HOLD the FRONT PAGE! That Most of Us Will Be Able to Meet Again at Least Once Although We Knew That Our ‘Remembrance in 2021
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THE GRASSHOPPER PENSIONERS’ CLUB Website: www.martinsbank.co.uk © gut informiert! SECRETARY: David Baldwin, Lower Windle, Windle Royd Lane, Warley, HX2 7LY. 'Phone: 01422 832734. email: [email protected] CHAIRMAN: Bernard Lovewell TREASURER: Robert Bunn WELFARE OFFICER: Susan Sutcliffe DESPITE COVID-19 (AND RECENT THE COVID SITUATION WHEN THE ‘NEW UNIVERSITY BRANCH CLOSURES) YEAR’ NEWSLETTER WAS PUBLISHED: THERE ARE STILL No need to say any more other than ‘long may it be’ and, although we have lost some members, we hope HOLD THE FRONT PAGE! that most of us will be able to meet again at least once Although we knew that our ‘Remembrance in 2021. At the time of writing (2nd February Lunches’ would eventually be covered in 2021), the current situation relating to our ‘Connection’, being ‘front page news’ came as a lunches is as follows, BUT PLEASE BE complete surprise. You never know, but it could REASSURED THAT WE WILL NEVER lead to more former ‘Martians’ becoming EXPOSE ANY MEMBER TO ANY RISK OF members. We can but live in hope …… INFECTION KEIGHLEY: POSTPONED LIVERPOOL: POSTPONED LONDON: POSTPONED We appreciate your continued support for our lunch programme despite having to postpone those for which we have already published reservation slips. Please check the revised arrangements on Page 10. Keighley: WE REGRET THAT ALL LUNCHES Liverpool: HAVE BEEN POSTPONED TO LATER IN THE YEAR FOR London: OBVIOUS REASONS WE WERE BACKING BRITAIN THEN AND NEED TO DO IT AGAIN TODAY Jonathan Snowden is always on the look-out for any Martins memorabilia that becomes available for his archive and just after the New Year issue had been sent to our printer he emailed this advert from The Architectural Review of 60 years ago. We know that we have members who worked at our ‘Drive-in’ branch in Leicester so perhaps they might be happy to share their memories branches in this 40 mile stretch, including Settle with everyone? Branch. I joined Martins at Settle Branch in THE LONDON DISTRICT 1959 where amongst my duties was attending WAR MEMORIAL the part-time sub-branches in Hellifield (previous column) on two mornings each week and Long Preston (below left) on Friday mornings. It truly was primitive, and its hours of business had to fit in with the hourly bus service for the clerk to get there and back. From memory, it was only open on a Friday morning between 10.00 am and 1.00 p.m. (to fit in with the buses) and was merely a table and a chair in the local Conservative Club, which had no facilities. I sat there alone without even a guard, having arrived on the bus with cash in a Gladstone bag. Evidence that it was a Martins branch was a simple sign on the side of the door and, as usual with our sub-branches it was used Is now housed at 1 Churchill Place, London. only by local residents. DEATH NOTICES The parent branch in It is with sadness that we report the deaths of Settle was itself very our former members rural and somewhat primitive. The heating was Constable, Brian of Upton-by-Chester on a coke stove 27th December 2020 in the centre st Hellewell, Geoffrey of Guiseley on 31 of the office. December 2020, aged 89 Coke was Hunt, Jean of Bramblefield on 30th December 2020 aged 91 delivered in Nichols, Graham of St Albans on January bulk into the 2021 aged 84 open back yard and, as MORE MEMORIES OF THE FORMER junior clerk, I CRAVEN BANK BRANCHES was tasked with making sure the boiler was kept Pictures of Long Preston sub-branch in the last going. In order to get to the coke, I would open a edition brought this response from Richard sash window in the Manager's Office, climb out Mashiter who worked for many years in (using a stool Martins, then Barclays before finishing his purchased for career as an executive at Skipton Building the purpose) Society Head-office and ultimately regional and bring in a manager for Yorkshire and the North East for hod of coke The Co-operative Bank. whenever Richard writes: Such was the domination of the required. Of old Craven Bank branches merged into The course, in wet Bank of Liverpool (in 1906) that they had weather the absolute blanket coverage, so much so that, on coke was the stretch of damp and, if the boiler was filled with the damp 40 miles of the coke, the whole bank would be full of obnoxious A65 Skipton to fumes. My career seemed to revolve around this Kendal main blanket coverage of sub-branches because, road, every having done Hellifield and Long Preston at centre of Settle. Following my transfer to Keighley branch population had as sub-branch clerk, my duties were undertaken a branch, at: (Editor: ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ photographs follow) totalling