| Description | Tape 1 Side A: ALAN JOHN HALL born 19 July 1927 in Walworth, London. Only child. Paternal grandfather did teas at Elephant and Castle, London, early 20th century. Maternal family: didn't know them. Grandfather, thought to have been army sergeant in Irish Guards, became scaffolder. Details. Reference to scaffolding hammer. Mentions family land lost over gaming tables. Describes childhood homes in south London, working class situation. Few cars around. Recalls street games, safety for children. Father unemployed, nearly committed suicide. Details. He had to sign on regularly at Labour Exchange. Attitude of people there. Close family. Mother had lost an earlier child. Spoilt by her. Father an assistant bookseller. Mentions deceptive dress style of White Star shipping company people across the road. Father was not a great reader, few books at home. Recalls relationship with him, an event in the family. Pride of parents at own school results, passing 11 plus exam. Family was of mixed religions, Catholic, Church of England. No difficulties. Describes mother, her attitude to self, caring nature. Learned values from her. Mentions having to learn piano. Visitors were mainly relatives. Recalls houses, neighbours, few parties, playing games in the street. Parents' politics were Tory. Details re council estate, MP. Attitude then to Labour, Moseley. Went to London County Council schools. Recalls two spinster aunts, days out with one of them to Richmond, Hampton Court etc. Things started to blossom after achieving 11 plus exam. Joined ATC (Air Training Corps), wanted to fly. Evacuated briefly during war to Tinterton, Kent - right in line with aerial fighting. Recalls bomb killing a friend in lonely farmhouse. Returned to London.
Tape 1 Side B: In Tinterton, during evacuation, had no real schooling. Gathered in Zionist chapel, got under pews during air raids. Back in London changed school. Arrived at beginning of London blitz. Education finished at that date. Left school early because of family economic situation. Background to getting job with General Steam Navigation Accounts Department 1942. Recollections of blitz, engine noises, sound of bombs. Describes Anderson, Morrison air raid shelters. Feelings about bombing, incendiary bombs. Describes noise of V1, V2 bombs, distinctive sound of German aircraft. Mentions barrage balloons. Home life was paramount. Recalls radio programmes, broadcast boxing events. Had no electricity till 1948. Explains. Had to get batteries charged. Details re gas lighting, coal heating etc. Recalls a neighbour who had gas fridge, her visit to claim sewing machine when mother died. Mentions deaths of parents, own marriage in 1952. Conscripted in 1945. Recalls work with General Steam Navigation. Still belongs to GSM Association. Paid to do fire watching for company. Details of pay etc. Taught to drive at 17 on Morris 8, Ford V8 Pilot, no road tests. Describes office work, duplication by hand. Reference to Gestetner machine. Recalls driving incident involving trams, reaction of boss. Mentions form of address in office. 1945 conscripted into air force as radio operator. Sent to old American base in Northamptonshire, later became driver. Posted to Kenya. Had never had aspirations to travel abroad. Details of trip via ship Royal Daffodil, through France, to Africa. Stayed 2 years. Rejoined GSN 1948, London Head Office Accounts Department. Recalls GSN colleagues. Family feeling in firm. Recalls sports, picnics. Recollections of school days.
Tape 2 Side A: School days not a good memory, ended with wartime evacuation. Summary re work with General Steam Navigation Med(iterranean) Freight Department, preparing cargo lists. Explains 'Conferences' of shipping lines, process of shipping cargo. Recalls post-war shortage of space, informal sharing of cargoes between lines, negotiations re space with ships' officers. Details of different cargo types carried, requirements. Recalls hospitality on ships. Progressed with GSN. Married in 1952. Details re wife, meeting with her in office. Reference to Joe Lyons coffee shop. Details re children, one now a teacher, the other a nurse. Stayed in London area after marriage. Was a keen hockey player. Worked in Outward Freight Department of GSN. Mentions problems on the company board. Details re establishment of Special Duties Group, personnel involved, initiation of study of P&O offshore oil and gas services 1963-4. Contacts were already being secured, rig supply ships being designed. Lot of talk of oil/gas, seismic sounding etc. Recalls own first awareness of industry, late 1965 seeing Smitlloyd 1 supply boat in the Thames, showing the flag to charterers, London-based oil companies. Describes ship. Was senior assistant to Outward Freight Manager. Describes responsibilities with bills of lading etc. Process had become more sophisticated since early days in career. Compares with manual processes. Recalls advent of compometers - biggest move for years. Little recollection of first gas in West Sole field, Sea Gem disaster. Expressed interest in becoming member of SDG. Given task of looking at French ferry company, then investigated 'combi' berth on Thames.
Tape 2 Side B: Background to problems with Great Yarmouth Shipping Company (subsidiary of GSN, owner of T. Small). Details re shipping service to Antwerp, Rotterdam. Mentions freehold wharf - rare in Yarmouth. Details re profit of T. Small, losses of GYSC, problems in company, reorganisation of freight departments. Sent to be Assistant Manager in new enlarged department of GSN. Reason for this being unsatisfactory. Recalls circumstances leading to appointment, 1966, as Managing Director, and on board, of GYSC and T. Small. An incredible leap. Details re small increase salary. Reference to later appointment as Consul for Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Sub-Commissioner for Pilots. Recalls unwelcoming handover from predecessor. Attitude of other staff. Reference to own membership of Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. Describes situation at the time in Great Yarmouth, need of change, e.g. to organise 24-hour coverage in company. Typically in Great Yarmouth, businesses closed at 1pm Thursdays, no night work. Details. Took 5 years to persuade ship chandler to go into offshore business. Details re extensive offshore industry presence in Great Yarmouth, number of companies involved, yet lack of interest by local businesses. Gives example of requirement of a big industry company, difficult task persuading local people to cooperate. Describes conditions locally. Resistance to servicing offshore crewboats, lack of interest. Attitude that oil/gas industry would have 5-year life. Own proposal re rebuilding that was necessary on wharves. Nobody could look beyond 2-3 years. Attitude of P&O. Great Yarmouth as a base could have been saved from what happened later. Reaction of oil companies to Great Yarmouth attitude. Example of response of Texan oilman. Reference to Continental Shelf Act.
