As detailed in the History of the BMB's Staff Association, the idea of a Staff Magazine was first mooted by Lew Instone in the 1950s. Subsequently, the first edition of a quarterly publication was issued in June 1955, under the editorship of Harold Turner.

The magazine was initially entitled News Letter, with Harold Turner as its editor for eleven editions up to Christmas 1957. Harold was succeeded by Howard Powell, and in September 1959, the magazine was renamed CONTACT.
 
Howard included the following in his Editorial:
 
The News Letter was intended to keep you in contact with each other, with the Staff Association, with the Guild, with the retired members; we now contact other Corporation Departments. It can, therefore, be more aptly described as a "contact" than a News Letter. The christening ceremony having been performed perhaps some further explanation is necessary.

We have attempted to design a cover depicting some of the items normally covered in the journal; sport is represented by golf clubs and wickets, socials by a guitar and the cheque emphasises our profession. My thanks to "Inky" for a lot of hard work over a long period and to Mr Endall for his artistic assistance.
 
("Inky" was Margaret Stanley)
 
See Editors for known details of the various issues of News Letter and CONTACT.
 

From February 1987, a magazine for retired staff was produced under the auspices of the Retired Staff Association (Birmingham Region). The Birmingham Region basically comprised the former TSBs: Birmingham & the Midlands; Wales & Border Counties; and North Staffs.

 

The following articles appeared in the specified editions
of these three magazines
(C = CONTACT;    N = News Letter;    R = Retired Staff's Magazine):
 
