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Please
sir, I want some more…
Throughout the history of Banking, Life for some of
the younger male staff has never been too
easy. Sexism places a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the immature
“managers of the future” – some must cope with living away from home on a very low salary, and even as
late as the 1950s some are responsible for stoking the boiler to keep the branch
warm! Then there is the endless wait
for a pay rise, and trying to reach the minimum earnings level to be given
the Bank’s permission to marry! Looking back to around the year 1900, the
following letter, reproduced in FOUR CENTURIES OF BANKING Vol
II (© Martins Bank Limited 1968), tells us of the plight of a member of staff
of the North Eastern Banking Company, whose efforts having garnered a small
advancement in salary, decides to tell the bank it is not enough!
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In Service: 1911 until 7 April
2000
Image © Barclays Ref
0030-0876
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 “I
beg to thank you very much for increasing my salary by £10 for this year, but owing to the
experiences I have gone through during the last 16 months in connexion with
the Bank, and because of the encouraging remark you made at Easington
Colliery in July last to the effect that you would see what you could do for
me as regards my salary this year, I expected a larger increase. During my 10
months stay at Easington Colliery it cost me £10 more to live, owing to lodgings being so
expensive there. May I also mention that I became engaged to be married
last year and as the lady is a little older than I am, it concerns me greatly
to think that at the present rate of increase, it will be years before I can
get married, whereas I hoped to be so next year sometime”.
Asking the
Bank for permission to marry was written into the rules for male clerks, as
again in these sexist times, a man was expected to be able to earn enough to
keep himself and a wife. Marriage was
therefore forbidden until salary reached a prescribed limit. We wonder what
became of this particular clerk - and his tiny emoluments - as the outcome of
his story is not told! Easington
colliery Branch is opened in 1911 by the North eastern Banking company, and
remains in service until being closed by Barclays in April 2000. Our
retirement feature concerns Mr Taylor who hangs up his Bank tie in the Summer
of 1960, and retired from Easington Colliery Branch after a long and happy
career…
  At
the end of July, Mr. William Taylor, Manager, Easington Colliery branch,
retired after 43 years' service. He entered the
Bank in 1917 at King Street, South Shields, and the following year was called
up for military service, from which he returned in 1920. Between the two wars
he served at Southwick, Sunderland, King Street, Sunderland again, and in the
North Eastern District General Manager's Department. He served in the second world war from
1943-1946, being awarded the United States Bronze Star Medal. He then served
at King Street, North Shields and Gateshead, being appointed Manager at
Easington Colliery in 1955. On July 30th Mr. and Mrs. Taylor entertained the staff
of the branch and several former colleagues to tea, and during the course of
the proceedings Mr. Cuthbert, cashier at the branch, presented Mr. Taylor on
behalf of the subscribers with a portable transistor radio set, and Miss Ann
Baker presented a bouquet to Mrs. Taylor. Mr. Cuthbert made a delightful
speech in which he made reference to the great affection and regard in which
staff and customers alike hold Mr. Taylor.
In his reply Mr. Taylor thanked his colleagues for their loyal service
and cooperation and mentioned with pride that in his 43 years' service he
had only taken two weeks off on account of sickness. He then invited his
guests to his home where a very happy evening was spent. During the day many of Mr. Taylor's former colleagues who
were unable to attend the ceremony had telephoned their good wishes and Mr.
H. Ryder had called at the branch to convey the thanks of the North Eastern
District Office officials for his services and their good wishes for his
retirement. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor commenced
their retirement by flying to Germany to visit their daughter and son-in-law.
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