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Mr. and Mrs. Saunders with their son riding on camels to visit the Sphinx in Egypt -
Postcard showing the Port of Curaçao, where Frederick Saunders worked from 1924 to 1927 -
The refinery at Curaçao, in the Dutch West Indies (modern Caribbean) off the coast of Venezuela, where Frederick Saunders was employed from 1924 to 1927. At the time, this was the second largest refinery in the world. -
Tankers loading in Curaçao, 1924. -
Oil tanker being loaded at the Anglo-Egyptian Oil Fields Company refinery at Port Taufiq, Suez, Egypt. The boats in the background are awaiting service during WWI. Frederick Saunders worked in Egypt from 1913 until 1918.
Frederick Saunders was born in Petrolia in 1881. In his career as an International Driller he worked for oil companies around the world. He got his start at the age of 16 working for Imperial Oil in Petrolia. Three years after getting his first taste of oil work, Saunders was promoted abroad as superintendent for an Imperial Oil refinery in Curacao - an island off the coast of Venezuela. At the time the Curacao refinery was the second largest in the world.
Saunders worked at refineries across the world, earning a reputation for excellent work. In 1920 he worked as a superintendent at the Corona Refinery in Tampico, Mexico. When he departed Corona three years later, his manager sent him a letter of thanks, stating:
“...the refinery production was increased up to an intake of 55,000 barrels daily, and it certainly is proof of your conscientious work and your good superintendency that during this period not a single accident has happened.”
Saunders, like many International Drillers, brought his wife Elizabeth and children with him on his travels. The Saunders had four children during their time abroad, Eugene, Dorothy, Alvina, and Reginal. And while the family shared many joyous memories of their international travels, from riding camels in the shadow of the pyramids, to life on a tropical island, the family also suffered tragedy; Reginal Saunders was killed in a fire in Egypt at the age of 12.
After spending nearly three decades in foreign locales, the Saunders family moved back to Ontario, settling down in Windsor. Frederick Saunders lived for 36 years in Windsor until he passed away in 1964.
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