11-15-00 Boulmer RAF Station

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Signed on with the

RAF for 21 years…

Boulmer (pronounced “boomer”) is a familiar sea area mentioned daily in the daily shipping forecasts that help keep vessels safe in the waters around the British coastline. It is also home to RAF Boulmer, and in 1963 Martins Bank establishes branches at two RAF Stations – (both of which are in Northumberland) – one at Boulmer, the other at RAF ACKLINGTON, which closes around the time of the merger with Barclays in 1969.

Martins Bank’s Branch at RAF Boulmer is more successful, and lasts until 1984. The small colour image shown below of the entrance to the RAF Station, comes courtesy of www.radarpages.co.uk - a fascinating site that looks at the roles that some of our Royal Air Force Stations played in the Cold War.

In Service: 1963 until 29 November 1984

Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-0331

We contacted RAF Boulmer in search of memories of this tiny branch, and Anne Russell of the Station’s Media and Communications Office was kind enough to provide us with the following information:

“I am afraid that I am old enough to remember the Barclays Bank that was situated at RAF Boulmer. It was a very small building indeed and I remember a large burly man standing outside it all the time. It must have been there until the early 80s, which is when I came to RAF Boulmer”…

Anne Russell

Media and Communications Office

R A F Boulmer

Branch Images © Barclays Ref 0030-0331

It is amazing just what can be crammed into a tiny space, and we can only feel sympathy for the Clerk in Charge, as they freeze in Winter, and roast in Summer! If YOU were the “large burly man” referred to by Anne Russell, we would love to hear from you about what must have been one of the most curious (and boring) jobs in Banking.

Martins Bank RAF Boulmer is a sub-branch to Alnwick, and opens for the use of the Station personnel and visitors for four hours each Thursday.