| Description | Tape 1 Side A: WILLIAM JOHN HURSON (WH) born 4 November 1937 Tullyallen, County Tyrone. Family all from same area long way back. Second youngest of 8 children. Details. Describes childhood home in countryside. No electricity or inside toilet. Home part of a hamlet. Describes. Father a postman. Recalls his wages. Recalls sleeping arrangements in home, the cold. Father a First World War veteran from Royal Scottish Fusiliers. He worked 6 days a week. Mentions mother - still misses her. Reasons for writing about growing-up years. Recalls large numbers of people in childhood home. Water from local pump. Washing arrangements, little privacy. Mother very religious, Catholic. Church was next door. Priest, Father Arthur Rogers, was local disciplinarian, highly respected. Some of best pals Protestants. Closest sibling was sister Susan. Details. Didn't like school. Never had ambitions, hard to get jobs. Left school at 14, worked as labourer on accredited Government poultry farm about 1951. Details re wages etc. Lived at home, given good meals at farm. c1956 started painting/decorating. Married 1960. Worked for engineering firm as painter/sprayer till 1974/6. Background to joining JMJ at Sullom Voe in Shetland - went for holiday, did short job, stayed. HERBERT VERE CLEMENTS (HC) born 9 September 1942 Dervaghroa. Youngest of 7 children. Childhood home on farm. Describes living conditions. Used hand water pump till late 1950s. Left school at 14, served time as joiner. Explains. Details re siblings. Describes parents. Explains different religions in family, mother's attitude. Own attitude. Father grew vegetables for local shops. Recalls Christmas at home. Details re siblings - all still alive. Recalls regular visits to paternal grandparents. Closest sibling was sister.
Tape 1 Side B: (HC) Closest sibling relationship with sister. Paternal grandfather a general merchant. Recalls interest in building. Didn't like school. Later went to night classes. Teachers too fond of the stick. Details. Served joinery apprenticeship. Recalls wages, boss, Bertie White - a Jehovah's Witness, very strict. Recalls things learnt from him. Started own business as builder from age 18. Did bomb-damage jobs. Went to Flotta, Orkney, to work 1975, later to Shetland for 3 weeks - and stayed. Details re work in Flotta. JOHN GEORGE TAIT (JT) born 25 May 1948 Lerwick. Has twin sister. Describes childhood home, a croft house. No running water or electricity. School same building where interview recorded. Parents crofters. Grew own vegetables, animals etc. Recalls hearing father's seafaring stories. Details re siblings. Twin sister married American, last Commanding Office at Scatsta Base. Mother, a twin, widowed twice, brought up in County Homes. Details. Describes her personality. She had strong faith. Describes father. Describes hard work on croft. Recalls first electricity, mother's reaction. Family was healthy. Comments on hygiene today. Recalls baths. Local laird, Giffords, pretty tough. Reference to tuberculosis (consumption), diphtheria. Grandfather a postman (letter carrier). His brother died of galloping consumption. Story of grandfather's survival. Relationship with twin sister. Mother was key figure throughout her life. Left school, helped on croft, worked in fish factory. Details re wages, lodgings etc. Recalls schooling, discipline, food. Wanted to join Merchant Navy. Enjoyed school. Details. Wanted to leave Shetland. Recalls Shetlanders' apprehension of strangers. Reference to laird. First inklings re oil early 1970s. Recalls local meetings, presentation of early storage plans. Details. Reference to Nordport.
Tape 2 Side A: (JT) Recalls first presence of oil industry in Shetland - construction of Firth Camp. Applied for job in camp as cleaner 1975. Thought it was heaven. Explains. Details re wages. Purpose of camp. Reference to Pioneer Camp. Older Shetlanders not happy re developments. Explains. Very little trouble with workers. State of Shetland economy at time, lack of indigenous industry. Benefit to Shetland of agreement with industry. Comments on popular perception of Ian Clark. (HC) Recalls first days in Shetland. First work on construction jetty. Details. (WH) Recalls first days in Shetland, early industry activity, amount of heavy machinery, construction of boom across voe, process of reclaiming land. Power station built out of hills. Worked as garage labourer, then fitter's mate. Money good. Explains work. (ALL) Details re machines, changing cutting edges of bulldozers, scrapers. Details re process. Good safety record with big machines. Water sprayed to lay dust in summer. Recalls accident with scraper, lucky escape. Details re fatal accident in early days. Describes another accident resulting loss of an eye. Compares safety regulations then with now. Union membership - job was closed shop. Union not very active. One catering strike. Details leading to end of strike. Toilet smashed at Toft Camp resulted in instant dismissal. Reference to site agreement. At peak, c6500 workers. Entertainment included cabarets, gambling. Advantage of attendance at mass - later arrival at work. Positive reaction of incomers to Shetlanders. Reference to Brae Hotel, Sullom Voe Hotel. Few problems with drink. Accommodation rules re personal conduct of workers in camp. Cleaning routines in camp. Courtesy of workers, especially Irish. No religious clashes among Irish.
Tape 2 Side B: Relationship between Shetlanders and construction workers (cont'd). Incident in Sullom Voe Hotel, packed with Irishmen, when one worker said 'Up the Provos!'. Normally good relationship. Workers a mixed crowd. Details re 2 deaths. Description of executive blocks in camp. Reference to Grandmet Hotels. Details re meal menus, waste of food. Seagulls ate so much they couldn't fly. 24-hour laundry. Visits by celebrities. Lot of money raised for charity. Lot of music, intermixing of Irish, Shetland music. Songs written about industry by Barney Fitzgerald. Reference to Alan McKinnon, Welcome Inn, Mossbank. Words of song about Sullom Voe. Life in Shetland for wives, children and other family members. Details re their lives. Part of Mossbank called Toytown, Legoland. Reference to short-term accommodation. (JT) Lived at home, inherited croft and house. Recalls meeting with wife. Recalls use of croft after oil came. Worked as cleaner at construction camp 5-6 years. Got job with maintenance crew. More outdoor work. (WH) Reference to childhood home, Tyrone Times. Worked 5 years on Sullom Voe site, then in construction. Details re maintenance. Became taxi driver for 16 years in Brae. Retired 1987. Describes changes to roads. (HC) Recalls work on site. (WH) Advent of roll on-roll off ferry. Recalls earlier ferry. Increase in people coming to Shetland, heavy lorries, industries. Increase in building industry, housing. No big building companies in Shetland before. (HC) Development of guesthouse, tourism, affluence in Shetland. (ALL) Piper Alpha disaster seemed distant. Other aircraft accidents. (WH) Wife and children survived on aircraft that crashed after landing at Sunburgh 1976. (ALL) Changes to Shetland, schooling in retrospect. |