| Description | Tape 1 Side A: ROBIN CHARLES CORNAH born 5 August 1943 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. One of three brothers. Details. Paternal grandfather a newsagent. Recalls maternal great grandmother. Maternal grandfather a clerk. Father a doctor. Recalls childhood home, education in state, rather than public, school. Describes father's work routines, long hours. Didn't see a lot of him. Recalls learning to ride a bike. Lived with father's business - pressures of this. He was involved in community, on call from colliery. Recalls time of an accident in mine. Mother acted as receptionist. Further details re father's work. Recalls own childhood activities, group of friends, church youth club. Mentions current interest in Buddhism, childhood acceptance of Anglican Church, initial taste of spiritual ideas. Was a bellringer in childhood. Details re bell tower, other ringers. Describes in detail the full cycle of bellringing, hazards involved. Particular hazards with tenor bell, a near accident. Father moved to Ministry of Health, Manchester. Mother met father when a nurse. Recalls her feelings about her situation. Describes her. Details re family situation, difficulties for her. Details re education, progress at school. Not pushed enough. Cruised through O-levels. Details. No career aspirations. Did not want to be a doctor. Explains. Had leaning towards sciences. Parents had limited social life. Found own friends. Details re brothers, relationship with them. Always a reader. Interest in Buddhism came later. Recalls introduction to meditation. Details re meditation. Recalls university discussions. Did technical physics BSc at Manchester. Details. Recalls early jobs, father's enlightened advice re finding right job. No particular interest in politics in family. Mentions Kennedy's death.
Tape 1 Side B: Background to joining oil industry as BP petroleum engineer 1965. Details re this position. Spent 6 months at Sunbury Research Centre. Describes culture in BP House. Recalls stories of early days of BP in Colombia. Signed on with BP for life. Small intake of engineers, industry stable. Sunbury not challenging. Example of rigid paternalism of BP system, regimented support, gradation of office furnishings, refreshments according to rank. Story of a clock privilege that was taken away. In American companies technology superior to bureaucracy. In Amoco, all managers technical people. Impact of English class structure on BP. Compares with situation in US. BP kept successful by ability to hire good talent, find reserves of oil. Reference to John Browne, his peerage. Comments on BP's ability to find oil in different parts of world. Compares competition for jobs when joined BP with later times, salaries etc. Compares oil jobs with others. First appointment to Das Island, Abu Dhabi 1965. Recalls Sea Gem disaster. Not great impact. Recalls fatality offshore Das Island on BP jackup rig Enterprise. Details re crane operations offshore in early days. BP used traditional engineering techniques in offshore environment. Explains situation re technology, BP's reluctance to change. Mentions US technology. Reference to Forth Bridge. Recalls brown manuals from Persian exercise - the bible. 1950s onwards, petroleum engineering flowered. Details re innovative courses. US, UK were flying blind in North Sea. Compares with Norway, their innovative approach. Fabrication side in UK did not do well. Relied on journals because text books could not keep up. Importance of Society of Petroleum Engineers. Compares with BP's manual attitude.
Tape 2 Side A: Comments on moderate significance of Das Island experience in own career. Interesting social experience. Explains. Recalls one Indian geologist. Details re work there, oil fields, processes, huge gas burn-offs. Traditional attitude there to production. BP's standard experience of big oil fields. Explains process of lifting oil, use of nodding donkeys, gas lift, electric pumps. 1968 went to California. Details re marriage, wife. Details re move to California on secondment to Getty Oil, issues involved in moving staff. Reference to Bakerfield. Explains BP's situation then in US. Reference to Tidewater Oil Company, later Getty. First impressions of US, reception there, hospitality. Details re accommodation, company car, oilfield. Explains own liability for US draft. BP very jumpy because of previous experience. Importance of US experience in own work. Recalls cutting-edge technology used in oilfield. Details re adventurous enterprise of small US companies. Compares with BP. Reference to Hamilton Brothers. Explains use of steam in reservoir, huff and puff technique, injection wells. Company had 1800 wells, drilled one a day. Refreshing entrepreneurial approach of Americans. Gives example of cementing. Reference to Halliburton. Sent to Calgary, Canada 1969 for 2 years. Details re own role in engineering. Compares with life in California. Mentions family situation, social contacts. Background to move in 1971 to Aberdeen. Explains pro-rationing which existed at time of surplus oil. Explains hard BP attitude to new staff going to Aberdeen, difficulties in getting accommodation, queues to buy houses. Began by living in caravan on a farm. Early settling-in days traumatic.
