David Hunter (1935-2024)
We are saddened to report the passing of David Hunter at the age of 89. You may remember David as regional coordinator for the South East (SE) before Keith Austin took over. David was born in Woodford Green, Essex. After being evacuated to Suffolk during the war his career began with an apprenticeship at the […]
The 62nd annual general meeting of the bp society
The society’s AGM will take place on Tuesday, 19 November 2024 at 5pm at bp’s head office, 1 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4PD. The agenda for the AGM is as follows:
Annual reception
Our plan is to hold the annual reception directly following the AGM on 19 November. Those of you who have attended previous annual receptions will know that they are a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends over drinks and canapés. Tickets to the reception can be booked online or by post. The cost […]
Grangemouth at 100 (part three)
Grangemouth Refinery began operating in 1924 and celebrates its centenary this year. In this final part, we go back to the late 1970s and, following the sale of the Grangemouth site to Ineos in 2004, we finish with the announcement by Petroineos that the refinery is to cease operations as soon as 2025 when it […]
A lasting friendship
Friendships made while working for BP in the 1970s and 80s are still strong according to Felicity Tarbard. Felicity kindly sent us a photo of a recent gathering of ladies who worked together back in the mid-1970s, mostly in Personnel. Felicity writes: ‘One person was missing from our gathering, who wasn’t well on the day, […]
bp begins oil production from major new platform offshore Azerbaijan
bp, as operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) project, announced the start-up of oil production from the new Azeri Central East (ACE) platform as part of the ACG field development in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. bp’s strategy is to invest in the energy system of today – such as in the development of […]
Closure of the SMBP 44 Club
We are saddened to report that the 44 Club is closing. In 1931 BP’s predecessor, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, together with its UK marketing subsidiary British Petroleum, merged its British marketing operations with those of Royal Dutch Shell, to create Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd (SMBP). The merger was mainly cost-driven but also sought to develop an […]
A debut album called ‘Peaches’ to sweeten your ears
Janice Newcombe (and later Jan Lovett) worked for BP Coal, BP Coal-Oil Fuels, BP Ventures, BP Oil International (Personnel), BP Education (as the UK coordinator for The BP Schools Link Scheme) and BP Community Affairs (working closely with BP España SA in both the Madrid offices and at the oil refinery in Castellón de la […]
Robert (Rob) Cowley (1925-2024)
Rob Cowley sadly passed away on 13 March 2024 aged 98. His son, Andrew Cowley, kindly provided us with a summary of Rob’s 34 years’ service at BP, from starting as an assistant chemist in Sunbury in 1947, to becoming General Manager of the Computer Systems Department, a post which he held from 1976 until […]
bp and Worley announce global strategic alliance across site projects
bp and Worley have formed a new strategic alliance focused on enhancing efficiency, continuous improvement and value creation across bp’s global Site Projects organisation. This alliance builds upon a successful, decade-long collaboration between the two companies. The alliance will improve capital efficiency in site projects saving an initial estimated US$40 million over two years in […]