WATCHING THE WORLD THE SECRET OF DUKE'S WOOD

With Roger Vielvoye from London In the dark days of February 1943 a group of 40 American drillers, mostly from Oklahoma, arrived in the Midlands of England on a secret mission. Britain was under siege, and the success of the German submarine campaign was threatening the British war machine's lifeline: oil from the Middle East and Venezuela. The drilling team and four rigs imported from the U.S. made a major contribution to the war effort by boosting production from Duke's Wood oil field

June 24, 1991

3 min read

In the dark days of February 1943 a group of 40 American drillers, mostly from Oklahoma, arrived in the Midlands of England on a secret mission.

Britain was under siege, and the success of the German submarine campaign was threatening the British war machine's lifeline: oil from the Middle East and Venezuela.

The drilling team and four rigs imported from the U.S. made a major contribution to the war effort by boosting production from Duke's Wood oil field to 3,000 b/d from 300 b/d in double quick time.

Forty-eight years later, 16 survivors of that wartime mission accompanied by Gene Rosser, one of the leaders of the original team, were back at Duke's Wood, this time for a ceremony to unveil a bronze statue that marks their exceptional wartime achievement.

By the time the drilling team, employed by two Oklahoma compa-nies-Noble Drilling Corp. and Fain-Porter Drilling Co.-sailed home in the spring of 1944, 106 wells had been drilled.

Shortly afterward, a British government official said Duke's Wood went into operation just when every ton of oil was needed to carry Britain through the crisis of war. The field provided supplies U boats could never sink.

Duke's Wood, operated by British Petroleum Co plc, was depleted and shut down in 1965. For years the facilities were left to deteriorate until it was noticed that the wood was developing a unique flora attributed to the magnesium limestone hardcore brought in during preparation of drillsites.

The wood became a protected wildlife park, and four of the remaining pump jacks were refurbished. But for visitors there was no mention of the men who had drilled the field.

That was put right by the U.S. group, Energy Advocates, that raised the money for the 7 ft high statue of a driller. It is the centerpiece of a display that recalls the wartime episode.

The statue by Jay O'Melia, Tulsa, was unveiled by British Sec. of State for Energy John Wakeham at a ceremony also attended by Ray Plank, chairman of Apache Corp., representing Energy Advocates, and James Day, president and CEO of Noble Drilling Co.

Also present were a number of BP pensioners who worked on the drilling program alongside the Americans and local residents who still recalled vividly the moment the men with the cowboy boots and checkered shirts arrived, allegedly to make a movie.

It was a day for tall stories and reminiscences.