| Description | Tape 1 Side A LINDA PEACE nee DEANS born 10 July 1951 Aberdeen. Youngest of 4 girls. Father a lorry driver. Lived in terraced council house, went to Northfield School, commercial college, did shorthand, typing. Details re father's driving work, his redundancy, later work as Foresterhill hospital porter. Mother worked there in linen department. Details re father's family. He was an only child. Grandfather killed in First World War. Details re grandmother, Sarah Reid, a mental nurse, one of a kind. Recalls family activities. Grandmother a role model. Mother was 1 of 10. Details re her upbringing in Murcar area. Maternal grandmother an invalid. Mother has had a hard life, is strong personality. Describes her. Recalls insular upbringing at home - was 'home-drafted'. Explains. Maternal grandfather a labourer. Mother biked to work at Granham Mills. Older children had to work. Describes father, a dour, principled Scot. He went to Robert Gordon's School. Mentions grant for children of servicemen killed. Recalls visitors in childhood home, piano. Went to dancing lessons. Had concerts at home. Details re schooling, snowdrifts in winter. Recalls death of a child in snow. Had great interest in dancing. Details re secondary school. Describes one enthusiastic maths teacher. Parents always voted Labour, interested in news etc. Recalls royal weddings. Describes meals at home, good food, home heating. Bedrooms were cold. Impact of fireplace on way family related. Describes close relationship with sister. Explains moves to typing, shorthand etc, skills necessary, learning techniques. No career aspirations, enjoyed life. Regrets not having travelled. Recalls holidays. Details re first wages, paying board at home. Recalls life in Aberdeen post-oil, pre-oil.
Tape 1 Side B Compares Aberdonians with Glaswegians, people from Edinburgh, Inverness. Aberdonians difficult to get to know. Aberdeen feelings about the English. Went to Aberdeen College, did shorthand typing, clerical typing courses. Got first prize, offered prime job with Council 1968. Explains work recruitment situation then. Was always near the top of class, got prizes at secondary school. Attitude of parents to education. Recalls music of the 1960s, introduction of contraceptive pill. Mother's liberal attitude to pill. Recalls mini-skirt, father's attitude. Friday night big night out. Details re social life in Aberdeen. Describes Beach Ballroom. Saturday was pictures night - if you had a boyfriend. Recalls rendezvous in Union Street, being stood up, meeting at Wimpy. Posh to have boyfriend with a car. Compares social life then and now. 1968 Corporation Works Department secretarial job: details re work, colleagues, using Gestetner copying machine. Typed orders for tradesmen etc. Describes process using carbon papers. Bosses were all men. No consciousness of oil then. 1969 Sun Life Assurance Society New Business Clerk: describes job. Company very strict. Details re procedures, checks on wasted paper etc. Well paid in job, got training in office discipline. Stationery kept under lock and key. Met husband when 18. Details re him, eventual decision, when 30, to marry him, his work as electrician, draughtsman with shipbuilders. He worked offshore, didn't like it, joined Seaforth Maritime. Mentions his other jobs. He came from Kincorth - snobbier than Northfield. Recalls Aberdeen harbour pre-oil, Hall Russell shipbuilding. Son now works for River Dee Shipping. Family involvement in shipping. Harbour area like Mafia. Mentions good time girls.
