| Description | Tape 1 Side A: WILLIAM GORDON MERCER born 5 February 1936 Dunfermline, Fife. Middle of three children. Childhood home a council house. Father sales director in rubber works. Describes neighbourhood of Brucefield. Details re parents' families. Maternal family name was Smeaton. Recalls paternal grandparents who lived nearby. Both grandfathers liked a good drink, lived to 80s. Father was teetotal, died with heart problem at 61. Maternal grandfather worked in Bleachfield. Mother was one of ten. One cousin, a Lancaster pilot, killed in war. Has played golf since age 11. Details re mother. She worked in a mill. Recalls other family members living in home after father's death. Took over his role at holiday time with mother, aunt. Describes mother's personality, relationship with her. Main social life was with family. Details. Describes father who enjoyed man-racing, was former sprinter. Recalls own time as sprinter champion. Details re golf interest which continues. Recalls early friends, childhood experiences, school fights. Was in Royal Signals for National Service. Recalls re-meeting childhood friends. Describes childhood homes, sleeping arrangements. Reference to sister's illness. Recalls cousin having to shave off moustache because it was frowned upon by mother. Everybody went to church. Details. Was in cubs, scouts. Own position re religion. Parents were Tories. Explains own political position. Not encouraged to read at home. Reference to Neville Shute, Park Drive cigarettes. Still not a reader. Used to go dancing seven nights a week when 17-18 at Kinema Ballroom. Knew wife long before marriage. Mentions interest in aviaries. Mentions education in Dunfermline. Recalls a punishment. Failed Eleven-Plus. Went to Queen Anne School. Started apprenticeship at age 15.
Tape 1 Side B: Schooldays in retrospect. Didn't like English. Recalls various teachers. Was obedient in class. Recalls start of apprenticeship, learning many things including cable-jointing. Learned virtue of hard work. Recalls wages. Taught to weld. Compares own attitude with others'. Encouraged by parents to work, learn. Recalls advent of new things in electrical industry. Reference to TRS, PVC, pyrotenics. Was doing advanced work when 16-17. Did installation for Fairey Gannet aircraft engine rotating prop test-bed. Wife passed Eleven-Plus, went to high school. Mentions father's work in shoe shop. Recalls having no career aspirations but interest in electrical trade - which paid more. Joined James Scott electrical engineers, took on electrical apprenticeship 1951. Learned to work hard. Mentions father's work travel. Reference to Boeing. Never poor. Recalls holidays e.g. at Butlins, one week a year. Recalls first bosses. Given everything to do. Recalls attitude of journeyman. Had to wire a house as part of apprenticeship. Recalls learning a lesson from an electrical accident which resulted in burn. Explains cause of accident. Not taught much about safety. When 19 asked to take over rewiring Wick Airfield as fourth-year apprentice, supervising local journeymen. Rewired nearly every airfield in Scotland. Mentions reputation as hard worker. Was not ambitious. Details re Wick lighting situation, elements of job. Worked faster than others. Later did Aberdeen airfield 1961-2. Details re lighting arrangement there, voltages. Attitude of 'sparkies' to their status - creme de la creme. Airports have different electrical systems from other situations. Explains. Recalls job at Kingseat Mental Hospital, Aberdeen, its linking tunnels, temporary lighting system. Details re assistance from patients. Further details re wiring work.
Tape 2 Side A: Recalls a wiring job for Home Defence system on railway line - interrupted by unscheduled train. Recalls social life in Wick, lack of local men there. Incomers in demand. Had more money than local boys. Reference Seaforth Club, digs (accommodation) with the sisters Green. Recalls dislike for herring. Details re digs. Story re sisters Green. Did National Service. Mentions a broken-off engagement. Was in Royal Signals. Explains difficulties getting to night school, doing exams. Reference to 'Brylcreem Boys' in National Service (RAF), REME. Feelings re National Service. Mentions skills in golf. Career prospects in electrical work. Details re exams. Reference Newcastle Amber beer. Became line technician Instructor. Details re class members. Mentions possibility for playing golf. Came out of National Service 1959. Headhunted by J.Murphy & Sons 1963 as Project Engineer. Background to appointment. Recalls earlier cable-jointing work at RAF Edzell, high level security screening. Recalls interview with John Murphy. Details re travel to London. Asked to work on heavy cable contracts. Courted by Balfour Beatty. Progressed from Project Engineer to Projects Manager with Murphys. Recalls a new cable job. Explains problem with large cables losing current. Describes measures taken using cooling stations to increase load carrying capacity. Reference to CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board). Details re planning route for cable. Recalls building cable-carrying bridge over Brighton line, collapse of crane, bridge. Explains dealings with police re closure of roads. Used divining process to find water lines, electrical and telephone cables, etc with welding rods, wires. Didn't believe in divining until then. Explains process using welding rods. Details re pipelines in London, building tunnel under Thames.