Tape 2 Side B: Explains BP attitude to domestic arrangements in Aberdeen. Mentions Shell. Reference to rule book. Recalls numbers of people arriving, housing problems for wives. Signed completion documentation for own house when aboard Sea Quest drilling rig. Details. BP Aberdeen offices were above Wimpy Bar. Recalls Number 5 Bond warehouse, Jimmy Simpson. Describes Aberdeen then. Mentions fishing, tidal harbour, Bristows' Helicopters, Dyce. Comments on BP's Dundee location decision, attraction of Aberdeen, Shell's actions. Importance of oil patch being together. In early days Shell, Occidental, BP had same set-up. Recalls small number of BP personnel in early days, two phone lines, no switchboard. Shell kept to themselves. Describes Shell cocoon culture. Details re Occidental manager, ex BP. Describes oil industry in Aberdeen then. Recalls a leak of Occidental's telexed data. Details re involvement in secret transport of BP data from offshore to London. All development engineering for Forties Field done by Mike Unstead. Explains problem with BP's research centre. Attitude of Great Yarmouth that Aberdeen was an outpost. Recalls attitude in Aberdeen. Always felt a foreigner in Aberdeen. Compares with Calgary. Comments on involvement of Aberdonians in the industry then and now. Significance of technology developed in Aberdeen to industry worldwide. Recalls examples of resistance to the industry in Aberdeen. Comments on university response to the industry, missed opportunities. Adopted a son in Aberdeen. Feelings about isolation there. Details re BP attitude to paying staff. Recalls successful operation of state health, education systems in Aberdeen, egalitarian attitudes compared with south of England.
Tape 3 Side A: Recalls reserve of people in Aberdeen. Feelings about being there. Explains brief as petroleum engineer on Sea Quest, cutting-edge ad hoc technology. Explains complexities of work dealing with seismic maps, use of radioactive surveys, financial and appraisal decisions etc. Describes sequence of decision-making about structure, use of field, iterative procedure. Importance of synergysing various skills. Comments on relationships between different disciplines involved - drillers, engineers, explorers etc. Compares with situation in mature oilfield. Describes drillers, their culture, relationship with them, their preoccupation with the present, their skills - where theory meets practicality. Recalls a good engineer who couldn't handle drillers etc. Recalls personnel on Sea Quest, e.g. Tool Pusher, Billy Howe, Mr Sea Quest. Story of a ship-to-shore call to him. Recalls Bob Dyer, John Robinson. Explains development of relationships, need to stand up for self, importance of healthy argument. Need for strong argument when in US. Gives an example of quality control from knowledgeable colleagues, as opposed to getting decision from accountants. Details re hierarchy of authority on drilling rig - rather a partnership. Drillers on Sea Quest were from BP. Details re Sea Quest, a Sedco 135. Compares Sea Quest with Middle East rigs. No union involvement on Sea Quest. Explains. Reason for never being in union. Recalls working conditions, example of abuses. Not many accidents. Sea Gem was a disaster waiting to happen. Explains. Describes jack-up rigs.
Tape 3 Side B: Sea Quest (cont'd) Details re discovery, coring, data, logs signifying oil etc. Own first function as Petroleum Engineer was to look at logs. High points of job were testing, flying wells. Describes. Recalls an exciting experience in Abu Dhabi, hazards when testing a well, e.g. using acid. Explains process of killing a well. Explains equipment, importance of understanding it, attitude of driller. Background to move to Amoco 1974. Feelings about BP's style. Mentions BP increasing size of staff in Aberdeen. Compares Amoco staff style with BP's. No bureaucracy in Amoco. Explains. Attitude of BP to resignation. Compares with own approach later when dealing with staff. Stayed 19 years with Amoco. Spent first year engineering in Aberdeen. Details re two daughters, adoption of son. Took part in bringing up own children. Explains. Frequency of work offshore. Recalls a tool pusher, OIM, who didn't want to come ashore. Describes Amoco's open culture. Example of this involving special delivery of logs from offshore to London. Describes detailed arrangements that went wrong. Mentions state of Dyce airport then. Story illustrating managerial skill of boss. Explains use of satellites, which then flew over, for positioning rigs. Describes response of a boss who apologised for a mistake - typical in Amoco. No stress in early days but pressures later when people laid off in recessions. Recalls being depressed, e.g. when making people redundant. Worked in London Amoco UK Head Office 1974-9, involved in petroleum engineering work. Was Lead Engineer on North West Hutton Field. Details.
