War Is Over! Our First Newsletter of 2020 Is Devoted to the Role Played by Martins Bank and Its Staff in Both the First and Second World Wars

ISSUE 9 Spring/Summer 2020

www.martinsbank.co.uk

Testing times… As 2020 unfolds, and the World struggles to both fight and come to terms with the effects of an invisible enemy, the generation that lived through or grew up during the Second World War have been reminded of the steadfastness and personal sacrifice required to keep everyone safe – across

the land, 8 MAY 2020 was celebrated in style by people of ALL ages, as a respectful marker of the joy and relief felt seventy-five years earlier when Victory in Europe was declared. Tapping into modern day reserves of what many see as the British traits of resolve and fortitude, our Nation

was not going to let anything get in the way of remembering Home Guard outside Kirkby-in-Furness sub branch (Lancashire), 1941. the sacrifices made by millions in order to achieve peace. Image © Martins Bank Archive Collection – Brian Brown

War is over! Our first newsletter of 2020 is devoted to the role played by Martins Bank and its Staff in both the First and Second World Wars. We briefly meet two of the staff of Morecambe Branch who have made the local newspapers with their exploits in the First World War – one receives a Commissioned Rank, the other is wounded but safe in a French Hospital at the end of hostilities. We also read a poignant letter of condolence sent by Martin’s Private Bank London, to the father of a young member of staff who died serving his Country. From records of the Second World War, we look again at the key role played by the Bank in looking after some of Britain’s reserves of gold, and we

look at two patriotic advertisements for the Bank, aimed at Martins Bank at 5 Bedford Street Exeter – Destroyed 1942 re-starting trade with the rest of the world. Image: Martins Bank Archive Collection/Exeter Online We take a trip to the Lake District where a very special building is equipped as a kind of “haven” for staff who need a break from the horrors of war – the Ambleside Rest House, an asset prized by Staff and their families. Using information held within the Martins Bank Staff Database, we examine the Bank’s decision to employ a large number of its female staff to be Managers (in all but name) of Branches whilst the male staff were away fighting for King and Country. We look at the Branches which were damaged, or destroyed by enemy action (The picture above shows the devastation at Exeter – a branch that had only been open for three years – after the infamous Baedecker Air Raids of April 1942). We meet a polymath with a top-secret role, glimpse the Bank’s preparations for “business as usual”, and pause to reflect on the efforts of some who worked for, or fought and died to create, a better future for us all.

The war to end war…

The First World War was originally seen as something that would be over quickly, and the idea of going off to fight appealed greatly to the thousands of men who signed up to fight. It turned out of course, to be one of the most shocking and saddening conflicts the World had seen, with millions of young lives lost in the most desperately harrowing and difficult of conditions. For those who returned, life would be never be the same, blighted by injury and/or physical and mental disability the largest part of which was what we know today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many of the staff of the Bank of Liverpool and of Martin’s Private Bank resumed their careers. The Bank of Liverpool’s Branch at Morecambe moved to sumptuous new premises in 1900. Towards the end of World War One, the Lancaster Guardian recorded details of two members of the Morecambe staff who had been fighting in the conflict:

March 1917

COMMISSIONS FOR WELL KNOWN LANCASTRIANS – 5th King’s Own

“Commissions have this week been granted in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment to W. Pinch, H. Chapman, W H Metcalfe, and H Parker. The first three are well known members of the teaching profession in Lancaster, and enthusiastic Rugby footballer, and the last named was engaged in the Bank of Liverpool, Morecambe. They joined the 5th King’s Own at the outbreak of the war, and received their officer training in the Bristol Officer Cadet Batallion. Second Lieutenant William Henry Metcalfe, a native of Ulverston who received his education at Ulverston Grammar School, is the only son of Mr T Parker, Manager of the Bank of Liverpool , Morecambe. He was on the bank staff when he joined the fifth King’s Own in September 1914”.

November 1918 WOUNDED “Pte. Ronald Ritchie (19). Royal Sussex Regt., eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Ritchie 94b, West Greaves, Lancaster, lies in the 10th General Hospital, France, with serious wounds in the back and shoulder, received on November 5th. Before joining up he was a clerk at the Bank of Liverpool at. Morecambe and Appleby. He was also an old boy of the Lancaster Royal Grammar School”.

