| Description | Tape 1 Side A: ROY FORBES GODSMAN born 15 June 1955 Aberdeen. Background to names. An only child. Paternal family: name originates in north east Scotland. Reference to family history dating back to 1506. Most of family in farming. An 18th century ancestor was factor to Haddo House. Grandfather a farmer, father a millwright in Banff area, later worked with his brother, a joiner, in Aberlour. Father designed Godsman threshing mill - one still operating. Details. Mill was replaced by combine harvester. Details re family names. Maternal family also farmers at Tombaim near Aberlour. Mother did housework before marriage. Details re grandparents. Earliest memory goes back to age 2. Names of grandparents. Memories of grandfather, his musical activities. Recalls family home in Aberlour, father's unorthodox way of demolishing original house before rebuilding. Details re father, his business sense, life-long hard work. Own approach to balancing work and other things. Further details re father's inventive engineering work, export activities. Relationship with him. Started working in father's workshop at age 12, operated crane etc. Describes father, his concern for others. Details re mother, her involvement in community, church. Describes family home in detail, neighbourhood. Explains decision to sell house. Further details re house, individual rooms, mother's laundry routine etc. Reference to current interest in yoga. Recalls childhood interest in various sports. Family was close. When father home, always had meals together. Close to mother throughout life. Describes her personality. Recalls parents' relationship, effect of father's hard work. At that time, an overall fear of being poor. Effect of parents' early experience of hard times.
Tape 1 Side B: Mother was most influential person in early childhood, later father. Explains. Mentions relationship with extended family. Details re holidays spent with family, and at Butlins holiday camp. Father's attitude to holidays. Recalls school cruise on ship Uganda to Mediterranean - first experience of outside world. Describes childhood neighbourhood in Aberlour, shopping chores, neighbours, shopkeepers. Father didn't drink much alcohol. His work was his life. Describes character, identity of Aberlour people, distant perception of Aberdeen. Recalls strong sense of community in Aberlour. Different accent there. Feelings about people changing accent when they moved. Attitude of Aberdeen people to Aberlour. Own attitude to accent. Wife from west coast. Details re education in Aberlour, Keith. Left school at 16, moved to Aberdeen. Pressure at school to speak Queen's English. Further feelings re importance of maintaining own accent, communication. Recalls maths teacher, corporal punishment. Recalls an incident at school, useful in later life. Details re sport at school. Expectation to take over father's business. Background to getting engineering apprenticeship with Hendersons, Aberdeen, value of childhood practical experience in father's workshop. Feelings now about career path taken. Recalls loneliness of childhood, reading, enjoyment of rock music, potato picking. Describes social life in Aberlour, non-alcoholic fund-raising dances. Recalls ways of getting whisky before dances. Did engineering course at Aberdeen Technical College on day release. Worked at Henderson Engineers, crane makers. Stayed in digs in a loft in Hilton. A grim situation. Details re inadequate meals, board and other living, travelling expenses. After age 16 never took money from parents. Explains desire for independence. Worked in weekends for father. Had no spare money.
Tape 2 Side A: Did four-year apprenticeship with Hendersons, King Street, Aberdeen. Recalls first oil workers came off semi-submersible rigs, 1973. Describes Aberdeen in early 70s, industrial area in King Street. Worked after-hours with fishing company, washing and boxing fish. Recalls problem with fish smell, fun of working with Torry women in fish factory. Compares with later work at more senior level in Shell. Importance of early experience in Aberdeen. Recalls rough language of women, their warmth. Influence of Henderson's journeyman Hughie Reddick, still a friend. Details re work routine at Henderson's, heavy engineering. Reference to British Steel Corporation. Further details re Reddick, his work in Solomon Islands. Own attitude to work. Father politically conservative. Explains own politically left attitude, sympathy with workers' viewpoint. Joined union. Recalls involvement in strike at Henderson's. Stayed with them five years. Details. Married 1973. Details re meeting wife, her background. Difficult economic situation then. Describes wife's attitudes, personality. Her parents were crofters. Details re three sons. 1976 joined Dresser Atlas, first job in oil industry, through Michael Matthews agency. Lot of oil-related jobs at time, good money. Dresser Atlas a wireline company. Details re logging offshore on Amoco Montrose Alpha platform. Describes Aberdeen people, compares with Aberlour people, blinkered attitudes. Impact of Americans on Aberdeen. Mentions first Shell platform, Orca Alpha. Recalls first impressions of being offshore, lack of survival equipment on helicopter, air of excitement on platform, activity. Compares with previous work in Aberdeen. Example of high level of spending money, costs in industry. Example of dangers offshore, accident involving crane. Benefit of childhood experience with cranes. Describes role of crane operator.
