Croeso i Gymru, dewch
i mewn…

 Mae gan Martins Banc gyfanswm o ddwy ar bymtheg o ganghennau yng
Nghymru yn ystod ei fywyd , ond y lleoedd hyn yn cael eu gweld yn unig yn y
Gogledd neu Dde Cymru , ac o dan reolaeth DAU swyddfeydd ardal wahanol. Canghennau
ac is ganghennau yng Ngogledd Cymru yn cael eu rheoli gan Swyddfa Lerpwl
Rhanbarthol , a Swyddfa Ranbarthol De Bryste Gorllewin, yn edrych ar ôl y
rhai yn Ne Cymru. rheolwyr sy'n siarad Cymraeg a staff yn cael eu cyflogi , a
Martins yn cymryd o ddifrif y swydd o hysbysebu yn yr iaith Gymraeg i ddenu a
chadw cwsmeriaid yno . Mae'r enghreifftiau hyn yn dod o'r digwyddiad
Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Frenhinol sy'n cael ei mynychu bob blwyddyn gan un
o'r canghennau Martins Mobile. Martins yn cymryd ei gweithrediadau yng
Nghymru yn ddifrifol iawn , ac mae'r Rheolwr Cangen Caerdydd yw'r cyntaf yn y
DU i ddod o hyd i'r syniad o wiriadau hargraffu yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg -
rydym yn dal i chwilio am enghraifft o Martins gwirio ddwyieithog ...

Martins
Bank has a total of seventeen branches in Wales during its lifetime, but
these outlets are found only in North or South Wales, and come under the
control of TWO different district offices.
Branches and sub branches in North Wales are controlled by Liverpool District Office, and South Western District
Office in Bristol, looks after those in South Wales. Welsh speaking managers and staff are
employed, and Martins takes very seriously the job of advertising in the Welsh
language to attract and retain customers there. These examples are from the Royal National
Eisteddfod an event that is attended each year by one of Martins Mobile
branches. Martins takes its operations
in Wales very seriously, and the Manager of Cardiff Branch is first in the UK
to come up with the idea of printing cheques in both English and Welsh – we
are still looking for an example of a bi-lingual Martins cheque…

Gwlad y Gan…
 
Four members of the Pontcanna Children’s Choir, who appear
each month on the Television Wales and the West programme “Land of Song”
visit Martins Mobile Branch at the 1960 Royal National Eisteddfod. Pictured
with Mr K Harris-Hughes (Manager, Cardiff), standing left to right are Brenda
Fletcher and Elaine Williams. Seated are Rosemary and Siân Hopkins. Inside
the Mobile Branch (below, left) are Elaine Williams, Mr G Millward (Clerk in
Charge), Mr S Pennell, Mr K Harris-Hughes and Brenda Fletcher. Pontcanna
is the site of the Television Wales and the West studio centre, which in 1964
is one of the most modern TV broadcasting facilities in Europe. The two
colour photographs below were taken by Mr Millward, Clerk in Charge of the
Mobile Branch, and they feature on the left, Miss Sian Hopkins the fifteen
year-old singer from the Land of Song Programme, and on the right Miss Eirlys
Baitton of Cardiff.

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In order to visit just about every one
of more than eighty agricultural and other specialist shows taking place all
over England and Wales each year, Martins has a fleet of MOBILE BRANCH
CARAVANS. In 1961 the Bank attends two major show events
in Wales – the Royal National Eisteddfod which is held in Rhosllanerchrugog,
and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, which takes place in Llandeilo.
For both events, Mobile Branch No 6 is
used, with Alan Atkin (pictured) as Clerk in Charge. The Bank will be at the Eisteddfod from 7
to 12 August, and immediately beforehand, Alan will have been at the Oswestry
Agricultural Show. His itinery has him
leaving Oswestry on 4 August to travel to Rhosllanerchrugog, and set up the
Mobile Branch ready for the show. The Controlling Branch is at Wrexham, and
they will provide stocks of cash for the Mobile unit. The staff of the Mobile Branch, usually the
Clerk in Charge, a cashier and a messenger, stay in hotels near to the venues
they are attending, and for the 1961 Eisteddfod, they will stay at the Buck
Hotel in Bangor Is-y-Coed, near Wrecsam.
This slick operation is repeated across the UK wherever Martins is
represented at a show or event. Very
tiring for the staff, but also rewardingly different to being stuck behind
the counter of a branch all the time!
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Dual Message

In 1958, Martins Bank’s’ advertising campaign to recuit
younger account holders goes bi-lingual, with two separate advertisements
designed to overcome the fear potential customers might have of walking into
a bank to open an account. One of the advertisements is in Welsh, the other
in English. The image is the same in
both ads, so it appears here just once just once, but with both sets of wording:

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