| Description | Tape 1 Side A: ANTHONY (TONY) WARD born Walsall, Staffordshire, 25.12.1942. Family background: father from Ireland, worked in public works, building roads. Mother's family from Midlands, her grandfather from Ireland. Family farmers in Ireland. Maternal grandfather, Jack Kearns, a footballer for Aston Villa which won league (1910), died early from peritonitis. Grandmother ran drapery shop, lived with her for a time. Fifth of 7 children. Details re others' names. Describes childhood home. Neighbours coalminers. Mother's educational aspirations for children. Details re siblings' occupations. Describes father, his skills; parents' personalities. Own god-fearing, law-abiding upbringing. Recalls father's failed business. Aspirations, later occupations of school friends. Details re mother's background, her family. Describes childhood life. Grandmother a strong presence. Recalls going to (Catholic) church, family occasions, relationships. Uncle a priest. Religion still important. Education at local primary school, King Edward VI grammar school. Explains. Economic circumstances of family. Compares with others' in neighbourhood. Details re father's work as labourer, later foreman builder of houses, roads etc. Political attitudes of parents. Grandfather, a coalminer, went through 1926 strike, his likely political attitude. Own political evolution. Has always been competitive. Details re participation in sport. Recalls parents' enthusiasm for their children's activities. Recalls academic progress, entry into university. Was a leader of the group. Explains. Influence of masters at school, one an ex British athlete. Background to decision not to go to Cambridge. Recalls childhood enjoyment of reading, reason for dropping arts subjects at school, feelings about this. Current interest in language.
Tape 1 Side B No pressure from parents re career. Recalls style of discipline in home. Reasons for brother, sister living with grandmother, aunts. Memories of childhood, siblings. All played sport for the county. Recalls being channelled into mathematical etc line early on. Background to choice of Manchester University. Did chemical engineering degree. Recalls university life, study, sport, running training etc. Mentions final year work in corrosion. Background to first job with Esso (1964). Details re wife, meeting with her, marriage, children and their occupations. Mentions art interest in family. Employment: first job as technical service engineer at Fawley refinery. Recalls interview. Details re normal progression, expectations, salary, accommodation, working conditions. Describes culture which was American with appraisals, system of identifying future managers etc. Daily work routine in distillation area, example of problems, projects dealt with, procedures followed. Recalls tension between semi-skilled workers and technicians re pay etc. Own situation in plant, tricks played etc. Explains enjoyment of job. Explains culture of Esso and other oil companies re long term employment etc. Explains expression 'fur-lined mousetrap'. No staff poaching between companies then. 1966-68 appointed to London as Planning Engineer. Details re job using old computer, eg for producing daily and future requirements of various oils etc. Recalls 6-day war in Middle East, planning for dealing with impact of this when working with Esso Europe. Oil companies brought together by Government at time. Explains reasons eg taking freight round Cape because of closure of Suez Canal.
Tape 2 Side A 1967 at Esso Europe based in London. Recalls mentors. Little industry contact outside the company. No links with upstream industry then. Explains. Recalls efforts of Chairman, Tim Pearce re supply of crude oil. Relationship between Esso, Exxon, story re takeover. Had links with terminals, marketing departments. 1969 return to Fawley Operations Department running the plant as Operations Supervisor. Explains technicalities of dewaxing work involved. Explains refining process. Enjoyed work, interaction with colleagues. Never had a major incident in own area of responsibility. Recalls safety situation when dealing with products. Visited keytone dewaxing plants in US. Explains. Relationship with Americans. Promotion to Divisional Manager at Fawley working with lubricating oils, bitumen. In top group of managers. Details. Recalls relationship with unions. Reason for their lack of foothold. 1972-3 responsible for all Fawley crude distillation work. Background to move to setting up Mechanical Services Technical Group, reason for not going to London, risk involved. 1974 headhunted for job with Occidental in refinery building operation, Camby Island. Explains. Reference to 3rd Middle East crisis. Refinery job mothballed. Explains. Details re Occidental operation, personnel involved. Compares pay rates, cultures of Occidental, Esso - training, decision making potential etc. Details re work selling refining equipment, compares with work at Esso. Bigger risks, rewards. Explains own line of responsibility. Occidental entrepreneurial rather than disciplined, bottom-line focussed. Reference to Armand Hammer, Bob Jones. Involvement in company share scheme. Explains own ways of dealing with pressure. Never felt alone in early days of job.
Tape 2 Side B In mid-1970s Occidental beginning to get Piper, Claymore fields into production. First Piper oil ashore at Flotta Terminal, Christmas Day 1976. Terrific cash flow from Piper. Growing importance of North Sea to Occidental. Move to London office, first contact with North Sea colleagues. Establishment of British National Oil Corporation, involvement of Wedgwood Benn. Recalls television programme re BNOC, circumstances leading to own involvement in upstream work. Reference to Armand Hammer; Bob McAllister. Recalls own first consciousness of North Sea oil, Fawley use of Auk crude. Recalls meetings with Hammer. Describes him, his methods. Compares him with Leon Hess, involvement of both with Aberdeen. Details re dates of career. Reference to Wedgwood Benn. Recalls possibility of chemical plant at Peterhead, other investment possibilities. Describes visit with Hammer to Benn's office, their relationship. Reference to King Idris of Libya. Details re family life, moves, children's education etc. Cancellation of Occidental refinery project. Explains. Bonuses when Piper started flowing. Details re own employment status with changes in Occidental, entry into upstream, training programme. Appointed Construction Manager, Aberdeen (1979). Mentions BNOC. Details re Aberdeen, changes, build-up of construction support. Difficulty getting housing. Describes situation in Occidental at the time, projects, Hammer's commitment to Britain. Reference to Margaret Thatcher. Details re own construction work, problems with Piper, Claymore etc platforms cracking, needing clamps, use of hyperbaric welding. Claymore field extension project. Problems encountered, situation re oil prices. Details re subsea development, Scapa, organisation of work. Establishment of engineering bases in Aberdeen. Shortage of skilled people.