Tape 3 Side A: Reaction of Great Yarmouth people to oil/gas industry (cont'd). Not even a mini bus to service crew changes. Details re resolution to this. Interest of some forwarding agents in the industry but T.Small had good hold. Explains own interest in oil/gas industry - the enthusiasm of industry people. Benefit of 24-hour service. Role of T.Small company - ships agents. Details re service provided. Started separate offshore department. Had agency for BP ships. Background to development of offshore department, staff involved. Details re work with Mobil, beginnings in ship chartering business. Reaction of people of Great Yarmouth to oil/gas industry. Labour market for qualified people began to dry up. Industry brought the town alive. Explains. Advent of 'plastic Yanks' (locals). Describes own excitement with job, 24 hour service to ships etc. Feeling that it was impossible to go wrong. Fast growth in activity, visitors etc. Read, talked with people about developments. Recalls conversation about passing BP ship, realisation of a new gas discovery. Phone calls from various countries, even at home on Sundays. Recalls problem jobs, eg demands for ships at short notice. Reference to Brown & Root Wimpey. Recalls rush to get job done, amount of money around. Once trusted, not necessary to give a price, word was bond. Some took advantage of situation. Gives example. Americans expected you to make money. Attitude of Head Office, London. Details re profit. Serviced BP ships working on West Sole field. Details of other developments, including advent of condensate. Impact of Great Yarmouth success on developments in Aberdeen. Reference to future life of North Sea industry.
Tape 3 Side B: Oil/gas industry still active in Great Yarmouth. It became a 5-day operation. Compares situation on waterfront now with 1960s. After 1970s up to 18 supply boats in port to be serviced in one day. End of Great Yarmouth Shipping Company's line service to continent. Details. GYSC got smaller. Details re its riverside bond, property in Norwich part of which was sold. Recalls aborted plan to move bond to airport, own entrepreneurial work. Explains extent of Norwich river shipping business, now ended. Growth in numbers of agencies, relationship with oil companies, Brown & Root, McDermott etc. Details. Recalls Americans' expectations of service. Clash between their way of working and that of Great Yarmouth people. Not much competition for own service partly because of innovative approach. Later example of developing use of a scanner, then a radio channel. Details. Explains need to deal with conservative local attitudes. Effect of industry on house rent, food culture, e.g. Cajun dishes. Politics of government didn't affect business. Mentions evolution of own politics. Recalls Lord Devlin report re dockers 1967. Company held to ransom by dockers. Gives example. Attitude of Americans to situation - they would stand back. By 1972 a group of accountants dictating company policy. Details. Own frustration at company (P&O) refusal to develop ABC wharf in Great Yarmouth etc. Describes unreasonable accounting request from Head Office. Changes in P&O relationship with GSN, at higher company levels but affecting local, profitable, situation. Decided, with colleagues Alec King, Malcolm Brooks, to form own company, Halcyon Shipping, ship broker. Rationale of idea. Response of P&O was frightening. Explains.
Tape 4 Side A: Decision to establish Halcyon Shipping (cont'd). Recalls finding premises, deciding on need to face P&O prominently. Explains situation. Involvement of wife as part-time receptionist/ typist. Explains financial details, record time clearance of overdraft. Mentions work with shipping freight. Took over stevedoring company. Details re clients, successful arrangement with one scrap metal client. Deals with Norwegian company Bugge, Inchcape etc. Recalls in 1972 being arrested for allegedly taking items from P&O. Details. Big mistake by P&O putting word round the Continent. Explains. Outcome from DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) was 'no case'. Mentions support of business colleagues. Company gained from episode. Knows who was responsible for situation. Recalls level of absorption in work, effects on family. Details of Halcyon clients. Branch opened in Invergordon. Reason for later closure. Recalls disappointment that oil not found below gas (off Great Yarmouth). Not known what may be found. Explains British Gas situation. Retirement from Halcyon 1987. Mentions colleague's divorce. Details re pension situation. State of oil/gas industry at that time. Recalls stories about duration of industry. Mentions British Gas pumping water into Leman to increase pressure. Changes in Great Yarmouth, McDermott, Brown & Root etc pulling out. Changes to Halcyon. Compares London rat-race drive with attitudes in Great Yarmouth in early days of industry, difference in culture. Activities in retirement, e.g. Crossroads, Rotary, Probus. Career in retrospect. Describes one time of regret since retirement, seeing businessmen having lunch, softening up clients over lunch. Has been knighted twice as Consul by Queen Beatrix, Queen Margaretha.
Tape 4 Side B: Reference to Danish knighthood, medal etc awarded for service as Consul, post traditionally held by Great Yarmouth Shipping Company head. Explains role as Consul. Recalls visit of Danish Queen on royal yacht and other royals including King Constantine. Had to get cars from local funeral director. Details. Reference to oil industry-related notes. Reference to Offshore Supply Association, Offshore Marine, Crescent Shipping, London Rochester Trading.
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