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 Whilst the Grasshopper and Liver Bird are intended to identify the
Bank’s Branches throughout the land, there is some resistance in the south, where
the tradition of a three dimensional golden grasshopper has been in place for
a long time. Branches that are
originally part of the old Martin’s Private Bank cherish the grasshopper, and
its sixteenth century links to Sir Thomas Gresham at Lombard Street. In the 1950s and up to about 1966/7 new
hanging signs are made in order to display outside ALL Branches, to make them
more visible along the high street.
They are also quite beautiful in their own way, the idea of a hanging
sign itself dating back centuries, and originally indicating to those who
could not read, the presence of every kind of trader, from pawnbroker to
barber. At about the same time as the merger discussions with Barclays, the
Liver Bird is dropped from Martins’ branding, and the grasshopper makes a
brief comeback – particularly in Martins’ brand new branches, where large and
rather scary models are often on display. (See LONDON
MARYLEBONE ROAD).
The Archive  holds just one example of
a Sefton Park Branch cheque. It dates from 1939, well before the advent of
the magnetic ink characters that will enable cheques to be read by
machine. At this time the amount box is
still situated at the bottom of the cheque.
It is amazing to think that until the mid 1960s, the only way bank
cashiers can identify which customer has used a particular cheque, is to be
able to recognise their signature! Now
to our Martins Bank Magazine feature, in which it is with some sadness that
staff are told that in the Autumn of 1963, with only four years’ service as
Manager at Sefton Park, Mr Camidge must finally give in to a prolonged period
of illness and retire from the bank.
His farewell cocktail party held at the branch at the end of October
is clearly a sign of his popularity, attended as it is by many customers, as well as staff. A sad reminder of past conventions is that
although Mr Camidge has continuing ill health, he is presented as a farewell
gift of ashtrays and a table cigarette lighter…
  it was a matter of considerable regret
to his many friends that, through continuing ill health, Mr Camidge retired
from the service of the Bank at the end of October. He had been Manager of Sefton Park branch for the past
four years and although he had requested that there should be no formal
presentation he was handed silver ash trays and a table lighter, and Mrs
Camidge received a bouquet, before their guests arrived at the branch for a
farewell cocktail party. Many customers were among those present and Mr J. A. James
(Inspector) made a short speech, in the unavoidable absence of the District
General Manager, to which Mr Camidge responded. Entering the service in 1925 at Victoria Street branch Mr
Camidge worked at Liverpool District branches throughout his career apart
from five years with H.M. Forces and a year at Northampton. He joined the
Sefton Park branch staff in 1951 as second man, becoming Manager in 1959.
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