Cuttings: Lancaster Guardian Images © Johnstone Press. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD Images reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive

An expression of sympathy…

The First World War is still one of the worst losses of life through conflict that our World has known, with individual family tragedies running into the millions. We were indebted to Lynette Mann, for allowing us to display what is a rare relic from the days of Martin’s Private Bank, a sad and poignant reminder of the horrors of the War, and of course, a very personal family memory.

The letter shown here was written in 1917, a year before the merger of Martin’s Private Bank and the Bank of Liverpool. The recipient was Lynette’s husband’s grandfather, and the letter expresses the condolences of the Manager and Staff at 68 Lombard Street on hearing of the death in action of his son, who has been previously highly commended for gallantry.

The Imperial War Museum’s “Lives of the First World War” project was charged with the task of piecing together the details of what happened to the men who returned from the conflict and resumed ordinary civilian life. Martins Bank Archive was able to help by sharing with the project the details we hold about the Staff of Martin’s Private Bank, the Bank of Liverpool and the Lancashire and Yorkshire bank who re-commenced their banking careers. Many were able to work up to normal retirement age. Sadly, some found that either the mental or physical scars of war were too much to bear, and retired early or resigned, and some did not live for more than a couple of years after resuming their careers…

Bullion in the basement… As we move now to the Second World War, we find that even after eighty years or so, this is a story that still fascinates. The idea that the Bank of England considered the safe at Martins Bank’s Head Office to be good enough to safely store the country’s gold reserves has a certain romance to it, and it is of course something of which the City of Liverpool should always be proud. Not for the first time in its life, Head Office is used as a film set, this time in 1993, when a fictional account of this wartime escapade - “The Bullion Boys” - is made by the BBC.

In the gloom of the blackout, towards midnight on an evening in May, 1940, a small group of bank officials gathered on the platform of Lime Street Station, Liverpool, to render a national service which the tragic collapse of France had made a regrettable necessity. For the Bank of England, too, had its Dunkirk, and the heavily laden train which drew up alongside the waiting officials was the first of three special trains bearing a part of the gold reserve of the Bank to a place which seemed less vulnerable to the threat of air attack and possible invasion. That place was the strongroom of our new Head Office building. Built upon rock, with walls and ceilings nearly a yard thick, made of concrete reinforced by interlaced steel bars, equipped with doors each weighing nine tons, our strongroom accommodation was adjudged by the Bank of England bullion officials admirable for storing a considerable portion of the gold reserve. Accordingly, preparations were made with as much secrecy as could be observed by vacating our Treasury and Branch Security sections and crowding the contents into the Bond and Custody rooms. The problem of getting the heavy loads down to the basement had to be solved as our bullion lift could not cope with a job of this magnitude, and moreover, trucking would have been required from the only entrance on a street level. An examination was made of the escape hatches opening from the air-raid shelters, and by good fortune the only one operating to the street in a manner suited to our purpose was found to give access to a large room convenient to the strongroom corridor. We then borrowed from a customer a long wooden chute used for warehousing butter and cheeses, and fixed it to the hatch with its lower end anchored on a strong steel cupboard. When the first train arrived on the night of May 22nd the boxes of gold were loaded on to lorries and brought through the streets under police protection to the bank. Every box was lettered and numbered as its contents and value were exactly assessed and it was required of us that they be accessible for delivery to a pre-determined plan. The boxes containing the gold bars and bullion had been hastily made and banded with iron strips. Each one weighed about 130 lb. and was as heavy as a strong man could carry for a few Steps. As they came down the chute the corners bit into the wood and gradually tore it to shreds and wore out the sides. A few boxes crashed to the floor and one containing coin burst open, but by a little coaxing of the contrivance it was made to last out the night and a new chute was acquired for the next consignments. Strongly-built platform conveyors, each capable of bearing 20 to 24 boxes in stacks five or six high and weighing 1¼ tons, were supplied by the Bank of England. A special type of trolley was run beneath the platforms to lift them from the floor so that they could be manoeuvred into position for Storage, in spite Of their weight the piled boxes were not very secure when in motion and one load capsized and injured a man who could, not jump clear in time. He was taken to hospital and happily soon made a recovery. To hold the Stacks more securely for movement we invented an adjustable iron collar, and this was later presented to the Bank of England and considered a useful gadget. The work continued throughout the night and finished in time for breakfast and a clean-up before the next day's work began. A similar operation was undertaken two nights later and a third consignment arrived on 31st May. By this time, we had received 4,719 boxes weighing about 280 tons and all our space was packed. The following letter was received from the Governor of the Bank (now Lord Norman) after the second consignment had been handled. Dear Mr. Chairman., We here have been so impressed by the helpful attitude adopted by Martins Bank in connection with the recent storage of a large consignment of boxes of unknown content that I feel impelled to write and express my appreciation and gratitude for all that has been done. I understand that your principals as well as their staff have all given their utmost assistance, both by day and by night, and that your bank has gone so far as to express a desire that the expenses incurred should be regarded as a contribution to National Service. For this, for the hospitality extended to certain members of the Bank of England staff, and for all the other evidences of your co-operation I am indeed grateful and I hope you will see fit to convey an expression of my thanks to those who have given such willing and efficient service. I am, Yours sincerely, M. Norman'. It was soon realised that the boxes would have to be taken out some day—perhaps at short notice—and that the problem would present greater difficulties than that of getting them in as the force of gravity would be against us instead of in our favour. The bullion lift (SHOWN HERE, ABOVE) could not deal with such a weight in a single day. Other lifts had to be made available and this involved breaking down a wall dividing the bank basement from the rentable portion of the building so as to bring into use the two-ton capacity service lift. This was done and a steel door substituted for the wall. We also had constructed a ladder with roller sleeves over steel spindles, so that the boxes could be passed through a ground floor window for loading direct on to lorries. The wisdom of these preparations was manifest when a month later a decision was taken to remove the gold hastily to Canada and all hands were required to load up the convoy of lorries to take it to the docks for shipment—this time in daylight. It reached its war-time home safely, and all that was left to us was a sense of pride at being, if only for a short time, custodians of the gold of the Bank of England.

