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Four Sisters - The Chapmans

 

Many organisations like to think that their staff are all part of one happy family, but the BMB/TSB in the Birmingham region could claim to have taken this belief to an exceptional level. Many Bank employees added to the ‘family’ atmosphere by finding their future spouses amongst their colleagues. However, it must be a unique state of affairs when four sisters join the same organisation, although only three found their husbands that way. Here, the Chapman sisters recall memories of their banking and other careers, and describe their families.

 

 

Next Memory

 

Memories

I joined the bank on 2nd October 1961 and began work in the Standing Order department at Head Office, Broad Street.

 

I met Peter in 1962 when he was a post boy and we became friends.

 

After being on a cashiers’ course, Mr. Raftery (the Banking Hall Superintendent), who always called me half-pint, decided it would be better for me to remain at Broad Street as the counter was lower than those at branches. In Head Office’s Banking Hall, I assisted Beryl Hirons with the training of junior members of staff to use the posting machines. Occasionally, branches that were too busy to train staff themselves, sent their juniors into Banking Hall for a few days to be taught machine posting.

 

When the Bank decided to replace the older Burroughs machines, I accompanied the General Manager (Bernard Hayward) and Beryl on a visit to the National Cash Register offices. The purchase of several new NCR machines was later approved. Beryl and I then visited those branches that had received the new machines to instruct staff on operating them.

 

Peter and I married in June 1967, and I retired from the Bank in September 1969 to have the first of our three children. In 1982, after the youngest of our children had started school, I became a volunteer helper for two days a week in the nursery at a local school.

 

In 1993 I joined with my sister Lesley on a two year full-time course at Sutton College to gain a National Nursery Examination Board (N.N.E.B.) diploma and this resulted in employment as a teaching assistant, supporting disabled children in a main stream school in 1995.

 

Nowadays, I enjoy spending time with our grandchildren and my sisters and their families, especially at Christmas and Easter. The whole family go on holiday together at Easter in a large house, usually in Cornwall or Devon.

 

I love walking and visiting National Trust properties and historic houses.  I enjoy longer walks in the Lake District and Northumberland, and family plays an important part in my life.

                   Maureen Limbrick née Chapman

 

Maureen Chapman joined the BMB on October 2nd 1961 and worked in Head Office, first in the Standing Order Department and then in Banking Hall where she specialised in the machine posting system including staff training. She married her BMB husband, Peter Limbrick, in 1967, and retired from the Bank in September 1969.

                        Joan Bourke née Chapman

Joan Chapman joined the BMB in August 1964 and worked at Brookvale; Erdington; Pype Hayes; Sutton Coldfield; Witton; Perry Beeches; Kingstanding; Aston Cross; and Cotteridge branches. Joan was a member of the Bank’s Social Club Committee and Editor of the Staff Magazine, CONTACT. She married her BMB husband, Michael Bourke in 1969, and retired in January 1973, but returned part-time from 1980 to 1984.

 

I started employment at the Bank in August 1964, together with my two best school friends from Waverley Grammar School, Maureen Shipway and Kath Randall.

 

I met Michael Bourke at the Bank’s Tennis Club in 1966, following a visit to my home, by all the Tennis Club, when I was recovering from Meningitis. We started dating and we married in 1969.

 

After one week’s Induction course including a tour of Head Office (I later found out that Michael had noticed me at this time and two years later we were dating!) I was sent to Brookvale Branch as a Junior.  My duties included posting the deposits and payment slips, which had been taken the day before by the Cashiers, manually into the large paper ledgers of customers’ accounts, ready for the Manager to check and balance. Then, during the day I collected deposit and payment slips, sorting them into account number order, ready for posting the next morning together with listing the cheques and utilities on the Cashiers’ Daily Sheets ready for them to balance at the close of business. Other duties included making drinks for the Cashiers, opening the post and preparing the out-going post and taking it to the Post Box and going to the local shop for essentials.

 

Following becoming an experienced Junior at a Manual Branch, I was transferred to Erdington Branch which was Machine Posting with Burroughs Accounting Machines.  My role there included collecting the deposit and payment slips, matching them to the Customer’s Record Card from the “Bins” before posting the deposits and payments on a Burroughs Accounting Machine in a Machine Room alongside the Banking Hall. This was a much larger and busier branch with a large Customer Base and more Cashiers. The Deposits and Payments were automatically added or deducted making it a quicker process and giving the Customers’ Balances as a running total. Collecting the cheques and Utility bills  again, noting them on the  work sheets, balancing the cheques before they went off to Clearing, dealing with the Post and filing the Record Cards back into the Bins, and finding the Customers’ Record Cards ready for the next morning’s posting. The Annual Balance was a challenge as all the Managers wanted to be first at Head Office with their Branches balanced, so the pressure was on in the Machine Room to be as fast and accurate as possible.

 

After 12 months I became a Cashier at Erdington Branch and enjoyed every minute. The staff was a great team and the customers were friendly and appreciative.

 

I was part of the Bank’s Social Club Committee, helping at the Children’s Christmas Parties, Social Events and trips. I also became Editor of the Staff Magazine Contact (1969 – 1971).

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Whilst being a Cashier I did relief work at Pype Hayes, Sutton Coldfield, Witton, Perry Beeches, and Kingstanding, where Mr Camwell, the Manager, called all the female staff “chick”.

 

I was moved to Aston Cross as a Cashier working under Arthur Bower then John Walker. On Wednesday afternoons, Ansells and HP Sauce would empty their VATS and the aroma of the Cross was pungent from hops and sauces. ITV had Studios next to the Branch and the show The Golden Shot was held there with Bob Monkhouse and “Bernie the Bolt”; we were often able to obtain tickets for the show’s Sunday recording.