Tape 4 Side A: Lot going on in office in late 1970s. No sense of pressure to produce oil. Worked close to management - breath of fresh air. Explains. Compares with BP. Reference to Charlie Carr, Mike Ambrose. Describes refreshing Amoco open culture of decision-making, open-door approach. Explains disappointment at advent of Margaret Thatcher. Recalls meeting Tony Benn. Oil revenues frittered away, used to reduce taxes. Explains admiration of Benn. 1979 went to Egypt for 5 years. Recalls Amoco's generous, egalitarian approach to staff moves. Worked with engineering group in joint venture with Gupco. Reference Egyptian General Petroleum Company. Recalls mixing of cultures. Describes own approach, courtesies. Shallow offshore work in Gulf of Suez, not very challenging. Describes work routine, accommodation arrangements, communications, shift patterns. Big social life, many expats. Compares locals' low pay with that of expats. Recalls friendship with a local colleague, getting to know other locals. 1984 worked in Regional Office in Houston. Explains Amoco hub-spoke assignment pattern. People not left at end of spoke too long because they would go native. Explains risk of losing strategic edge, gaining too many tactical skills. In Houston dealt with Egyptian sphere etc. Explains company approach to introducing staff in Egypt, own approach. Never saw bribery at professional level. Mentions baksheesh in other situations. Recalls a case of fraud involving an Amoco staff member in UK. Mentions use of term oil patch. Recalls first time Amoco laid people off because of recession, hit list, horse trading of people, own role in dismissing staff. Details re quick process, redundancy terms, American way of doing things - no passengers.
Tape 4 Side B: Further details re laying people off from Amoco, different reactions, rules re instant dismissal. Compares with healthier approach in London. Explains meritocracy approach in Houston. Pressures in industry came with unstable oil prices etc. Felt impact, became depressed with situation, demoted to staff job. Details. Started questioning own situation. Felt trapped. Explains family situation at the time. Effects of recession on own progress. Background to return to North Sea 1987, appointment as Chief Engineer, Aberdeen. Feelings about returning to Aberdeen. Recalls changes in Aberdeen, inefficiencies in office, changes made. Moved to London 1989 - an aberration. Describes restructuring of company, creation of engineering hubs etc. New model forced on UK operation - a bad experience. In London, charged with support engineering for all Amoco North Sea offshore operations. Explains practical drawbacks of ill-conceived arrangements. System changed later. Explains attitude to change. Made system work in London. Example of unsuitable arrangements in London when handling emergency offshore. Details of an emergency concerning possible sinking of a vessel. Recalls new ruthless breed of manager, arrival of meritocracy. Describes. Compares with earlier times. Job became too much. Recalls impact of death of brother. Started again to question own situation. Decided to leave. Recalls impact of Piper Alpha disaster. It could have happened to others. Comments on prescriptive regulations. Importance of risk assessment. Mentions domino effect of incidents. On duty on night of Piper disaster. Amoco had rig in next block, gave assistance. Mentions advent of trauma counselling. Before Piper, reliance on safety from following the rules - not enough. Changing standards of safety in North Sea. Lack of personal responsibility before.
Tape 5 Side A: Took early retirement 1993. Impact of brother's death led to questioning own life pattern etc. Details re UK redundancy arrangements. Recalls unsatisfactory relationship with boss. Explains own engineering technology function at the time. Describes own style of working, dealing with people, compares with that of boss. Details re steps leading to departure from job. Mentions improved relationship with Human Resources people under new structure. Mentions multi-industry top management 'charm school' at Stamford University etc for strategic matters, attended by boss. Recalls retirement speech, event. Feelings at leaving oil industry. Recalls tributes at office farewell, gifts. Compares with departure from BP. Details re pension arrangements. Describes current home in Cumbria. Became self-employed with self-catering holiday cottage business. Ran this for 7 years. Attended small business training courses. Mentions wife's work. Details re business. Got involved with voluntary organisations, gave some business consultancy. Details. Explains development of business plans. Example of local community activities using own previous experience, techniques. Having reached goal, finished with business. Now building house, following Buddhist studies. Details. Mentions work with Citizens' Advice Bureau. Details about this, professional procedures, dealing with specialists, solving problems. Details re social life, children's situations. Reference to Tim Watson, ex Amoco.
Tape 5 Side B: Blank
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