| Description | Tape 1 Side A WILLIAM GEORGE BYATT born 14 May 1924, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Paternal family: details re names. Grandfather a coalminer like many in family. He was an ostler. Describes him. Father a coalminer. Maternal family: details re names. Grandfather a coalminer, then a fishmonger. Details re his work routines, deliveries etc. Story of drinking his whisky. After death of his wife, he took to his bed, died in 3 months. Describes grandparents. They had 20 children. Details. Is elder of two children. Sister named after princesses. Recalls parents' political positions, they didn't talk politics. Own position. Recalls work expectations for children in area: farming, copper works, textiles, coalmining. Explains conservatism of area - a working class area. Opinion of socialism. Childhood home was with grandparents, fish shop downstairs. Father worked nights in coalmine as hewer, cutter for 26 years. Details re mining routine. Describes parents. Father lived to 92. Details re childhood life, Roman Catholic religion. In charge of altar boys. Reason for leaving church. Mother's ambition for children. Educated at church school. Enjoyed school, geography. Went to work at 14 in textiles factory. Always read a lot. Details. Importance of father in childhood. Recalls difficult economic times in childhood. Reason for father's conservatism. Drafted into coalmines as Bevin Boy 1942, demobbed 1947. Details re Bevin Boys, routine of work underground, work mentor. Went to night school to learn engineering - qualifications gained, background to joining army 1948. Feelings about attitude to Bevin Boys. Recalls fire in Mossfield mine, 26 deaths - men had to be sacrificed. Reason for joining army. Details re loss of thumb in textile factory.
Tape 1 Side B Passed Medical Board in spite of having lost a thumb. Explains. Went to Cheshire Regiment, Lichfield Barracks. Qualified as marksman, joined Royal Army Service Corps, became OR1 (Other Ranks 1). Became sergeant-major's clerk, everybody's friend. Explains. Posted to Colchester as driver, called in by army to play cricket. Details re posting to permanent staff in south Devon because of sporting skills. Impact of loss of thumb. Prevented from competitive shooting because of winning every week. Details re posting to Shorncliffe then to Officer Cadet School. Details re Sergeant Brown, Buller Barracks. Passed out top of course. Sent to West Africa. Left army 1953, joined Socony- (Standard Oil Company of New York) Vacuum Oil Company as Trainee Depot Supervisor. Explains. Details re earlier meeting with wife, children, their occupations, grandchildren. Soon promoted to Ibadan, Western Region, Nigeria, as Operations Supervisor. Details. Background to desire to travel. Describes work running operations, distribution of products by road tankers to all petrol stations in Western Nigeria. 1956 given job as Superintendent of biggest tank farm in West Africa, in Apapa. Details re other jobs in Africa including Aviation Superintendent, Kano. Recalls time of troubles in Congo. Details re refuelling planes, a near disaster. Transferred to Mobil Exploration running materials, purchasing, transportation. 1965 returned to UK. Background to appointment to North Sea in Great Yarmouth to set up operations. First worked in Holland, came to UK 1966. Details re getting rig ready, boats, aircraft, helicopters. Explains sequence of activities. Recalls colleagues, characters from early days. Reference to racism. Story of saving the life of one colleague.
Tape 2 Side A Recollection of American and other colleagues in Holland (cont'd). Mentions one whose father had shot a sheriff in the US. All tough people offshore. Recalls 'Running Bear', WJ Herendale, drilling supervisor. Returned to Nigeria briefly, 1967, as war there was coming on, to organise movement of equipment. Achieved with a case of Glenmorangie. Recalls collapse of Sea Gem, shock to industry. After early problems, Mobil acquired Santa Fe Britannia, a jackup rig which is still going. Mobil came to Great Yarmouth in 1966. Recalls first setting up office. Reference to Brown, Root & Wimpey, other Mobil colleagues. Impression of Great Yarmouth then. Reaction of local people to oil/gas industry. Details re Transocean 1. Was Base Superintendent responsible to Manager. Details re accommodation in Great Yarmouth. Example of benefit to a local entrepreneur. Most Transocean workers came from Germany, worked 7-on, 7-off. Describes typical day's routine in Great Yarmouth. Recalls transport, cementing, mud, steel companies contracted to Mobil. Describes use of mud in drilling work. Own job was to out-think drilling people by 48 hours. Explains. Mobil had dry holes in that period, found gas later. After Nigeria work (1967) returned to London, Head Office, worked in materials purchasing department. Details. Background to joining Conoco in Aberdeen 1969. Details re pay, dates with Mobil. Impressions of Aberdeen. Recalls Conoco's first base in Number 5 Bond. Reference to Jimmy Simpson, ASCo (Aberdeen Service Company). Explains role as Base Supervisor. Conoco had one rig, Sedco 135. Compares Conoco, Mobil and British Gas cultures. Worked 3 years with Conoco in Aberdeen (then London), went home at weekends. Explains resignation from Conoco 1972.
Tape 2 Side B Details re Conoco's brief time in Aberdeen before transferring to London. Joined Monsanto Oil Company to set up base in Montrose. Two wells drilled. Had to do all internal accounting. Details re amount paid to personnel consultants, and to self. Next appointment was to German company Deminex. Tax-free salary arrangements, working hours. Ran operations in Ireland, Vietnam, Borneo, Libya. Recalls flying as 'crew member' of Libyan national airlines on urgent trip to UK. Details re time in North Sea with Deminex. No pressure to get oil from North Sea. Details re terms of resignation from Deminex, their reaction. Enjoyed working with them but needed at home by wife. 1988 joined British Gas as consultant. Rejoined Deminex on contract, went to Aberdeen to set up operation for 2 wells. Comments on British Gas experience, structure of company. Compares with other companies. Explains reason for formation of own company Quaver Ward Ltd. Deminex drilled dry wells out of Aberdeen. Statistics re producing wells. Had heart attack June 1988, hasn't worked since. Details. Comments on cause of Piper Alpha disaster. Recalls Monsanto operation in Montrose. Comments on personal requirements to do job properly. Americans brought new way of living to Aberdeen. Reaction of Aberdeen people. Compares Aberdonians' situation with that in East Anglia. Great Yarmouth was not ready to handle oil/gas industry. Situation since it left, impact on industry, prospects. Now running summer bed and breakfast business. Recalls time in Borneo, being first white face seen. Story of wartime bounty on Japanese etc. Feelings about use of revenue from North Sea |