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MARTINS BANK’S BRANCHES IN WALES

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 bilingual Martins cheque

Gwlad y Gan…

1960 Mobile Branch at the Royal National Eisteddfod (1) MBM-Wi60P58Sep 1.jpg

TWW LogoFour 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. 

 

1964 Mr A Atkin Manager MBM-Wi64P07.jpgFor 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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A 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:

 

1958 Welsh customer ad BGA Ref  (25-251)

We wondered just how similar the two versions might be, if we ran the Welsh words through a modern day translation programme. The resulting somewhat “clunky” grammar is not exactly what we had expected, but the spirit and meaning of the original still shows through:  

“Actually, I was a bit embarrassed at the thought of opening an account at the bank and only a few pounds to put it in. But Martins was as considerate as friends; I was shown how to use a cheque book and instructing me about such things, until I do to be at home. That's why I'm with them forever.”

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