Occupational Monument - Oilfield Worker - Ardmore, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 34° 10.423 W 097° 08.045
14S E 671973 N 3782990
This monument to a group of oilfield workers is quite a story.
Waymark Code: WMWND4
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2017
Views: 3
The sculpture is entitled Oil Patch Warrior. It is a 7 ft. bronze sculpture, created by renowned sculptor, Jay O'Meilia. This is an exact replica of the sculpture which stands in Rufford Country Park in Nottinghamshire, U.K. It shows an oilfield worker dressed in overalls with a hard hat, who is holding a large pipe wrench. But the story behind his occupation will blow you away.
We'll summarize it here, but for the full detailed story, read the link below. In 1943, in the midst of World War II, England was in dire straights. They produced some oil, but not nearly enough to produce the fuel they needed for the war effort. A top secret project was entered into by England and the United States. We sent a group of 42 oilfield workers (not military) to England to begin drilling for oil in Sherwood Forest. At that time, England was producing about 300 barrels of oil per day, and was in serious trouble supplying her needs in the war efforts. By the time our workers finished in March, 1944, they had racked up 106 well completions and had 94 producers, and England's oil production had skyrocketed to over 3,000 barrels of oil per day. This effort saved the day for England, who might well have lost the war without this boost in their energy reserves.
This sculpture and the story on the wall behind it, tell a marvelous story of U.S. engineering and skill, and Allied Forces cooperation during the War. In honor of this effort, Jay O'Meilia was commissioned to create this sculpture in 1991. It originally stood in Sherwood Forest (the site of the drilling), but was later moved to Rufford Country Park in the same area, for security reasons. In 2001, this replica was placed in Memorial Park in Ardmore, OK, with the names of the 42 oilfield workers who lived this remarkable story.
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