Rebuilding the Nation…

IMAGES © Martins Bank Archive Collection “Export Demands” re-mastered and “Western Approaches” restored by Martins Bank Archive Patriotism is the theme of these post-war advertisements, showing that Martins Bank is a keen as any to get on with the business of rebuilding Britain, by encouraging manufacturing, the import and export of goods, and so on. For the first time we see reference to the huge network of correspondent banks in countries all over the World, who are there to help smooth the exchange and conversion of currency, and deal with the complex piles of paperwork that were generated by imports and exports at a time when computers were still just around the corner, and the idea of all Branch services being available in your home, negating the need for Branch buildings would have met with raucous laughter.

Away from it all… Well, it has; and one can pay it no higher tribute than by saying that it is homely, which is only a shorter way of saying that the Warden, Mrs. M. E. Mclntire, has made it a homely place. In so doing she has ably carried on a tradition which started right at the beginning during the war years. For this Rest House was not hastily thrown together a few beds, a table and a supply of crockery. Each piece was carefully and tastefully chosen, with everything to match, and there are good pictures on the walls. Mrs. McKendrick attended to it personally and when she had finished it looked like a real home. But it took an efficient

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collection A Carr / M Norgate warden to make it so, to make it come to life, so that children From eking out the weekly rations of food, to not knowing if you, would want to come again and their parents would feel that your house and family might not be there in the morning was a there they could have a real holiday. In Mrs. Mclntire we have relentless and difficult reality for those left behind to keep the that combination of efficiency and kindliness which makes home fires burning and the wheels of commerce and industry the place run like clockwork with everybody happy. The turning. So that some members of Martins’ Staff could be given meals, which are always appetising, are served on the dot of a break away from bombed out towns and the advertised time, and everything is always spotlessly clean. cities, the large flat above the Bank’s Branch at In short, the only possible cause of anxiety may be the Ambleside was made available. Mr Gillespie weather. During the past season the Lake District has, along (pictured, here), was appointed Manager at with the rest of the country, enjoyed a summer which will Ambleside in 1941. He took personal charge of become legendary. Day after day of glorious sunshine many of the arrangements and was highly regarded for his work without a cloud in the sky is something in Lakeland which in looking after those who came to use what was referred to as needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