Tape 3 Side A Mentions companies involved in subsea etc work. Demand for staff took off. Dundee missed out on oil. Details. Recalls extent of oil bonanza. Peaks, troughs of industry. Comments on state of Piper Alpha before disaster - like any other platform. Mentions platform designs standards deriving from Gulf of Mexico. Reason for having gas handling facilities on Piper Alpha. Recalls safety culture in Occidental, drive from US etc. Recalls being Manager of Piper, Claymore, never under pressure to sacrifice safety for profits. Details. Recalls own reaction to disaster. Recalls individuals working on Piper Alpha. Reflects on causes of disaster, emergency procedures. Comments on situation on Claymore during disaster, decision not to shut down etc. Next career step, Manager, Flotta Terminal (1982). Background to appointment. Describes Flotta, its functions, fields, amount of oil processed, staff. Relationship with local authorities, Orkney Islands Council, Harbour Board etc. Situation at Sullom Voe, Shetland. Legal situation in Sullom Voe involving Shell, BP etc. Compares attitudes of Shetland, Orkney Islands. Occidental had free hand in Orkney. Background to cooperative attitude in Orkney. Environmental record at Flotta, control maintained by Occidental, standards established, resistance to pressure from marine people re sticking to standards. Flotta had good safety standard. Own position of complete authority re safety etc. Family situation when working in Orkney, children's changing of schools etc. Next appointment as Production and Pipeline Manager (1985). Recalls very rough voyage from Orkney to Scotland. Involvement with people of Orkney, many of whom worked at Flotta.
Tape 3 Side B Recalls award of Sir George Earle Trophy (safety award) when at Flotta. Contact with local councillors, neighbourly attitude of company. Details re recreation, social life possibilities on Orkney. Production and Pipeline Manager (1985). Details of responsibilities looking after Piper, Claymore, pipeline etc. Describes Piper Alpha, its significance in the country, industry. Rules against flaring gas. No production at sacrifice of safety. Recalls situation with lowering oil prices, spending precautions taken, reductions in manpower offshore throughout industry over the years. Move towards remote control, subsea platforms. Lack of union involvement offshore. Recalls Inter Union Offshore Oil Committee during Labour Governments, their visits to platforms. Positive attitude of Occidental human resources manager to unions. Consultation agreement on Piper Alpha with union - which had fallen into disuse. Workers well paid, Occidental paid highest. Own experience of company attitude to safety complaints from workers. Situation now. Feelings re evolution of Occidental, background to appointment as General Manager, Amerada Hess, Aberdeen (1987). Involvement of British people in company. Compares Amerada Hess with Esso, Occidental. Discovery of Scott field, increase in staff etc. Explains positive attitude of recruits to joining Amerada Hess, 'new boy on the block'. Attitude of Amerada and others to life expectancy of North Sea oil industry, changing attitudes to potential. Details re Scott development, decision making. Hierarchy in company. Recollections of Leon Hess, compares his attitudes with those of Armand Hammer. Hess's background. Details re own job. Mentions Sam Laidlaw, changes in company. (Self) appointed to Board, remained General Manager (1995). Details.
Tape 4 Side A General Manager, Board Member Amerada Hess (1995) (cont'd). Had responsibility for human relations. Details re growth in company in UK, internationally. Relationships with other countries. Operatorship sought and obtained in Norway. Details. Explains difficulties with Denmark because of local situation. Mentions Angus, Fergus, Fife fields. Reference to AP Miller. Details re other developments, changes in North Sea situation, move to more contracted work rather than full company crews. Reaction of Aberdeen businesses, University of Aberdeen to oil industry, effect of this. Wood Group only local company in Aberdeen with (major) international links. Explains Aberdeen's vulnerability to other foreign companies. New focus on Gulf of Mexico re subsea technology which was developed in Aberdeen. Mentions difficulties for Aberdeen re: petroleum revenue tax, downturns in industry, distance from other places etc. Feelings re use of money gained by the country from oil industry. Comments on coal miners' situation. French situation. Impact of North Sea oil on Britain now and in future. Feelings re Margaret Thatcher, other alternatives, Government intervention in oil industry, taxation, need for regulations. Mentions safety etc level of regulation in US. Changing attitudes to North Sea oil, impact of taxes, prices. Benefit of having infrastructure in North Sea. Composition of board, culture, style of working. Recalls Leon Hess's attitude. Reference to Department of Trade and Industry. Relations with media. Explains involvement in licensing round process. Comments on level of transparency of procedure.
Interview summary:
Tape 4 Side B Licensing round procedures (cont'd). Explains matters raised in support of applications. Reason for old boys' network in oil industry - but it had no impact in licensing awards. Objectivity exists in oil industry. Recalls enjoyment of early jobs. Mentions backgrounds of recruits to BP and American companies. Explains particular enjoyment of work at Flotta and setting up Amerada Hess in Aberdeen. Recalls costly early problem with christmas tree valves, technical resolution. Reaction of people to own retirement. Compares attitude to workers in different companies, own attitude. Background to early retirement decision. Mentions voluntary redundancy programmes in Amerada Hess. Currently retained by company. Details. Mentions family situation. Current activities including governorship at Robert Gordon's University. Recalls shock of Camby Island refinery cancellation, its long term (positive) impact on many involved. Difficulty of move to Flotta, dips, redundancies in Amerada Hess in 1993. Mentions visits to childhood home area, old school. Compares own opportunities with those of mother's and children's generations. |