BP MARINE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

The "Alternative Apprenticeship" originally consisted of:
- two years of technical college resulting in an Ordinary National Diploma in Marine Engineering
- two years of college vacations spent at designated heavy engineering industries throughout the UK
- the third year and a half spent as an Engineer Cadet aboard one of the company's oil tankers
- the final year spent at a ship-building company on the Tyne or the Clyde


The first two years of my Apprenticeship were spent at Acton Technical College in West London. Our classes were known as Dip. I and Dip. II Marine. I successfully achieved the Ordinary National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, endorsed for Marine Engineering in July 1957. The photograph on the left, was taken in Acton in 1956 and shows class members from various companies, namely: Esso, Caltex, Shell, British India, Bank Line.

During the college vacations of 1956 and 1957, I was sent to gain Heavy Engineering experience. In 1956, at Thom Lamont, a pump manufacturer in Paisley, Scotland. In 1957, to South Shields Marine and Technical College at The Tyne.
The picture on the left was a company organized day visit to the British Progress, at the Isle of Grain Oil Refinery in Kent.
My year of Heavy Engineering was spent from Sept 1957 to Sept 1958 at the Isle of Grain Oil Refinery, working in all parts of the refinery. Of special interest was four weeks in the Oil Tanker loading section, which allowed lots of time to visit company ships.

The last phase of the Apprenticeship was commenced on Sept. 5th 1958, when I joined my first ship, M.V. British Empress at the Isle of Grain. I stayed with this ship until it was laid up at Methil in Scotland of March 28th 1959. After that I joined the S.S. British Justice on the 8th of May, 1959. I sailed on her until she went to drydock in Falmouth on the 5th of February 1960. My apprenticeship was completed on the 18th of March, 1960.
The picture on the left, is a self-portrait of myself and Alfie Thomason, another apprentice, taking a tea break after Cabin Cleaning.



This photograph was used in the 1957 Engineering Apprentices Newsletter #14. The apprentice on the right, in a shirt and tie(not in my time!!), is C. Shepheard, a 1952 or 1953 intake apprentice.


Main Engine bearing scraping. This is the last phase of the apprenticeship training which took place at a shipyard. This apprentice is J.R. Barlow, with whom I'm in contact, a 1952 intake apprentice.

These are two well-groomed, devout, studious apprentices. Must be extremely good promotional material, future Chief Engineers.
I believe these two apprentices are C. Shepard and H.G. Cattanach.

The following three photos will have the names of the BP Apprentices added as soon as possible:

A 1955 intake at Bolton Tech ( Jeff Brown)

A 1955 intake at Isle of Grain Refinery in 1958 ( Syd Freeman)

From left to right, Front row (FR), Rear row (RR).
(FR)Allan Perett, (RR), Jimmy Woolgar?, (FR)?, (RR)Colin Marshal, (FR)Brian Jackman?, (RR)Dick Payne, (FR)?, (RR) ?fraction of a head, (RR) Graham Wallace?, (FR) Rod Harris, (FR)?, (RR)? hidden, (RR)? head down, (FR) ?, (RR)? 1/4 head, (FR) Terry Gooding, (RR) part of head?, Tony Machell. Syd Freeman taking photo.

Balance of E/A's at IOG at that time; A.D Clark, KB Edwards, I.D Eley, P.Gibbons,M.J Gray, J.R Henton ( Became BP C/E British Faith 1970), S.W Jones, J.R.Little, S.A Medland, W.H Parslow, D.J Probert, W.R Rawlings, I.H Stockley

A 1975 intake at Poplar tech ( Nick Tompkins)


The following five pictures are all of 1952 Engineering Apprentices at Wandsworth Technical College. These pictures were sent to me by Ken Goodison and donated by Brian Elford.

The apprentices in the picture from left to right: Ken Goodison, Peter Bamforth, Dick Sheppard, ??? Holmes, Brian Elford, ??? Hoskins, Brian Barnes, Geoff Hartwell, Peter Everett, Hamish Cattanach, ??? Western. (the ??? mark denotes unsure of first names).

This picture is the same apprentices as in the above picture.

This picture is a workshop at Wandsworth in 1952 with BP and Shell apprentices.

The 1952 Shell and BP apprentices.

This is a picture of Brian Elford with BP bosses. I believe that the man without a hat is D.G. Alcock, the Apprentices Training Superintendent. Does anybody know who the two gentlemen in bowler hats are?

To see a more complete write up of the Apprenticeship program from my perspective, click here.

To see a copy of my 1955 Apprenticeship Indentures click here

To see a copy of my Apprenticeship Wage Scale click here