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Relocation
Relocation Relocation…
 It is
not only the Government Departments that move to safe and secret places in
World War Two. As we have seen in “The
Bullion Boys” and “Dance hall Days”, our country’s reserves of gold have been
moved to the basement of Martins’ Head Office in Liverpool, and other steps
have also been taken to allow the financial wheels of Britain to remain well
oiled and working. In the North,
Martins Bank has made plans for a fully equipped Head Office Facility at
Thornton Hall, Cheshire, Staff Department is moved out of Water Street to
Ainsdale near Southport, and the Bank’s Chief Accountant’s Office works out
of Macclesfield Branch. Meanwhile in the South, the question of how Martins
Bank’s London District will keep
running has been solved by the partial relocation of 68 Lombard Street staff
and functionality to a large private house in Wimbledon. This short article
from Martins Bank Magazine, printed in 1959, spills the beans…
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 We older ones
do sometimes find it hard to realise that
about 40% of our present staff were either not born or were very small
children when the Second World War Broke out. Comparatively few of the older ones
remaining were involved in the evacuation of Head Office and District Office
departments which was an essential feature of the security arrangements
carried out in order to keep the organisation of the Bank functioning despite
disruption which might be caused by air raids. The accompanying photographs, therefore,
should go on the record not only for their curiosity value, but as a reminder
of those far-off days during which civilians as well as soldiers were in the
front line. The home is Ricards Lodge,
Wimbledon, which was the evacuation centre of London District Office during
the war. As regards the interior
photograph, the figures seated at the table are from left to right, J B
Furniss, C J Carpenter, D M P Hulbert, D McNair, F R Ravenshear, and H
Francis.
 M
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