Working At The National Provincial 1958 62

A Memory of Eastleigh.

I worked at the office between 1958 and 1962 under the managers, W T Jones (not my favourite manager) and Mr Reg Virgo, who really set me on my banking career. I worked variously as cashier and security clerk. Others on the staff were Mr Douglas Atterbury (Senior Clerk) and Mr A T Williams (Accountant), Les Kingdom, Terry Siney, Gloster Jackman, John Bellenie, Barbara Sant, Norma Tull and a few other girls. Vivid memories are of railway pay day every Friday, when we used to pay out over £40,000 all in £1 notes. The Railway paymasters would come in at 9am to collect 'the loot', as soon as they had separated the amounts required for the Loco works and Carriage works the doors would be opened to a motley collection of helpers, who stowed the cash in large canvas bags to be transported to the two works. No Security Express or Securicor in those days, and I am not sure they had much protection from thieves, apart from their quite large number.The notes were piled high on the counter, and the pile was about three feet high and six feet wide, quite an impressive sight. When I last visited Eastleigh, the bank looked very much the same, but they have now taken over the next door building which used to be occupied by the Britannic Insurance Co. When I went into the bank they presented me with a leaflet which celebrated the bank having been there for 100 years (I seem to remember that the branch was actually opened in 1903)