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The late 1940s sees over-crowding at 68 Lombard Street – home of London Foreign Branch - leading to the search for a premises that can both relieve the situation and at the same time future-proof it. Thus 80 Gracechurch Street EC3 is purchased from Lloyds Bank and by the early 1950s is firmly established as home to the re-named Chief Overseas Branch. Tradionally, Martins’ overseas branches are housed as large departments within other premises, as was the case in London until the move to Gracechurch Street. – Foreign transactions still require the availability of cash, therefore Liverpool Overseas operates within Liverpool City Office Branch, and Manchester Overseas within Manchester City Office. It makes sense to do the same at Gracechurch Street, and so the building houses TWO branches of the bank, with the counters of Chief Overseas and 80 Gracechurch St branches facing each other across the redesigned banking hall. On this page we look at some images of Chief Overseas and there is an extensive staff gallery. The move to the new premises is marked by the ubiquitous “cocktail party”, which in the early 50s seems to occur as an excuse for almost any occasion, including the denouement of every series of the smash hit radio drama “Paul Temple” when the Sleuth brings together all the suspects! To read more about the move to 80 Gracechurch St - and its renovations - please visit LONDON 80 GRACECHURCH STREET. The 1969 merger with Barclays makes Chief Overseas Branch redundant, the business being transferred to Barclays own Chief Foreign Branch at 152 Upper Thames Street on 10 July 1970.

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections

Image © Barclays Ref 0030-1089 Above: The Foreign Manager’s office Below: The Foreign Counter in action Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections	Somewhere to do business – the Chief Overseas Manager’s Office Pictured in 1962. Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections The importance of the transfer of our chief foreign branch to 80 Gracechurch Street was recognised by a cocktail party to which representatives of all the foreign and overseas banks in London were invited as well as members of the big clearing banks and our senior London managers. M. Haemmerli, our Paris representative, came over for the occasion. In the absence through indisposition of the Chairman of the Bank and the Chairman of the London Board the guests were received by the Hon. D. Bowes-Lyon, Director of the General and London Boards, Mr. E. R. Bowring, Director of the London Board, and Mr. C. J. Verity, Chief General Manager. We were also glad to see Mr. Christopher Holland Martin, m.p., during the course of the party, also Mr. Tarn, Mr. Laidlaw and the Liverpool and Manchester Foreign Managers.
Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections		1963: Travellers Cheque Department Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
Martins Bank Travellers’ Cheques are issued by Chief Overseas Branch. You can read more about them, and about how they are used, in our MARTINPLANNING section which now includes a 1949 Public Information Film featuring Martins Travellers’ Cheques. You can also meet Monsieur Haemmerli (who is mentioned above) and his staff on our page for Martins Bank’s PARIS OFFICE. The Gnomes of Gracechurch Street… At work in the new foreign exchange dealing room are, from the left, Messrs B T Linsey, N E Fobister, S J Campbell and A J N Allwright. Although each of the four only has two telephone handsets there are twenty-two incoming telephone lines to cope with. Out of sight equipment includes electric calculating machines and three telex machines.
… and one gnome in particular… We were delighted to be contacted by Alan R Prime, who spent his entire Martins career at Chief Overseas – from 1957 to 1965. We are especially excited that he has provided this colour image of the dealing room as it was in 1963… It shows Alan at the Dealing Desk in 1963/1964. Immediately behind him is the telex machine used for overseas communication for trading with other Banks in Europe. The two pads in front of him carry (a) the spot currency prices and (b) the forward currency prices. Just to his right can be seen part of the 36 direct line dealing board. We wonder what has happened over the years to all this “cutting edge” equipment as it slowly became more and more old fashioned…

Mr R E Knight Pro Manager 1946 to 1959	Mr A J Short Pro Manager 1946 to 1965	Mr A H Birse Churchill’s Interpreter On the Staff 1947	Mr N B Daniels Pro Manager 1949	Mr A D S Whittard Pro Manager 1950 to 1959	Mr J D Evans Pro Manager 1951 to 1966
Mr C R Bruckin Pro Manager 1952 to 1960	Mr Alan R Prime On the Staff 1957 to 1965	Mr R L Barton Pro Manager 1959 to 1963	Mr A D Shackleton Pro Manager 1960 to 1966	Mr Jack Holroyd On the Staff 1961	Mr F O’M White Assistant Manager 1963
Mr S G Height Accountant 1963 to 1967	Mr R S Lucock Pro Manager 1963 to 1968	Mr J S Anderson Pro Manager 1964	Mr D F Russell Pro Manager 1965	Mr W L Cockburn DFC Assistant Manager 1965 Deputy Manager 1966 Manager 1967 onwards	Mr E J Hatton Pro Manager 1966 Assistant Manager 1967
Mr G J Woolf Pro Manager 1966	Mr J L W Wagland Deputy Manager 1966	Mr W D Longfield Pro Manager 1966	Mr A L Smith Pro Manager 1967	Mr D F Russell Pro Manager 1967	Mr D P Wilson Deputy Manager 1967
Mr G E Hobson Pro Manager 1967	Mr M R Spinks Pro Manager 1967	Mr S Squirrell Assistant Manager 1967	Mr W D longfield Accountant 1967	Mr D J Snowden Pro Manager 1968	Mr K P Weller Pro Manager 1969

Title: Type: Address: Index Number and District: Hours: Telephone: Services: Manager:

Martins Bank Limited 11-76-20 London Chief Overseas Overseas Trade and Foreign Currency Branch 80 Gracechurch Street London EC3 429 London Mon to Fri 1000-1500 Saturday 0900-1130 01 626 6568 Foreign Banking Services Mr W L Cockburn DFC Manager

1931 1952 10 July 1970

London Foreign Branch opens at 68 Lombard Street Moves to 80 Gracechurch Street Closed and business moved to Barclays Chief Foreign Branch

Intellectual Property Rights © Martins Bank Archive Collections 1988 to date.