“The Ambleside Rest House”. So popular were the shorts breaks offered to staff at Ambleside, that they continued to be offered until 1952 when the rooms reverted to being a flat for the incumbent Manager. In the following article, published in Martins Bank Magazine’s Winter 1947 issue, we Meet Mrs McIntyre who is engaged in 1939 as Warden of the Rest House, and serves continuously until 1952. During a recent stay at the Bank Rest House at Ambleside we had a good look at the visitor's book and were struck by the way in which the same names tend to recur. Some WINDERMERE FROM LOW ORREST Taken by T A Fawcett, Manager of Windermere Branch

each season are newcomers, but the names of many of those who have stayed at the Rest House in past years The story of the Ambleside Rest House probably still does not do appear again this year. Now we all know that such are justice to the feelings of those who stayed there in wartime, feeling the attractions of the Lake country that lovers of the that little bit safer during a period of respite in a part of England mountains will continue to frequent their spiritual home relative undamaged.

as long as their feet will carry them on to the fells. But To keep the Rest house running as a holiday destination AFTER the many people like to stay at a different place each year, and war had ended was a mark of how the Bank cared about its staff, and if people continue to return to the same place year by year, of course to anyone who had to endure nights sheltering on the one is forced to the conclusion that it must be because it platforms of the London Underground, this Lake District retreat must has some special attraction. have felt literally like a breath of fresh air.

Women in charge…

In banking, career progression was always made more difficult for women until the late 1950s when Barclays showed the way by appointing the country’s first woman Manager. A couple of years later Martins begins to appoint women to some of the top jobs – firstly in Trustee Work, and a little later in Advertising. Yet if we wind the clock back to the Second World War, we find no end of women in charge of Branches. The Kennet Committee was a government appointed body that decided which professions would be “reserved”, that is to say which members of the workforce stay behind to produce essential goods and services. As more and more of banking’s male staff are called up for active duty, their places are taken by an army of women, many of whom have to juggle war duties with home responsibilities. Some branches are furloughed until hostilities cease, and some of these will not open their doors again.

The remaining staff is spread thinly around the remaining branches, and the opportunity for a woman to be a Manager, in all but name, becomes a reality. You may be wondering how these women were rewarded – most of them went back to the more lowly or menial tasks they had performed before the conflict. A small number thought they could try hard to beat the men at their own game and studied for the Institute of Bankers’ Examinations. As there was no proper career structure for women, this extra hard work would seem to have been in vain, and the banks lost a number of valuable experienced workers as a result. We must of course remember that this treatment of women in the work place was standard across the British economy. Even when the Sex Discrimination Act was Passed in 1975 women in some jobs would face a further forty years’ struggling to achieve equal pay. When the Second World War ended, and female “Managers” were no longer needed, final insult was added to injury when some found themselves having to re-train the men who returned. That situation is captured well by the cartoon shown above. In a series of articles published in 1946 and 1947, Martins Bank Magazine does at least pay tribute to the small army of women Clerks-in-Charge, and provides a gallery featuring of some of them…

… and OUT of charge again…

A look through the Martins Bank Staff Database will help us understand what happened next for these twelve wartime trailblazers:

Miss B R Wilcockson Clerk in Charge PUDSEY 1/4/42 to 4/11/45 Miss Wilcockson resigned from Leeds District Spring 1946.

Miss W Rooksby Clerk in Charge WALLASEY ST HILARY 15/6/42 to 30/6/46 Miss Rooksby (known as Winnie), went on to become Secretary to one of the Bank’s Joint General Managers at Head Office.

Miss Sybil Coupe Clerk in Charge SEVENOAKS 1/2/1943 to 1946 Sybil went on to work at Manchester Cheetham, Manchester City Office and in 1957 she was appointed Supervisor at Manchester Centralised Posting Unit, from which she resigned in 1967.