Tape 2 Side B: Water divining (cont'd). Comments on skills, cost of breaking water lines, telephone lines etc. Moved from electrical to high pressure gas-related pipeline work in Sevenoaks 1967 as Senior Project Engineer. Pipeline went from Sevenoaks to Croydon. Details re responsibilities. Explains different types of bends in pipelines, ways of calculating angle, use of protractor, trigonometry. Did farm liaison work. Details re process of digging trench, laying pipeline. Explains seven sequences involved. Able to do a mile a day. Reference to Bacton pipeline. High pressure gas ring-main around London. Pipe is flexible. Further details re laying pipeline, equipment used including tracked crane. Explains block valve installation, control of pressure. Compares with electrical work. Details re flight from Biggin Hill over completed pipeline. Recalls dealing with British Gas (BG). Reference to Pipeline Industries Guild. Pipeline people travelling all the time, law unto themselves. Strict rules re conduct. Details re different teams, sequence of their work including surveying, aligning, fencing, stripping, laying out of pipe, welding, wrapping, digging, ditching, stringing, laying on chogs, centralising, ultrasonic check of butts etc. Pipe sits on sand, covered by sand, backfill, topsoil. Mentions situation in London streets. Depth of pipe. Explains indicators re presence of pipeline, helicopter inspections. Details re invitation to join AOC (Aker Offshore Constuction) to work in oil industry 1978. Mentions work in Wytch Farm, Dorset. Recalls going to AOC for interview in Aberdeen. Story of 'sick mother'. Details re Wytch Farm, then owned by British Gas, Maggie Thatcher's pressure on Dennis Rooke, BG, to sell it. Attitude of locals. Reference to Corfe Castle. Railway line built to transport oil.
Tape 3 Side A: Married 1969. Recalls buying first flat. Mother's attitude to mortgages, borrowing money. Details re daughters. Lived in Surrey. Wife's names, her activities including Guides. She was a domestic science teacher. Details re J.Murphy & Sons, move to Aberdeen, increase in salary. Recalls interview with Norwegian, reaction of Murphy to own departure. Recalls first job in Aberdeen, problems on Brent Delta. Difficulties getting out there because of Offshore Construction Manager. Reference to survival certificate. Details re problems. Reference to Shell. Communication gap between offshore, onshore people. Example of problems: around £600,000 worth of man-hours missed by cost engineers. Own brief as Project Engineer. Recalls first helicopter landing on platform. Mentions other Brent platforms, flights to Sunburgh. Sent to Stornaway for building of Drillmaster (now Buchan Alpha) production platform, ex-Aker semi-submersible drilling rig. Reference to Fred Olsen. Details re work routine, shifts. Worked on plans for piping, electrical engineering etc. Worked to daily programme. Recalls work colleagues, problem areas. Not interested in politics of oil industry, got on with job. Home in Inverbervie. Details re family arrangements, choice of home location. Reference to golf. Recalls increase in value of houses. Mortgages tough to get early on. Compares with today. Details re current house. Sent to work on Murchison platform in Dundee - first time working on platform from fabrication yards stage to first oil. Details re Murchison field. Reference to John Beaton. Details re plant supply, requirements, pricing. Parts of Murchison built in different parts of country. Mentions float-out, hook-up. Own work involved coordination of suppliers, planning, engineering for hook-up, commissioning. Details re aspects of hook-up, sequence of activities.
Tape 3 Side B: Recalls Air Ministry contracts, people met there, e.g. Ian McLachlan, author of The Dark Island. Recalls Shackleton aircraft landing at Kinloss with collapsed front wheel, reaction of survivors. Recalls Aberdeen in 1978, reaction to oil industry, loss of people to offshore work. Details re family, deaths of parents, aunt. Reference Senior Service cigarettes. Recalls mother's reaction at time of own marriage. Details re alcohol habits in family. Further details re preparation for Murchison hook-up, own role controlling tradesmen, plan etc. Let out sub-contracts for certain jobs. Explains mechanical, electrical hook-up. Deadline in hands of design engineering contractor, oil company. Explains design changes etc. Murchison a successful operation. Some hook-ups take years, e.g. Brent Charlie, the 'spare parts' platform. Details. Usually disagreement between hook-up and production people whose role is to produce oil, make money. Aim of hook-up contractor to become maintenance contractor. Got Murchison contract. Explains. Comments on Conoco, their personnel, honest approach. Relationship between contractors, oil companies. Important for contractor to remember who client was. Background to appointment as Project Manager, Shell Expro Fulmar 'A' hook-up 1980, working from Montrose. Comments on impact of industry there. Further details re late production start of Brent Charlie. Conoco sailed tighter ship than Shell. Explains situation in Dundee re local quayside labour; some did nothing. Better in Montrose. Dundee seemed to have death wish union-wise. Recalls reason for motor companies not going to Dundee. Reference Harry McLeavey. Union situation in AOC. Details of a dismissal case. Own feeling re unions - never any hassle. Details re threatened strikes in Morecambe Bay. Reference to Rough Field 11-week strike.