Tape 2 Side B: Further details re crane work, skills involved, coordination necessary. Details re Dresser Atlas, their old equipment, long hours necessary for maintenance, pressure from oil companies to work long hours. Reference to Schlumberger. Need for physical, psychological strength. Recalls early offshore colleagues. Reference to Santa Fe drilling company. Different national groups interacted well. Details re social facilities, amenities available offshore. Compares with later times. No alcohol on offshore platforms except at Christmas but available on tankers where contractors often slept. Recalls first awareness of drugs, marijuana, offshore. Buildup of tensions among workers because of being away from families, communication difficulties. Personal telephone conversations heard by whole North Sea. Explains own relaxed attitude offshore, attitude to saving money. Loneliness and pressure for wife. Recalls fire in Auk platform laundry. Safety standards were higher on Shell platforms. Compares with today. Story of welder who nearly crashed a shuttle helicopter. Story of another helicopter predicament. Recalls emotional pressures of Christmas time, New Year offshore. Recalls first New Year offshore, no break in work. Little union involvement. Own attitude re earnings, safety standards. Background to 1978 move to Air Products Nitrogen Services. Worked in coil tubing division, offshore, in Aberdeen, and Holland. Explains coil tubing processes, uses. Recalls losing ten thousand feet of coil tubing in well. Describes use of equipment, hydraulics. Recalls incident on Beryl Alpha involving an alcoholic. Work was hard, rough, dirty, based on intuition. Initially trained with Americans, sent to Louisiana, Texas. Different ways of working onshore there. Explains. Describes Americans in North Sea, quite wild. Developed friendships with Americans. Compares friendliness of Americans and Aberdonians.
Tape 3 Side A: Americans in America more friendly towards Scots than Aberdonians towards Americans in Aberdeen. Example of ignorance of Americans re Britain, Scotland etc. Some resentment in Aberdeen re moneyed Americans. Recalls time spent on Piper Alpha. Opinion of Occidental's standards. Examples of poor safety standards. Was on Piper when it achieved daily world oil production record. Recalls massive flare on Piper, feelings about living, working in such an environment. Permit to work system was inadequate. Compares Piper with Shell platforms. Recalls rough and ready Dutch jackup rigs, crowded accommodation, heat etc. Earned good money, focussed on saving. Not enough time spent with family but had clear career intentions. Saved a lot of money but spent little. Lot of social problems amongst oil workers through drink. Background to move to Shell Well Services Department, Aberdeen 1980-2000, financial considerations. Explains role as Well Services Controller, responsibility for up to eighty people. Continued with hands-on work. Shell had good name for safety, seen as secure employment. Major oil companies look after you but expect a lot. Details. Describes own situation. Reference to Shell Blue Book. Shell good in looking after families. Own attitude to Shell and to being identified with the company. Paid mortgage by age 28. Recalls importance of time off, increased quality time with family when working with Shell. Explains attitude to money, spending, social life. Not interested in social climbing, never a company man. Retained membership of local working men's club. Details re friendships in Shell. Own attitude re the company's requirements, workers' needs. Likely impact of own approach to not necessarily selling company line.
Tape 3 Side B: Explains attitudes necessary to reach senior positions in Shell at different periods of industry. Importance for promotion of having degree. First ten years with Shell spent offshore. Details re routines. Worked mostly in well services in Brent Field. Got diabetes about 1990, not allowed to work offshore. Explains. Mentions small number of days' sick leave ever taken. Details re diabetes. Diagnosis one of worst experiences of life. Lobbied support. Attitude of company doctor, UKOOA (United Kingdom Offshore Operators' Association). Eventually got dispensation - a first. Details re work on well production process, flaring consent, gas export etc. Not happy in office environment, preferred offshore. Explains major difference between offshore, onshore workforces. 1990 System Coordinator, AOCC (Shell Aberdeen Operations Coordination Centre), Aberdeen. Explains responsibilities. Example of decision to be made involving possible shutdowns. Details re work routine, shift times, layout of Centre. Job stressful - effect of this. Discovery of yoga when diagnosed diabetic, its benefit. Explains way of reacting to pressure, dealing with people, impact on family. Recalls Ian Scorgie, yoga mentor, realisation of real priorities in life. Further details re job. Background to decision to take early redundancy from Shell, effect of working hours on health. Started study with Open University, and study of Yoga. Recalls stress of last few years in Shell, concern re diabetes. Impact of Piper Alpha disaster on North Sea industry. Mentions potential role of AOCC. Compares Shell, Occidental arrangements at that time. Lack, then, of emergency shutdown valves on hydrocarbon pipelines on platforms in Brent Field. Speculates on situation if Brent had exploded. Reference to Flags pipeline, Cullen Enquiry.
Tape 4 Side A: Impact of Piper Alpha disaster (cont'd). All oil companies vulnerable before disaster. Shell's likely response then. Mentions accidents, fatalities on Shell installations. Not surprised that disaster happened on Piper. Explains. Describes atmosphere on an offshore installation, teamwork. More tension onshore than offshore. Explains. High point in industry was early construction days. Details. Recalls excitement of time. Feeling, now, of industry haemorrhaging. Since leaving Shell has focussed on yoga. Explains enjoyment of working as yoga teacher. Describes current life routines including hill walking, dancing. Reference to Scottish Yoga Training Association. Now in control of own life. Possibility of future part-time work in industry. Describes Aberdeen now. Opinion of Council response to oil industry. Concern re future of Aberdeen when oil goes. Lack of permanent evidence of oil industry in the city. Attitude of oil companies to places they come to. Recalls involvement, through AOCC, with Brent Spar issue, emergency meetings. Recalls procedures when moving Spar, precaution of shutting down hydrocarbon lines. Feelings about outcome of Brent Spar situation, its impact as a test case. Tense atmosphere in Shell at the time. Details re attitude in Shell to Greenpeace. Own view at time. Comments on situation in Nigeria, attitudes of multi-national companies. Recalls previous excessive gas flaring in Nigeria, attitude to employment of locals and to local infrastructures. Likely lifetime of North Sea industry, effect of new technology. |