Miss E M Webster Clerk in Charge LONDON LOWNDES ST 1/3/43 to 30/6/46 (Branch Destroyed in 1940) Miss Webster became secretary to the Manager at the temporary branch at 48 Sloane Street and then at 153 Sloane Street London, retiring in 1967.

Miss M C Grice Clerk in Charge NESTON 1/6/45 to 1/9/46 Margaret Grice managed to buck the trend of dismissal upon marriage, working both for Head Office Trustee Department and Head Office Premises Department until 1955.

Miss Anne Shuttleworth Clerk in Charge HIPPERHOLME 1/4/42 to 1/9/43 Anne Shuttleworth became Manager’s Secretary at Halifax until retiring in 1963.

Miss K M Jones Clerk in Charge LIVERPOOL ALLERTON ROAD 1/11/45 to 30/6/46 Miss Jones worked on the Head Office Relief Staff, at Head Office Inspection and at Liverpool Wavertree Branch, before retiring in 1955.

Mrs May Jones Clerk in Charge OLDHAM WERNETH 1/11/41 to 31/5/46 May Jones resigned from Liverpool District Spring 1946.

Miss Norah L Towers Clerk in Charge BLACKPOOL BISPHAM 1/8/43 TO 30/4/46 Norah Towers resigned from Manchester District in 1947.

Miss R W Everitt Cashier (in a branch of this size, Cashier roles were almost always filled by men) LONDON 68 Lombard St 15/1/45 to 1/5/46 Miss Everitt continued to work at London 68 Lombard Street until resigning in 1950

Miss M A Lonsdale Clerk in Charge WHITEFIELD BESSES ‘O TH’ BARN 13/10/41 to 31/5/46 Miss Lonsdale resigned from Manchester District in 1946.

Miss E M Law Clerk in Charge STACKSTEADS (sub to BACUP) 1/6/42 to 30/4/46 Miss Law continued to work at Stacksteads, before working at Bacup and Bury, and resigning in 1957 before getting married

Put that light out! This is Head Office Circular No E986 issued in the week following Victory in Europe Day, in May 1945. It concerns the removal of black-out curtains, and also the restoration of windows that had been treated to black them out in order to prevent light guiding enemy bombers to unleash their deadly payloads. It is notable from the wording of the circular that a shortage of labour might mean that some branches would have to wait before skilled workers could be engaged to carefully restore windows. It may seem a little parsimonious of the Bank to expect staff to SELL the black-out curtains, but that said, any material which might be useful in the manufacture of clothing and blankets would be of great use to many people. For Branches that had survived intact, these were routine instructions on the way back to “business as usual”. Some of Martins Branches however, were not so lucky, having been damaged or destroyed by enemy action. The television series “Dad’s Army” showed Mr Wilson being given – at long last – a branch of his own. Within minutes of him starting his new job, the building is written off by a bomb, which is a case of art imitating life: Just three years since opening Martins Bank’s brand-new office at Exeter, Manager Mr T H Kinder is faced with the same problem – complete devastation…

Images: Martins Bank Archive Collection – Exeter Online

Exeter trades from a temporary Branch until 1951 when this new Branch is built close to the site of the old one. (RIGHT) →

Today the crest of Martins Bank can still be seen above the door of what is now a branded jewellery

outlet. (FAR RIGHT) →

19 South John Street Liverpool (BELOW) is the former original Head Office building of the Adelphi Bank, and finds it way through various amalgamations into the branch portfolio of Martins Bank Limited in 1928. In May 1941 an enemy bomb levels this magnificent building to the ground, leaving only the partially exposed remains of the basement safe.

The decision is taken not to rebuild at 19 South John Street, and in 1946 this image of the remain of the building forms part of one of Martins Bank’s newspaper advertisements as a symbol of the strength and stability of Martins Bank – or at least that of its cash vaults, perhaps…

Images © Martins Bank Archive Collection

To London now, and 208 Kensington High Street Branch after it fell foul of a German V-Series rocket bomb at lunchtime on 28 July 1944. This particular attack was the worst in the West End of London, with 44 dead and over 100 injured, many seriously. The photograph was released by the official censor, but the full name of the bank – both the signage and the front door plaque – along with the nature of business shown on the lorry on the right of the picture were redacted to prevent the details falling into the hands of the enemy. To this end, the street name board has also been covered up. Still in London, 32 Lowndes Street is Destroyed in 1940. A temporary Branch is opened in a shop front at 48 Sloane Street, and

the Bank later decides to move away from Lowndes Street Image © Martins Bank Archive Collection – www.afterthebattle.com altogether, opening a permanent branch at 153 Sloane Street. A third London Branch at Mottingham SE9 is hit more than once – its roof is blown off in 1944, and, the building having been hit twice more, the Bank is minded to find alternative premises.

