Teesside Iron and Steel Memories Interview: Tony Murray

Background & Work Experience:
Born 14/01/1938 in South Bank & moved to Normanby just before WW2
Left school @ 16yrs after 'O' Levels and started as Apprentice Electrician @ Dorman Long Cleveland Works on £2/10/- (£2.50) per week
The ETU (Electrical Trades Union) at the time insisted on a full 5 yr apprenticeship 'on the tools' with part time education incorporated
HND was just starting as a 3yr 'Sandwich' course with 6 month at college & 6 month at work each year
TM did the first 2 yrs of the HNC course, and then did HND at Constantine College, but the Institution of Electrical Engineers (I.Elec.E) insisted on a longer, extended period of study before granting Associate Membership, so the course was extended to 4 yrs
I.Elec.E then insisted on still further study, and eventually TM did 7 yrs study but still did not achieve the Pt 3 examination and did not get Institution recognition
Extended study meant TM missed national Service
Left Dorman's after college & took 6 mnths holiday with 2 friends to go touring and indulge his diving pastime in S Europe
Lived 3 mnths on the beach in the Canary islands
Then returned to Dorman's as a Junior Electrical Engineer at Redcar Wks @ Warrenby
Conditions were not good, but he was able to wear normal clothes instead of the clogs & heavy gear as normal in the works
Was assigned to an experienced winder in one of the electrical shops for a year as a virtual apprentice until he became familiar with works' practices (H&S etc)
Seriously reprimanded for crawling between rail wagons as a short cut to work - a recent shunting fatality had made everyone very sensitive
Always found management very reasonable - felt perhaps his HND helped
Left Dorman's after about a year, 'head-hunted' into the newly emerging Contract Engineering area for £33/wk (a skilled wage then was about £11 or£12/wk)
Started at ICI Dyestuffs Division in Manchester doing design work on the new plant being built at Wilton
Then worked at ICI Billingham (via the agency) before deciding to emigrate to South Africa on an assisted passage in 1966
Sailed with Union Castle line to Cape Town where he stayed
The SA Government wanted all immigrants in Johannesburg where most jobs were, but TM wanted to stay in Cape Town for the diving
Found contract work with an ICI subsidiary
Saved some money & took off adventuring with 2 Germans & 2 Austrians through Mozambique, Zanzibar & by boat from Beira to the Seychelles and stayed 3 mnths until money ran out
He & the 2 Germans returned to Beira & travelled to Rhodesia at the time of the embargo, spent time diving there, then sold his gear to return to South Africa & worked with a local firm making electrical switchgear
Then moved into more regular contract employment with Foster Wheeler in a big Caltex refinery project in Cape Town
After some months, came back to the UK to follow a girlfriend, bought an old car & travelled through Ireland & Europe
When money ran out, he was offered a job by his ex-boss from Cape Town on a Costain/Wm Press contract in S Iran
His interview with the Wm Press engineer was:
"Tony Murray? Do you know Geoff Murray?
Yes, he's my brother
Ah, we were apprentices together - you've got the job!"
Spent 12 mnths in Iran (in the days of The Shah) on a large gas project. Was never really comfortable, and left after the contract, travelling by bus to Tehran, then flew to Lebanon to stay with an old school-friend, then on to Cyprus, Israel & Egypt for more diving, back to Cyprus then a boat to Italy & eventually back home
Home was still Teesside to stay with his mother (widowed by then)
He never married
Another casual interview in a pub with the man who got him the job in Iran set him back freelancing with Pfizer Chemicals in Ireland in a Citric Acid plant
Meant to be 3 month but became over 3 yrs, eventually as Works Elect Engineer
Tried 3 times to leave for a job in North Africa for Davy Powergas, but fell through
Eventually left & went travelling again to S Spain, diving
Then went back contracting for 3 months with Davy Powergas at the end of the British Steel Anchor Project @ Scunthorpe to produce Operating & Maintenance manuals
Went to Qatar with Davy Powergas for a 6 month contract before moving on to an LNG Project in Skikda in North Africa, a 10mnth contract that lasted 3 years
Moved to another nearby project
Finally returned to the Iron & Steel industry in a project for WS Atkins building a steel-works in Hanover
Never returned to work in the steel industry locally in Teesside, but very appreciative on reflection of the early apprenticeship @ Dorman's which equipped him for so many other opportunities