Oil Patch Warrior
Brit shows film about oil men who aided U.K. during WWII
By Sheila Robinson, Staff Writer
The Daily Ardmoreite
Posted May 05, 2008 @ 09:07 AM
Ardmore, OK —
Many years ago, a group of 44 Ardmore oil field workers went to England to help drill for oil.
The project was a closely guarded secret until 1944. Kevin Topham of the United Kingdom was in Ardmore on Friday to say thank you. A luncheon was presented by the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce at the Greater Southwest Historical Museum honoring the Ardmore oilmen and Topham.
Topham gave a special presentation of a film about the Oil Patch Warrior produced by the British Broadcasting Co.
“It’s only about six months old and it features quite a lot about when your American people came over and saved the day for the U.K. when they drilled for oil,” Topham said. “They doubled production in the U.K. in 1943.”
Oil became the lifeblood of the second World War. Without it, Britain would have become defenseless. The Germans developed the U-boat and circled the British Isles sinking supply vessels and essential oil tankers.
The British decided to drill for oil in Duke’s Wood and the location became known as one of Sir Winston Churchill’s greatest secrets, according to Topham.
When oilmen on the East Coast of America turned down British petroleum representative Sir Phillip Southwell, he came knocking on Lloyd Noble’s door. Noble agreed to help and his company, Noble Drilling, was designated as project manager.
“We probably would have lost the war without that crude oil,” Topham said. “When it was refined into petrol and diesel, it was pumped via 28 pipelines, which were laid under the channel to the French ports of Cherbourg and Calais in preparation for D-Day.”
Without the oil products, no tank could run and no plane would fly.
“Without that fuel, which was pumped through at a volume of a million gallons a day, we would not have been able to advance as Gen. Patton did with his tanks,” Topham said. “It was imperative, and it was mainly due to the 44 drillers which hailed from Ardmore who were responsible for getting this crude oil out.”
The Ardmore oilmen doubled production in 12 months. Topham said they did a brilliant job.
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The Daily Ardmoreite (Okla.)
The CTG vs. crude oil debate is one that, IMHO, was settled in Europe over 60 years ago.