In Liverpool, 41 strand Road Bootle is damaged, and the Bank decides to take compensation instead of rebuilding.

This (LEFT) is Manchester Corn Exchange Branch completely ablaze after being bombed in 1940. Chorlton cum Hardy Branch, at 551 Wilbraham Road – is sadly destroyed by enemy action in December 1940. Martins has to write off the building and look for alternative premises. The District Bank owns a property at 587/9 Wilbraham Road, which used to be a Branch of the County Bank. Martins rents this building for a number of years before agreeing to purchase it from Image © Co-operative Society & Imperial War Museum 1940 the District Bank.

Lost in translation… We feel certain that no “boys own” story would come close to the real-life exploits of one of Martins Bank’s members of staff, Mr A H Birse CBE. In terms both of life experience, and loyal service to at least TWO major world powers, Mr Birse really has seen it all. Normally, rising to the position of Foreign Manager of the Bank would be a tremendous achievement on its own, but really it is just a side line for Mr Birse, who numbers Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, and Aneurin Bevin among his close acquaintances. His input is crucial to the various talks which divide up the spoils between the Allies at the end of the Second World War. Martins Bank Magazine takes up the story… The appointment on 1 July of Mr. A. H. Birse as Foreign Manager of the Bank in succession to Mr. E. B. Babcock, who has retired on pension, is one of unusual interest, for no other member of the present staff of Martins Bank can claim to have had a career so varied and of such absorbing interest, as the photographs which follow show. Mr. Birse was born in Russia in St. Petersburg, now called Leningrad, and received his education at a Russian public school.

He commenced his business career there in 1906 in the office of the representative of the well- known firm of merchant bankers, Baring Bros. & Co. In 1917 he returned to this country to join the Artists Rifles, and was later commissioned to the Intelligence Corps with the rank of Captain. Upon demobilisation he took a post with the British Overseas Bank, London, in 1920. The following year he went to Poland as Sub-Manager of their Warsaw subsidiary. In 1925 he left them to take up the post of Assistant Manager of the Milan and Genoa branches of the Banca Italo Britannica. In 1928 he joined the Chemical Bank & Trust Co., London, as Assistant European Representative. Two years later he went to Antwerp to join a company in which his old firm, Baring Bros. & Co. were interested.

In 1932 he joined the Amstelbank in Amsterdam, being appointed by a group of British Bank creditors to attend to the liquidation of this concern. He joined Martins Bank in 1936 as Assistant Manager in London Foreign branch. But the most spectacular part of his career was still to come. As an accomplished linguist, and in particular as a fluent speaker of the Russian language and expert on Russian affairs, he became during the second world war, after service in the Intelligence Corps in Egypt and the Military Mission in Moscow with the rank of major, second Secretary to the British Embassy in Moscow and personal interpreter to the Ambassador, Lord Inverchapel.

Arising from this he acted as interpreter to Mr Churchill and Mr Eden at the Moscow Conference in October, 1943; at the Teheran Conference in November, 1943; at the Moscow conference in October, 1944; and at the Yalta Conference in January, 1945. Mr Eden made a personal request to the bank for the services of Mr Birse at the Moscow Conference of 1944. He also acted as interpreter at the prolonged Armistice negotiations with the satellite countries in Moscow during September and October, 1944. In April, 1945, he accompanied Mr. Eden to San Francisco, and in July he was in Potsdam, acting as interpreter to Mr Churchill, Mr Eden, Mr Attlee and Mr Bevin.

All these duties were of a most exacting and arduous nature, involving sixteen hours a day, and often more, for days on end. For his services he received the C.B.E. from our ambassador on behalf of H.M. the King, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour from the President of the U.S.S.R.

