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 long as their wives and sweethearts have lain awake on stormy nights, folk have always known that some would be unlucky. A benevolent monarchy had accepted their military service, collected their taxes year after year, generation after generation. Surely when tragedy struck the loyal subject his sad state would warrant some recognition of the worth of his contribution – a little justice.
Sad to say, the good monarch lived far away and was surrounded by selfish, greedy advisers. If they only knew how honest working folk are made to suffer.
Independent experts have assured our hero’s lawyer that poor maintenance caused the accident – a charge laid at the door of the drilling contractor. The drilling contractor has attempted to blame the manufacturer.
The lawyer is confused by the complex relationships between oil companies, contractors and employment agencies. Debts are mounting, despair is setting in. Four years have passed and a case has yet to be brought before the Royal courts.
And the moral of the story?
Surely it must be,
There’s a shortage of justice,
For the men of the sea.
Valhalla No More
24 January 2012
Another story that Jim Thain told me concerned a near-death experience that he had shortly after his accident.
He awoke floating in a soft cloudy world. He could see Vikings moving in a relaxed and purposeful way through the clouds. Knowing that Thain was a Norse name he immediately understood that he was in Valhalla. A fitting reward for a warrior who had died with honour, thought Jim as he drifted back to sleep.
The next time he awoke he was in Scotland and he was in pain from his amputated leg. He soon discovered that he was in Lerwick Cottage Hospital and that the cloudy sense of well-being he had recently experienced was due to morphine. The Vikings in his near-Valhalla experience had more substance. Once a year in Lerwick they celebrate Up-Helly-Aa. As part of the festivities the Guizer Jarls always visit the hospital.
The last I heard, some years ago, about Jim Thain was more optimistic. The courts that protect the rich had given him some money. He was married with a kid and had left Montrose. I wish him well wherever he is.
Louis Mair
Rayne
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 long as their wives and sweethearts have lain awake on stormy nights, folk have always known that some would be unlucky. A benevolent monarchy had accepted their military service, collected their taxes year after year, generation after generation. Surely when tragedy struck the loyal subject his sad state would warrant some recognition of the worth of his contribution – a little justice.
Sad to say, the good monarch lived far away and was surrounded by selfish, greedy advisers. If they only knew how honest working folk are made to suffer.
Independent experts have assured our hero’s lawyer that poor maintenance caused the accident – a charge laid at the door of the drilling contractor. The drilling contractor has attempted to blame the manufacturer.
The lawyer is confused by the complex relationships between oil companies, contractors and employment agencies. Debts are mounting, despair is setting in. Four years have passed and a case has yet to be brought before the Royal courts.
And the moral of the story?
Surely it must be,
There’s a shortage of justice,
For the men of the sea.
Valhalla No More
24 January 2012
Another story that Jim Thain told me concerned a near-death experience that he had shortly after his accident.
He awoke floating in a soft cloudy world. He could see Vikings moving in a relaxed and purposeful way through the clouds. Knowing that Thain was a Norse name he immediately understood that he was in Valhalla. A fitting reward for a warrior who had died with honour, thought Jim as he drifted back to sleep.
The next time he awoke he was in Scotland and he was in pain from his amputated leg. He soon discovered that he was in Lerwick Cottage Hospital and that the cloudy sense of well-being he had recently experienced was due to morphine. The Vikings in his near-Valhalla experience had more substance. Once a year in Lerwick they celebrate Up-Helly-Aa. As part of the festivities the Guizer Jarls always visit the hospital.
The last I heard, some years ago, about Jim Thain was more optimistic. The courts that protect the rich had given him some money. He was married with a kid and had left Montrose. I wish him well wherever he is.
Louis Mair
Rayne
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