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An unwelcome
intrusion
In the days when a local
newspaper can still bring you the day’s news “up to the minute”, the
evening edition of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 2 September 1963, has
the latest on a daring attempted raid on Martins Bank’s Jarrow Branch.
Sadly the image printed in the newspaper of the area to the rear of the
branch cannot be clearly reproduced.
{Police
were today hunting thieves who tried to blast open the strongroom of a
Jarrow bank. The raiders fled after
blowing a small hole in the bank wall. they left behind tools, including
hammers, chisels and drill. The
break-in at Martins Bank in ellison Street was discovered by a patrolling
policeman. He found a side door open. The gang had scaled a 13-foor wall at
the back of the bank and climbed up the fire escape. They then removed
slates from the roof, which was being repaired, and dropped into a passage
below.
A
MESS: A bank official said today: “When I arrived everything was in a mess.
I can’t tell how much money there was in the strongroom. We have our own
security arrangements. The matter is now in the hands of the police”. A senior police officer said: “The
raiders had apparently worked for some time on the wall, but we do not know
why they left. It may be that they were disturbed or became discouraged”}.
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Newcastle
Evening Chronicle 02/09/1963
Image © Trinity
Mirror
Image
created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
Image
reproduced with kind permission
of The British Newspaper Archive
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 It
is not often that we come across details of members of the Bank’s staff
whose career was spent working for one or more of the earlier
incarnations of the bank. We were
delighted when Babs Ludbrook contacted the Archive about her Great Grandfather, Mr James William
Chater (pictured, left). He was made Manager at Ormonde Street in 1877 when
the branch was part of the banking company, Messrs Dale, Young and Co.,
South Shields.
Mr Chater worked for over forty years as Manager first in Ormonde Street,
later managing both Jarrow Branches. His career spanned a period up to and
beyond the time that Dale Young and Co was merged with the North Eastern
Bank, AND the subsequent merger of the North Eastern with the Bank of
Liverpool. Mr Chater died in the
service of the Bank in 1916, and although his age was recorded as 63, it
turns out that he had been a little economical with the truth on his
marriage certificate, decreasing his actual age by three years. He was born in 1850, and so was actually
66 when he died. Babs thinks this
may well have been a way of making his 23-year-old bride believe he was
only 41, whereas he was really 44!
Mr Chater was well liked by the Jarrow community and worked
especially hard to help establish the Jarrow Ambulance Van Scheme. You can
read more about this, and see further images relating to James William
Chater on our JARROW ORMONDE STREET page.
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A page from the Order
of the Burial of
the Dead, filled
out in Mr Chater’s name.
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
Babs Ludbrook
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Shields Daily News –
26/02/1916
Image © Johnstone Press.
Image created courtesy of
THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
Image reproduced with kind permission
of The British Newspaper Archive
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The wording of Mr
Chater’s Obituary from the Shields Daily News shown here, is a little
difficult to read, so we have reproduced it below.
{The death of
Mr James William Chater has occurred at his residence, North-Eastern-Bank,
Ellison street, Jarrow, at the age of 63 years. Mr Chater, who was a native
of South Shields, settle in Jarrow as Manager for Messrs Dale, Young and
Nelson, bankers, in Ormonde Street, nearly 40 years ago.
He remained as
Manager when this business became incorporated in that of the North-Eastern
Banking Company, and some years ago was transferred to the Ellison Street
Branch, which latterly has been included in the business of the Liverpool
Banking Company.
Mr Chater was
brought into very close touch with the business people of the town, amongst
whom he was highly esteemed. He was
also a Freemason, and attained to high offices in the craft. A keen lover of music, Mr Chater was
associated with many musical organisations, and frequently contributed to
entertainments.
Otherwise he
was entirely centred in his business. Through this, however, he became
closely associated with public funds, for which he acted as treasurer. He
was one of the founders of the Jarrow Ambulance Van Committee, of which he
was treasurer. The deceased leaves a widow and six children. The internment
will take place on Tuesday, the cortege leaving the residence at 3 p.m.}
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