Trade because of youth, not having proved self in business. So started in mushroom shed.
Tape 2 Side A After being turned down for Stonehaven, opened factory in a mushroom shed behind farm in Aberdeen. Details re shed where business career in industry started: North East Glass Fibre Work Ltd, later Aberglen. Attitude to business names. Started with small workforce, Ð3000 capital. Details re job done (in hope of a further contract) for Consolidate Pneumatic Tool Co, Fraserburgh who made compressors. Describes first approach, way of securing job. Problem, when starting business, getting confidence of people. Details re CPT job, its significance in own career - in spite of not getting contract. Business flourished. Within 2 years, bought competitor in glass fibre. Details. 1970-72 Needed a factory but hard to get a builder because industry had started in Aberdeen. Reference Peter Cameron. Decided to build own factory. Started an engineering company making fish processing machinery. Details re building cost per square foot. Comments on people's working habits, own approach. After experience of building own factory, ended up being biggest municipal builder in Aberdeen - Aberglen Construction. Details. Had fire in belly, employed good staff.Oil was starting in Aberdeen. Recalls arrival of Americans. Reaction of locals. Soon showed that able could do things faster (than Americans).Father had leased farmland from Council. Recalls it gradually being taken back. Stayed there in factory. Describes working conditions. Eventually pushed out of factory. Built a lot of factories for the oil game. Examples. Aberdeen made the most of oil opportunities. Example of Aberdeenshire Council. Reference Dick Mutch; OTC Houston. Mentions farmers being wheeler-dealers. Aberdeen Council slower. Details re conferences round the world etc. Reference Gordon McIntosh; Grampian.Quite a few English people saw opportunities in Aberdeen, eg Brian Nimmo from Yorkshire. Reference an early secretary, a Yorkshire lassie. More English people doing things here than Aberdonians like to admit. Reference Wood Group; Craigs. Recalls networking, other developments. Reference OTC; Rigblast.Was in a terrible car accident 8 years ago - after being twice in America in a week. Details. Effect on memory. Reference daughter Sarah Jane. Told to take a year off work - didn't. Details re effect on brain.Built factories for big companies. Details of one job done in record time. Importance of confidence. Recalls attitude towards Americans - people gobsmacked by them. Put them in their place. Own reason for doing things - enjoyment, personal challenge, doing bigger and better than everybody else. Opinion re Texans.Power of positive thinking, attitude in North East. Tries to instill positive thinking into others. Most important to have commonsense, keep feet on the ground. Huge opportunities with oil.In late 1970s Aberglen employed over 1000 people in 20 divisions in 20 countries. Details. Own preference for being on shop floor, on site. Was still in 30s. Boom years, lot of money around. Comments on American approach. They think they know it all. Screw-ups being made to this day in deep water rigs. They wouldn't listen to (JM's) warnings etc. Details. Every problem under the sun with deep water rigs. Some of the biggest and best companies in the world are American but the oil scene is something else.Recalls fun in negotiations getting contracts etc in early days. Now hard work. Oil companies getting stronger and stronger, using their power and their might. Own warnings to them. (Contractors) don't get the rewards they should. In early days, never felt screwed by oil companies. Too easy then.Oil companies have to change. Explains. Risk of little, medium companies disappearing with bigger companies getting bigger. Likely situation for oil companies if there are only big (service) companies.Recalls early job working on Beryl Alpha for Mobil renewing a sluice line in 1982. Details. Pipe still working. Recalls Mobil's attitude then.Life on the rig not own cup of tea. Explains. Feelings about isolation, routine.