Last year he travelled all over the United States and part of Canada visiting our correspondents and accompanied the Chief General Manager Mr J M Furniss, on a trip to North America. At Potsdam in 1945 © Keystone Press Agency

Top Secret!

Having a building as a solid and bold statement of security, is of little use if that Building might be bombed out of existence, which as we have seen, is what happened to more than one of Martins Bank’s Branches during World War Two. A “Plan B” is therefore desirable, and the Bank, along with many other major businesses, had to make contingency plans by moving some of its key offices to buildings in places considered to be less likely to come under attack. Each of the buildings shown below plays its part in Martins’ wartime effort…

Trentham Gardens Staffordshire is used by Ricards Lodge, Wimbledon was used to This is Martins Bank’s Branch at Ainsdale the major banks to move the vitally house various departments of the Bank’s 68 near Southport, which was used by Head important job of cheque clearing away from Lombard Street London office. This follows Office Staff Department to plan the London. Staff from all over the country went particularly heavy damage to buildings in the deployment of staff to the branch network, to work there to help keep the wheels of Capital during the Blitzkrieg Bombing of and to co-ordinate the changed opening commerce well oiled in a time of crisis… 1940/41… hours of some branches…

10 Park Green Macclesfield in Cheshire A mystery surrounds the wartime role of Ilkley in West Yorkshire becomes a slightly becomes the temporary home of the Bank’s Thornton Hall in Cheshire. It was to be used unlikely, and very remote temporary Chief Accountant’s Department, from as Head Office in the event of a direct hit at headquarters for Head Office Trustee where the books of the bank are maintained 4 Water Street, but rumours still circulate Department, occupying the top two floors of and circulars concerning economic matters that some of the country’s gold reserves this lovely old building. Ilkley went overnight in particular are issued… were diverted here for a short while… from four to more than THIRTY staff!

In Memoriam… Remembrance is a dignified and powerful gesture, when the pain and sadness of loss, ranks equal with the happiness of victory and hope for the future. At 4 Water Street Liverpool and at 68 Lombard Street London, are permanent reminders of the many members of Martins Bank’s staff who gave their lives in war, and a memorial at Trentham Gardens marks the work of Central Clearing House Staff…

The War Memorial – Head Office

The Memorial at Trentham Gardens…

The War Memorial at 68 Lombard Street

The Liverpool and London Memorials hold beautifully inscribed books recording the name of each member of staff who did not return from …showing the crests of Martins and Barclays war… Building “a new normal”…

Having just commemorated the end – some seventy-five years ago – of the Second World War in Europe, we find ourselves once more a Nation that is facing unprecedented times. Calls for National unity have once more been made, and uncertainty and insecurity loom large in most people’s lives right now.

Judging by the way the huge majority has acted responsibly, and heeded the guidance that has been put in place, it would seem that through our parents, grand-parents and great-grandparents, we have been able to tap into those resources of patience, and fortitude to face up to and fight the THIRD largest threat to the World as we know it.

As Britain slowly pulled herself together again after the Second World War, Londoners were given a taste of an optimistic future in the form of the 1948 Olympic Games. To those still reeling from the effects of war and the struggle to rebuild lives, the Games would offer a short but welcome diversion…

Reconstruced and re-mastered by Martins Bank Archive

That’s all for this Newsletter, we’ll be back again in the Autumn!

Martins Bank Archive exists to advance the education of British social history related to aspects of banking practices and technologies, and those who offered and used them in the 1960s. We identify and evaluate in particular, records and artefacts relating to Martins Bank Limited, including its former incarnations and its constituent banks, which will be of use to current and future researchers, acquiring such items for the archive and organising procedures and systems for their storage and preservation. Martins Bank Archive is a voluntary venture, and does not profit or seek to profit in any way from the display or other use of the images and other items in its possession, and every effort is made to establish and declare their ownership. Contributors and copyright holders are prominently acknowledged. Whilst Martins Bank Archive has no connection with the day to day trading activities of the Barclays Group of companies, we are grateful for the ongoing and generous guidance, advice and support of Barclays Group Archives in the building and shaping of this online social history.