Tape 4 Side A: Project Manager, Morecambe Bay 1983-4. Further details re strike situation. Recalls meeting with union delegates, on-site agreement. Evolution of Southern Sector Agreement involving Morecambe Bay and Rough Field. Recalls going offshore for discussions with letters sacking 350 people, agreement making letters unnecessary. Had two short strikes only. Explains approach to negotiations. Worked on North Cormorant which followed Fulmar 'A' with first oil. Worked on MCP01 for Total. Started mock-up for TLP (Tension Leg Platform) for Conoco. Details re payments for job. Details re MCP01 pumping unit/compression platform, used by number of oil companies. Had Wednesday meetings on MCP01. Mentions smoking on helicopter. Recalls Chinook helicopters, vibration. Details re MCP01 meetings. Responsible for 500 trades-people. Further details re Morecambe Bay hook-up, accommodation arrangements in Blackpool, complications, changes necessary to hotels. Recalls Aberdeen company that ripped off Blackpool people. AOC taken to court by hotel owners because of loss of bar earnings. Recalls false evidence re worker's contract. Cost of case. Impact of industry on Blackpool. Appointment as Sales Manager working with Blandford Offshore Services supplying personnel to industry. Lull in hook-ups. Details re job. Later, 1985, responsible for sales development of AOC services. Mentions upcoming hook-up prospects, discussions with people in different companies. Project Manager for Brae 'B' 1986. Became stranger in own house. Explains personal routine, family contact. Had flat in Barbican. Mentions weekly golf. Marriage casualty rate among oil workers. Details. Recalls BP golf match between 'first-timers' (first marriage) versus 'second-timers' etc. Battle against strong competition etc for hook-up contracts. Details. Hard to get work in Norwegian sector. Plenty of head-hunting in industry.
Tape 4 Side B: Some hook-ups took longer. Explains. On friendly terms with competitors. Recalls Bill Murray, union man for Amec, now chairman OCA (Offshore Contractors' Association). Worked on Marathon's Brae 'B' mechanical hook-up. Mentions shooting interest, shared with Walter Anderson, Project Manager. Details re social links during tendering process. Comments on ethical situation. When on sales side you get on with everybody. Project Manager Shell Eider hook-up 1988. Explains allocation processes, hook-up contracts costs. Recalls tendering for hook-ups for zero profit yet making profit. Never lost money on hook-ups. Maximum staff 4000. Piper Alpha: recalls day of disaster, subsequent safety-related exercise. Mentions friend, an OIM, saved from being on Piper by flu, death of back-to-back. Long-term effect - he has never worked since. Guilt feelings of survivors, those who might have been there. After Piper things changed re safety. Details. Comments on having full-time safety officer offshore. Mentions safety officer on Piper, later with AOC. Comments on safety case regime. Reference to recent fatalities on Brent Bravo, situation there. Worked as Recruitment Coordinator, BP Wytch Farm Gathering Station 1989. Details. Explains difficulty getting supervisors. Mentions two-and-two shift routine offshore, less desirable routine at Wytch Farm. Successful recruitment in Cardiff. Wary of Liverpool because of Dundee image. Project Manager Shell Kittiwake hook-up 1989-90. Some industrial action. Hook-ups quicker than before. Details re Murchison TLP hook-up, use of floating unit. Some welding done during mock-up. Big job getting Miller contract. Details. Mentions NDT (non-destructive testing) done at Dyce. Mentions company structure, sale of Aker, changed ownership. Details re company name, reason for keeping initials AOC. Reference to Halliburton, Brown & Root.
Tape 5 Side A: BP Miller hook-up - first time having all disciplines under one control. Details re planning, project management, sales, construction personnel. Numbers of extra engineers, 5000 design changes due to Cullen Report. Gives examples. Had to use two support flotels. Biggest hook-up ever involved with, cost over £80M. Compares with other projects. Details re bonuses. Explains productivity payment on Miller. Details re man-hours, growth of project, fees. Company got Piper hook-up - involved in getting contract. Details re debriefing after jobs. Price main reason for losing contracts. Comments on competitors' situations. Mentions competitors Amec, Wood Group. Appointed Business Development Manager 1992. Involved in more hook-ups. Explains enjoyment of work. Describes cascade recruitment process. Company was a family. Details re Managing Director, Todg Slattery, a Vice President, former colleague in Murphy's. Details re staff changes in company. Own role as Business Development Manager. Took early retirement 1996, doing two days a week. Details re loss of BP work to Wood Group, Amec, attempts to get back in with BP, own way of tackling situation. Own discovery of BP's plans for North Sea spending next year. AOC involved in design and all other fields since sale to Brown & Root. Impact of technology on hook-ups. Mentions use of floating production tankers, Buzzard hook-up. Importance of personal contacts in business, links from previous projects, significance of good hook-ups. Took retirement package 1996. Explains work, financial details, pension situation. Invited to join Orion Engineering one day a week. Current working week: two days with KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root), one day with Orion - a body shop, supplier of people. Details re work.
Tape 5 Side B: Current lifestyle. Explains approach to work, people. Has sacked only one person - case involving double-invoicing. Describes own approach to management. Current work plans, involvement in game shooting syndicate, golf. Prospects for North Sea - recalls earlier predictions. Likely future developments, impact of modern technology. Feelings about use of oil money, taxation, pensions. Mentions pension situation in Germany, costs overseas. Recalls parents' attitudes. Compares inheritances now with earlier times. Mentions current shooting, golf, cruising.
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