Tape 2 Side A 1972 joined Shell UK Exploration & Production. Background to appointment. Details re wages. Horrible old office. Father not impressed. Explains. Hard work, completely different. Describes clothing fashions, hazards of mini-skirts. Recalls working for drilling department, office equipment used. Worked for three Dutchmen. Details re staff numbers. Compares office with former straight-laced workplaces. Work was demanding. Money no object. Describes Torry office layout. Recalls telex operator - posh job - and other colleagues. Recalls travelling with typewriter in a taxi - posh. Explains. No consciousness of oil industry before joining Shell. People nice at Shell, office grotty, uncertain then how long industry would stay. Was black sheep because of leaving insurance. Recalls (oil/gas) industry taking off, new offices, recruitment. First job was shorthand typing for drilling department. First news of Shell finding oil in P&J (Press & Journal), not in office. Recalls post clerk with a truncheon. Reference to visit to oil rig. Recalls 24-hour telex operation, incident with operator's dog. Mentions work with drilling reports, ignorance re what they were about. Recalls problem re image of office, television coverage, party celebrating Altens building. Worked in Personnel as secretary. Mentions industry language, recruitment of staff like it was going out of fashion. Offered job in Salaries, stayed 10 years. Became Supervisor. Details re work, reaction to first computer, monthly platform timesheets, constantly changing staff. Explains recruitment procedure, increasing numbers for offshore, onshore. Recalls colleagues, increasing working hours, stress. Policy made up as they went along. Socialised increasingly with Shell people. More a way of life than a job. Details re barbecues etc. Reaction of Dutch to Scottish people.
Tape 2 Side B Deadlines were stressful with increasing numbers of employees. Recalls working hours, need for more staff. Payroll deadline always a problem. Phones never stopped when pay went out. Some people earned high salaries, specially expatriates, international staff. Compares with Aberdeen staff incomes. Had to deal with disputes over pay. Explains own approach. No union members in office. Reference to OILC. Had Staff Consultative Committee. Explains. Recalls links with Shell in Holland, Shell Centre in London. Did stints in Personal Services. Other areas not as busy as Salaries. Main staff development centre was in The Hague. Recalls celebrations at time of move to glamorous, high tech Phase One Shell building at Altens from old tramway building in Torry. Rumours re future of industry, possibility that building could be altered to a hotel. More money in Aberdeen for people working in the industry. Earned more than father. Bought property with sister. Compares own situation with sister's. Recalls improvements in Aberdeen, decline in fishing, shipbuilding. Little association with other companies. Explains. Free lunches, evening social life at Shell. People didn't leave Shell. Explains. Reason for no contact with BP. Describes work in Recruitment, approach taken, type of people appointed. Mentions own methodical ways. Recalls increasing level of recruitment. Explains liking for offshore people, compares their attitudes with those of empire-building onshore people. No women offshore. Went offshore to Brent after 10 years. Details re change of system to sending office staff offshore. Describes trip, atmosphere on platform, safety aspects, living conditions etc. Reasons for trip. Other aspects of trip. One of first females to go offshore. Reaction of workers.
Tape 3 Side A Would not go offshore again by choice. Explains changed feelings about pay for offshore work. Describes environment offshore. Background to decision to leave Shell. Mentions husband's situation, own family coming on, maternity leave situation. Shell was a way of life, not just a job. Recalls dislike for doing talks at induction courses, public speaking. In Shell you couldn't say no. Explains. Mentions being well paid, enjoyment of rest of job. Married 1981. Feelings about mixing work and family. Comments on change to having no income, losing independence. Always kept close to family. Recalls Offshore Exhibitions. Has 2 sons. Details. 1995-2002 part-time Administration Assistant, Robert Gordon University. Comments on changes in office situation. Did secretarial work in Key Learning Department, University of Aberdeen, now part-time secretary for Aberdeenshire Council. Reason for not going back to Shell. Recalls hearing of Piper Alpha disaster, Sumburgh Danair disaster. Mentions camaraderie in Shell, reaction to accidents. Realisation of danger of working offshore. Recalls Green Shield safety stamps. Had good times in Shell. No regrets. Changes in situation there. Still meets former colleagues, recalls earlier times. Compares sister's and own work. Recalls popular image of oil industry. Influence of one Shell colleague on own career. Aberdonians were in minority in Shell. Aberdeen changed for the better through the industry. Explains. Mentions expression 'on the rigs'. Impact of offshore work on wives. Recalls wives' misconceptions of time worked by husbands, having to ring them. Recalls effect of work on marriages. Problems caused by alcohol. Comments on home organisation necessary by wives. Situation now with husband's work in oil industry, sons' work.
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