Echo Bravo oil rig exploded killing hundreds of  people
Echo Bravo oil rig exploded killing hundreds of people

Di spent the whole day at Kimbolton School for Debbie’s summer sports day as I struggled with my April 5th 1988 Financial Summary until Peter Wilmer from Great Staughton arrived to accompany and  Percy Meyer, to Cambridge to the Cambridge SLD meeting. The main news was of a North Sea oil terminal tragedy, where Echo Bravo, an older oil rig, exploded killing 1-200 people, with only 60/70 surviving with the tragedy made worse by its effect of reducing by 10% the UK’s oil production

Today was supposed to be a day of no commitments and chance to progress my financial accounts and paperwork and it got off to a reasonably good start in my office. Diana spent the whole day at Kimbolton School for Debbie’s summer sports day, but Debbie came last in her race, but did not seem to be the least put out. It rained and rained today, which was a pity. I dealt with the calculation and addition for my April 5th 1988 Financial Summary and was getting quite het up over the apparent ‘loss’ of £165,000, until I realised that I had been using the calculator wrongly! Once Di was home and I was set to work through the evening, until my peace was rudely shattered by the arrival of Peter Wilmer from Great Staughton at 7.00pm and with his presence, the reminder that I had arranged to take him, with Percy Meyer, to Cambridge to the SLD meeting. I hurriedly changed and we all set off and, during the course of the evening, we heard Alan Beith speak to us as Paddy Ashdown’s opponent for the SLD leader; and I also tried to convince Peter Wilmer to stand as our Party candidate for West Hunts in the May 5th 1989 County Council Elections.

Home quite late and to bed without writing up my journal. Today we took the Rolls Royce into Alec Norman for the repair work to be inspected by the insurance assessor, and attended to, whilst we are on holiday. The main news was of a North Sea oil terminal tragedy, where Echo Bravo, an older oil rig, exploded killing 1-200 people, with only 60/70 surviving. There is to be a Public Enquiry, with the emphasis of the folly of relying on helicopter evacuation, rather than lifeboats. It evidently seems that the explosion tore apart the living accommodation and completely destroyed the rig, halting gas production of neighbouring rigs, to reduce by 10% the UK’s oil production and Balance of Payments. Occidental’s safety policies will come under close scrutiny.