What do you think of when you hear the word yes-man? To Schoonebeek? Very explainable. Yet this is not the only village in Southeast Drenthe where oil was extracted from the ground with these devices. This also happened on a large scale in Nieuw-Schoonebeek. In memory of this, an original yes-man is placed in the heart of this border village.
Arjan Kolkman remembers it well. Years ago there was a café/roadside restaurant in Nieuw-Schoonebeek with a petrol pump in front of it. “That was near the border with Germany. De Jaknikker, that was the name of that catering company.”
It was not the only company in the border village with a name that referred to oil extraction. A little further on there was a gas station with a bicycle repair shop called Het Olieveld. “Schoonebeek is known throughout the Netherlands as the oil village, but the territory of Nieuw-Schoonebeek was also part of the so-called Schoonebeker field. There you also found large quantities of yes-men.”
Anyone who drives through Nieuw-Schoonebeek now will no longer encounter this. This is in contrast to Schoonebeek, where some of these large metal devices can still be found. They are located in the shopping center, on the Beekweg, at the former NAM training center De Boo and on the corner of Europaweg/Pandijk. “The one in the Schoonebeek shopping center is the only one that stands on an original well. This jack-of-all-trades is a national monument,” says Kolkman.
The fifty-something is an expert. He has been collecting everything related to oil extraction in his native region for years. “As a child I only had one dream. Becoming a gentleman of the NAM. Because then I could also work with yes-men later.”
Gift given to Esso
That dream did not come true, but another great wish did come true. Together with former NAM employee Bennie Buter from Klazienaveen, he decided a few years ago to bring an original yes-man to Nieuw-Schoonebeek. In memory of the period when many of these striking pumps stood in the border village. It took a while, but it’s going to happen.
“Next week we will go to Breda to pick him up. It concerns an example that used to stand in the Schoonebeker field, a so-called Tomassen AF jackknife. How did it end up in Breda? NAM presented it to Esso as a gift in 1987, on the occasion of the opening of the then new Benelux Esso head office in Breda.”
Because Esso recently sold this office, the company is happy for the yes-man to return to Drenthe. “I was personally informed about this by telephone by Esso management. This indicates that this company actually values the preservation of this piece of historical heritage,” says Arjan Scherpen (49) from Nieuw-Schoonebeek. He is involved in the project as a board member of Dorpsbelangen in his hometown. “When we heard about this as Village Interests, we were immediately enthusiastic.”
The jack-o-jack that has to go from Breda to Nieuw-Schoonebeek weighs about eight tons. “We disassemble it there and reassemble it at its destination. That’s somewhere in the center of the village.”
Commitment and involvement
The important preliminary work at Esso was done by Kolkman three years ago. Together with a comrade, he traveled to the office in Breda and hoisted a flag on the site with an image of a jack-of-all-trades. With the request to Esso whether the specimen on its premises could be returned to South-East Drenthe. Kolkman: “They greatly appreciated our efforts and involvement and indicated that if they were to leave the building, they would certainly contact us. And that is what happened.” Several companies and institutions are selflessly participating in the relocation of the yes-man. The intention is that equipment will be installed in Nieuw-Schoonebeek so that the pump can make its characteristic movement again.
De Spiker, the archaeological foundation from Schoonebeek, is also committed to this. She recently became the formal owner of the yes-man in question. “During the transfer, Esso wanted the yes-man to go to an association or foundation,” says chairman Henry Eisen. There have now been discussions with the municipality of Emmen and, according to Scherpen, it has indicated that it would like to become the owner. “We are happy with that. The four yes-men in Schoonebeek are also registered in the name of the municipality.”
The exact new location of the yes-man from Breda is not yet known. Requirements: “The center will probably be renovated in 2024 and it must fit within those plans. In the meantime, the acquired yes-man is in storage somewhere.”