Service and reward - / Valhalla No More
Service and reward – a cautionary tale Inspired by JIM THAIN of Montrose Written by LEROY McGREGOR Blowout November 1991 Once upon a time a North-east man joined the Royal Navy and for many years he served Queen and country with loyalty and dedication. As a reward for his services, he was given a big-money job in the Royal Oilfields. The work was hard and the hours were long, but North-east folk are used to that and our hero was happy with his lot. The beauty of summer evenings in the North Sea was compensation enough for the wild storms of the winter and the years quickly passed. ‘Til one fateful night our man’s life was changed for ever. As he cleaned the drill floor, little did he know that far above him a tiny crack was slowly getting bigger. From an able-bodied man, skilled and strong, to a broken cripple, a creature that would never go to the sea again. It was over before you could blink. For as long as men have tempted Providence upon the North Sea swell, for as l