 

Michael and I married in May 1969 and we bought a house in Hollywood, so I transferred to Cotteridge as a Cashier with Harold Turner as Manager. Harold Turner was Secretary at Kings Norton Golf Club and would often receive phone calls from the Club with issues that needed his attention. He would pop out to resolve the issues, as it was not far away from the Branch; he would take time for a few holes of golf whilst he was there.

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Whilst at Cotteridge I was involved in an armed raid and had to go to Steelhouse Lane Police Headquarters to do an Identity Kit picture of the armed raider. He was caught from the photo fit picture the same day, but unfortunately had spent most of his ill-gotten gains when he was apprehended. At the time of the raid Harold Turner was at lunch. I pushed the internal alarm bell and Harold opened the Mess Room door and pointed to his watch and said “I am still on lunch” not realising why I was pushing the alarm, as he used to ring it if we were late from lunch, so just presumed I was doing the same!

 

I left the Bank in January 1973 when I was expecting our daughter. During her early years I was an Avon Rep and then worked part time for Sainsburys.

 

In 1978 we moved back to Sutton Coldfield and our daughter started school. I joined the School PTA and drove the School Minibus taking the children swimming etc.  I worked two evenings a week at La Reserve Theatre Restaurant in Sutton Park as a Cashier.

 

In 1980 I returned to Erdington Branch as a Part Time Cashier under John Ward as Manager.

 

In 1984 Michael was posted to Area Manager in South Wales and we moved to Swansea. I was looking to transfer but the powers that be thought that as Mike was Area Manager and I being a Cashier that it may cause problems, as I might discuss things happening in branch that he might not be aware of and it could cause friction in branch. I reluctantly decided not to apply for a transfer.

 

I waited and settled our daughter into school and then worked in The Lovespoon Gallery in Mumbles before returning to College to retrain as a PA. I worked as a PA for Swansea Bay Partnership, which was Local Authority funded, and worked to bring companies to Swansea to operate in the Swansea Bay area. When funding was withdrawn I obtained a PA position at Morriston Hospital, working in the Risk and Litigation Department and later as PA to the Hospital Operations Manager.  I also joined the local branch of the RNLI and helped raise money for the RNLI through coffee mornings, door to door collections, flag days and fêtes. I became Secretary and was awarded the RNLI Silver Badge for my hard work and attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace where the Queen, Prince Phillip and Princess Anne were hosts.

 

In 2002, The Department for Work and Pensions opened a large new office in Swansea and I applied for a Manager’s Role and was successful. I became a Civil Servant, running a team of 20 staff, then spearheading the changes for customers to Direct Payment and finally becoming Head Security Officer investigating and preventing fraudulent claims and ensuring staff followed full security in all aspects of their role.

 

I retired in 2014, enjoying holidays in Florida and Spain, gardening and meeting up with friends. Unfortunately, Michael had  two strokes in 2019, a heart attack in 2020, and another stroke in 2023, which has badly affected his health, so our holidays abroad have unfortunately stopped and my days now are spent looking after Michael.

                   Lesley Hemming née Chapman

Lesley Chapman joined the BMB on July 29th 1968 and worked at Lozells; Witton; and Erdington branches. She married her BMB husband, John Hemming, in 1974, and retired from the Bank in 1980.

 

I joined the Birmingham Municipal Bank on 29th July 1968, after a one-week induction course in Head Office, Broad Street. I was then sent out to Lozells branch on the Saturday morning as a junior, Stan Wilson was the Manager.  I was at Lozells branch until I became a cashier in May 1970 and it was here that I met my future husband, John Hemming. As a cashier I went out on relief working at numerous branches on the north side of the city. Some branches were hand branches and some machine branches, and during this time I worked through decimalisation and computerisation.  I worked at Witton branch where a number of the Aston Villa players did their banking!  In 1972 I went to Erdington branch; Ralph Rowe was the manager.  I married John in 1974 and stayed at Erdington branch until I left in 1980 to start a family, the manager when I left was John Ward.

 

We have a daughter and a son -  both are married and have children of their own so we have a 4-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old twin grandsons.

 

I worked voluntarily in a local school helping the pupils with their reading, and collecting and counting the dinner money before going to Sutton College on a full time 2-year course to qualify as a Nursery nurse (N.N.E.B.). After I had qualified, I worked as a teaching assistant at New Oscott Primary School, Sutton Coldfield, for 15 Years in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.  I retired in 2013.

 

I now enjoy spending time with the family, going on holidays in this country and abroad, reading, going to the theatre, visiting National Trust properties and gardens, and researching our family tree.  The Chapman sisters and their respective families try to go on holiday together each year during the Easter holidays and we have been away together for the last 33 years.

                 Joy Brindley née Chapman

 

I joined the TSB in August 1978, after completing my A levels. I did have a place to train to be a dietitian but after hearing my sisters and brothers-in-law talking about the bank; I decided to join too and had the opportunity to do my Chartered banking examinations. I completed all but the final part of the exams, and then the bank no longer saw the need for them.

 

My first branch was Castle Vale and then I went to Perry Common, which was a great branch to work at.  We had some really memorable nights out, as we all got on so well.

 

In 1985 I broke the family tradition and married Steve who worked for BT. We moved to Eccleshall so I transferred to Stafford branch. I worked over the years in various branches in the area, working my way up to become Branch Manager at Market Drayton. I retired from Lloyds Bank in April 2023 after 45 years of service.  I have some really amazing memories of things that happened with customers over the years, including when a customer came in to withdraw cash – when he received it he said it was wrong because he had a complete list of the serial numbers he had deposited over the years and the notes we had given him were different – so it was obviously not his money!

 

Retirement is a new learning curve which I am just getting used to. My son always finds me something to do at his house.

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