Tape 2 Side B Built tanks, navigation buoys for oil industry. Details. Reference Trinity House. Started Aberglen Navigational Aids, Aberglen Marine Hire. Got international buoy contracts eg in Iran. Competition from Americans. Explains business tactics. Had reputation for success. Explains. Bought companies, rehashed them, eg food processing machinery, agricultural businesses. Designed structure for Offshore Europe Exhibition after building sample at own home. Started exporting buildings to Iran, Nigeria. Explains. Details re procedure followed in Nigeria. Hired largest transport plane in the world, put buildings up in 6 weeks, Ð185,000 profit. Similar job done in Iran.Circumstances leading to collapse following fall of Shah of Iran and fall in economy of Nigeria - largest export countries for Britain. Letters of credit revoked. Had been going to change the world. Should have stopped, instead poured millions into business. Big rise in interest rates. Started slowing up paying bills, eg Inland Revenue. Details of negotiations with IRD leading to getting Clydesdale Bank to bring in receiver (March 1980). Attitude of Bank. Feelings about situation.Recollections of receivership which lasted over 7 years rather than the 6 months expected. Strong lesson in life. Feelings about 'professional' people. Was naive (before this experience). Could have walked away with millions, walked away with nothing. Gained credibility from situation. Explains. After 6 months started up again (September 1980) in glass fibre on tennis court with 3 employees and Ð3000. Details re financial situation, home. Details re what happened to Aberglen. Started again with same bank, suppliers, customers etc. Describes situation. Was refocussed, lessons had been learned, never took risks. Details re products made. Explains attitude to work, employees etc.Recalls terrible 6 months after receiver came in. Never took unemployment benefit. Bank helped with new start, some customers put money up front, family and some employees gave money. Paid them all back. Reaction of employees to situation.Drop in oil prices in mid-80s. Oil industry main customers but did other work too. Oil price drop affected spending attitudes. Explains. Situation now totally unbalanced. Describes attitude of oil companies to contractors etc, eg creating competition, playing one against the other. Example of own situation now compared with earlier days. Oil companies will regret what they're doing, their greed etc. All own profit goes back into research and development. No shareholders.In 1980s Balmoral went into various mouldings, hiring buoys, buoyancy. It got bigger than Aberglen. Because of labour costs, necessary to beat competition with technology which is so good now. Is beating Americans. Number 1 in the world in most things done. World leaders in deep sea buoyancy. Explains entry into this field. Spent millions in research and development. Attitude of oil companies creating competition.Piper Alpha disaster: Asked to go out afterwards to establish steel marker buoy etc. Walked on girders, some still hot. Eerie experience. Recalls first hearing of disaster. An accident waiting to happen. Lip service paid to safety. Story of own experience of this on Beryl Alpha where own life was seriously endangered, inconsistency of standards. Reference Davie Milne. Doesn't think things have changed much to this day.
Tape 3 Side A Pipe Alpha disaster (cont'd): Recalls steaming, twisted steel. Balmoral started exporting, as successful companies have to do. Preaches this to others. Scotsmen are pioneers, confident as a nation. Totally against Scottish nationalism. Is a Scot, Brit, European. Explains. Oil is British, not Scottish. Publicly against Scottish parliament, extra tiers of management etc.Married at 41. Work not affected by marriage. Wife, Jill, worked in a travel agent. Details re early acquaintance. Supported by her, she worked in company for a while. Describes own previous work pattern which has changed now with looking after the children. Effect of Jill's death.Attitude to money, property. Not building company to sell, would never give it to family - important for girls (daughters) to make own ways in life. Explains. Plans for company after own departure.Balmoral in 20 countries. Details. Also works through agents in different countries. Travelling less than before. Local business units established. Own style is to delegate. Encourages others. Relies on oil/gas industry. Details re international market now. Situation cyclical. Does not expect another Nigerian-type situation. Mentions numbers of employees. Attitude to 'project' approach, taking on people, laying them off again. Own approach - used to spend last penny to look after a good man, created work for them, no longer possible.Never had a union in Aberglen, Balmoral. Explains. Comments on European situation; risk of becoming uncompetitive. Labour Government more sensible than it used to be. Explains. Have to thank Maggie Thatcher for a lot of things. Reference dock labour situation in Aberdeen, breaking of miners. Unions fighting hard now to get hold on oil industry. Doesn't blame unions for situation, but greedy bosses, weak management in past etc. Oil companies pay pretty well but think they own you. Effect on marriages etc.Oil industry has been good for the country, not wasted.Own firm has to keep growing. Likes personal challenge. Has to do what is best for Balmoral. Can't take money with you. Mentions importance of religion.Exciting times. Great plans. Always says, if you're in the bottom of a pit, if you use your savvies you'll come out stronger. Has made screw-ups - have to learn from them. Some people scared to make a mistake. Believes in teamwork. Never takes no for an answer.CBE, Honorary Doctorate: Feelings about these, their use abroad.Comments on great speed of change.
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