eight Denholme: Following my transfer to Ilkley I continued my Haworth: duties as sub-branch clerk at both Addingham and Burley-in-Wharfedale (opposite column) during which Addingham moved out of its own site (the property was condemned and demolished for road widening) into the village hall and I can remember an ornate pole and sign being erected on the main road which, and Oxenhope: now retired and living in Addingham, I pass daily (left). The only difference being that the Martins grasshopper sign has long been replaced by the village hall sign, but the pole erected by Martins Bank remains (above left). After completing my morning sub- branch duties, it was the sub-branch clerk’s duty to list the ‘remittances’ at Keighley. Many of the household wool manufacturers were based in the Keighley branch: town and in the heyday of home knitting they were pioneers in mail order, whereby knitters could post a cheque to the mill and receive a parcel of wool and a pattern by return. This meant that Keighley branch had a substantial number of cheques banked, usually all for the same value, and so remittances rarely balanced after a whole afternoon of me listing them on a Addingham: manual adding machine. It was a task that I hated and the female staff were far better than the male clerks at listing ‘rems’. When the girl cashiers had balanced their till, they would readily come and help me balance the remittances. Indeed, they made it a flirtatious challenge to see which girl would rescue the struggling male ‘rems’ clerk. I still remember that you then put the remittances in a green Burley-in-Wharfedale: Martins Bank zip bag and add a security tag before they were posted to London. Keighley Branch had so many remittances that several of these bags were despatched each night to our London Office and then to the Clearing House. MORE MEMORIES AND CONTACTS! On 2nd January, following receipt of the New Year Newsletter, the following email arrived in my ‘Inbox’ from Margaret Warburton, nee Editor: The original Craven Bank branch Vaughan, who joined Martins at Hanley branch: was in the same building as the ‘Burley Unionist Club’ (left), before moving across Main Street to its final location (above). I have been reading my husband's copy of the Club newsletter and in response to your request for information for the database, I was employed at Martins Bank, Hanley, from October 1952, I believe was joining as a junior typist, for seven years during demolished which time I met my future husband, James and replaced Warburton, who joined in October by the ‘new’ 1954. I had to leave when we Martins Bank became engaged in the spring of in the same 1959 as engaged location. couples were not Despite being allowed to work described as a together in the bank photograph of at that time. The Managers ‘The King’s during my time at Hanley were Head’ on the Bexley Archives’ Webpage, our John Bell Hall (known as JB - former branch is clearly visible. left), and E. Rodney Carr (right). I very much In fact, in case you might be enjoyed my time in the bank, interested, there are several especially when I worked in the archived documents relating to machine room as an NCR ‘Martins Bank’ in the ‘Bexley operator, having attended a Archives’ including a Planning training course at Head Application in 1936 for: Office. My name at that time was ‘Lavatory Accommodation .. for Margaret Vaughan, and this year my husband Martins Bank Limited’. One of and I will celebrate our diamond wedding our branches without a anniversary. (Editor: Do you remember Miss M M lavatory? It certainly makes you Dunlop also Margaret?) wonder how the members of HOW MANY MEMBERS WATCHED THE staff managed before the application was ‘DAD’S ARMY’ FILM ON 2ND JANUARY? granted! Counting pennies as opposed to Although it was great to be acknowledged by ‘spending a penny’ must have been interesting this film with an (almost) authentic sign by the in those days. More on this subject later ……… door, ‘our’ branch was actually a pub in Chalfont DARTFORD BRANCH St. Giles, although it did come close to our style. Although annotated as ‘Barclays Bank’ this actually is a photograph of Martins (Private) Bank, Dartford branch THE COVID LOCKDOWN DOES HAVE SOME BENEFITS AND STILL THEY COME …. Unable to visit our son I read down the newsletter with fond memories and daughter and our of Sophie Bondi. I moved to London in 1967 grandchildren, I had from Nelson branch to assist with computerising some time on my hands Martin's branches. We were allowed to use the and, apart from Oxford Circus canteen and Mrs Bondi used to fill discovering our original our plates, she called us her lovely computer Craven Bank branch in boys and she said 'my food is just the same as Burley-in- any other but I have a secret ingredient, I cook Wharfedale, I also mine with Love'.