Staff Association
 
Home
 Edition
 
 Title
 Description
 Ref.
 Summer 1955  N  News Letter No. 1  The first edition of the staff magazine  
 Autumn 1955  N  Letter to the Editor  'Complaint' from 'N. O. F. Hoole'  020
 Autumn 1955  N  The Man for the Job  The qualities required by an 'ideal junior'  021
 Christmas 1955  N  Questions on Banking Practice  A test set for students by "Revlac" (Harry Calver)  022
 Spring 1956  N  Travellers' Tales  Article by a depositor (Bridget Jackson) regarding her golfing career  100
 Christmas 1956  N  Brush up your Banking  A Few Questions on Bills, etc  023
 Christmas 1956  N  Revlac Writes Again  Article by "Revlac" (Harry Calver)  024
 Spring 1957  N  Harold Carver  Frank Jones writes on the occasion of the retirement of the General Manager  025
 Autumn 1958
  & Spring 1959
  N  Ferdinand Fitzpatrick  Member of staff who retired in August 1958 and died in December 1958  046
 Autumn 1958  N  Theo Guest  An appreciation of the career of a member of staff who retired in July 1958  047
 Autumn 1958  N  Miss R M Brown  The retirement of the Bank's Welfare Officer in 1958  048
 Autumn 1958  N  Miss Elsie Bullock
 Lady Branch Manager who commenced her service with the
     Birmingham Corporation Savings Bank
  049
 Christmas 1958  N  Tim Price  An appreciation of the career of a member of staff who retired in 1958  050
 Spring 1959  N  Bunkers Away  Article by a depositor (Bridget Jackson) regarding her golfing career  101
 Christmas 1958  N  Miss R E Cother  An appreciation of the career of a member of staff who retired 17/11/1958  051
 Autumn 1959  C  MEB - Punched Card System  Article by a member of staff of the Midlands Electricity Board  019
 Spring 1960  C  Letters to the Editor  A series of letters questioning the Bank's policies and practices  053
 Summer 1960  C  Patrick J ("Mac") McQuaid  Tribute to former Commissionaire  028
 Summer 1960  C  Edition No 21  An editorial relating to the magazine's milestone plus related articles  087
 Autumn 1960  C  The Retirement of Fred Parsonage  Event held at Head Office on retirement of the Deputy General Manager  026
 Autumn 1960  C  Unders and Overs  Report of staff cricket match between 'Under 30s' and 'Over 30s'  044
 Autumn 1960 -
  Autumn 1961
  C
 Articles regarding these two raids on branches,
     with particular reference to the George Medal awarded to John Edwards
  027
 Christmas 1960  C  Lewis Archibald Instone  Tribute to Branch Manager who Died in Service  029
 Spring 1961  C  G H Humphries  Retirement of Branch Manager after 34 years employment with the Bank  054
 Autumn 1961  C  Norah K Pogson  Tribute to Lady Branch Manager who Died in Service  030
 Autumn 1961  C  Young and Old  Report of staff cricket match between "Young 'Uns" and "Old 'Uns"  045
 Autumn 1961  C  THE BANKER'S ABC  Poem submitted by 'S. Easy.'  013
 Autumn 1962  C  BMB Cricket Club  'Old Uns'  v  'Young Uns'  055
 Christmas 1962  C  BMB Football & Cricket Clubs  BMB Football Club 3, BMB Cricket Club 3  056
 Christmas 1962  C  Kenneth Roy Willingham  Tribute to Branch Manager who died in service after 36 years' service  058
 Christmas 1962 &
   Spring 1964
  C  Countercraft  Two articles relating to the method of dealing with depositors  088
 Autumn 1963  C  Solihull's 25th  Description of the celebration of branch's 25th Anniversary  089
 Christmas 1963  C  Transport - The Changing Scene  Film Presentation by W A Camwell  090
 Autumn 1964  C  Harold John ('Jack') Sutherland  Retirement of General Manager  059
 Christmas 1964  C  Miss Marion McLean  Retirement of member of staff of House Purchase Department  060
 December 1964  C  Tribute to J W Raftery  Special Edition of Magazine following the death of the Bank's General Manager  057
 Autumn 1965  C  Annual Staff Cricket Match  Young Ones v Aged Ones  078
 Christmas 1965  C  Miss Nora Frances Jenkins  Tribute to member of staff of Accounts Department: died October 3rd 1965  061
 Christmas 1966  C  Charles E Harper  Retirement of Branch Manager with 43 years' service  062
 Various 1966  C  Retirement Tributes  The Retirements of Miss Meggs; Mrs Leedham; Miss Tyzzer  091
 Summer 1966  C  Communications; Lost and Found  Report following the attendance on a course; A cautionary tale  092
 Summer 1966  C  The Killer Phrase  Article by "Revlac" (Harry Calver)  093
 Autumn 1966  C  Frank Harold Whitehouse  Retirement of Branch Superintendent with 46 years' service  094
 Summer 1967  C  Frank W Hearne  Retirement of Branch Manager with 42 years' service  063
 Summer 1967  C  Leonard Arthur ('Len') Wright  Retirement of Branch Manager with 47 years' service  064
 Summer 1967  C  James A ('Jim') Duff  Retirement of Branch Manager with 40 years' service  065
 Autumn 1967  C  Ernest Roy Jennings  Retirement of Branch Manager with 44 years' service  079
 Christmas 1967  C  Walter Kennard Robottom  Tribute to retired Branch Inspector: died January 1967  066
 Christmas 1967  C  Clarrie Russ  Tribute to Branch Manager who died in service  067
 Christmas 1967  C  To All New Members of the Staff  An informative article by John Cox  095
 Spring 1968  C  Leslie C Abbiss  Retirement of Branch Manager with 45 years' service  068
 Christmas 1968  C  Arthur Henry Bower  Tribute to Branch Inspector who died in service  069
 Christmas 1968  C  Mrs E M Peers  Retirement of officer who originally joined the Bank in 1927  070
 Spring 1969  C  Geoff Payne  Retirement of Branch Manager with 44 years' service  071
 Spring 1969  C  Miss Ivy K Cowley  Retirement of officer who worked in Head Office for 40 years  072
 Spring 1969  C  Henry Grocott Wright  Tribute to former officer who retired in 1940 and died in 1969  073
 Spring 1969  C  Neville L Newcombe  Retirement of Branch Manager with 45 years' service  074
 Spring 1969  C  Neville Chamberlain Centenary  Memory-071: Recollections by Stanley Guy  
 Spring 1969  C  Decimalisation  In anticipation of the currency change in February 1971  096
 Autumn 1969  C  Harold John Sutherland  Obituary of former General Manager  006
 Autumn 1969  C  Lilian Florence Lewis  Obituary of former General Manager's Secretary
007
 Autumn 1969  C  The Bank Jubilee  A Review of the dinners held to celebrate the Bank's Jubilee by Stanley Guy
097
 Christmas 1969  C  Henry J T Bayliss  Retirement of Branch Manager with 46 years' service  075
 Christmas 1969  C  Charles Hedley Massey  Retirement of Assistant General Manager with 47 years' service  098
 Christmas 1969  C  Football Club: Friendly Matches  Games v Cambridge TSB and Frankfurt Representative Side  099
 Spring 1970  C  Alf Morgan  Retirement of Branch Manager with 44 years' service  076
 Spring 1970  C  Hewel E M Forman  Retirement of Branch Manager with 40 years'service  077
 Summer 1970  C  W H ('Bill') Stanton  Retirement of Branch Manager with 43 years' service  031
 Summer 1970  C  S Frank Jones  Retirement of Branch Inspector with 48 years' service  032
 Autumn 1970  C  Stanley A Guy, MBE  Retirement of General Manager  033
 Christmas 1970  C  Eric A Howlett  Retirement of Chief Accountant with 41 years' service  034
 Christmas 1970  C  Leonard F Evans  Retirement of Branch Manager with 40 years' service  035
 Autumn 1971  C  Quarterly Review  The first of a series of articles on music by John Winterbottom and Terry Hinz  052
 Christmas 1971  C  Thomas Albert Edward Wilner  Retirement of Head Office Superintendent with 46 years' service  080
 Christmas 1971  C  William Arthur Camwell
 Retirement of Branch Manager with 47 years' service
  081
 1972  C  History of the Staff Association  Special Edition celebrating 25 years of the Staff Association  
 Spring 1972  C  Cecil Selwyn  Retirement of Superintendent of Branches  036
 Spring 1972  C  Geoffrey T Edwards  Retirement of Branch Manager with 46 years' service  037
 Spring 1972  C  Alec H F Giddings  Retirement of Branch Manager with 43 years' service  038
 Summer 1972  C  Mind How You Go  Article by "Revlac" (Harry Calver)  001
 Summer 1972  C  National Savings Award  Reference to a long-serving member of the Bank's staff: Win Fellows  005
 Summer 1972  C  BMB Football Club  Report re 1971/72 Season  011
 Summer 1972  C  BMB Motoring Club  Report by Steve Pink  012
 Spring 1973  C  F Malcolm Thompson  Retirement of Head Office Superintendent with 48 years' service  082
 Summer 1973  C  G W ("Wilf") Thomas  Retirement of Branch Manager with almost 47 years' service  039
 Christmas 1973  C  W G T ("Wilf") Gray  Retirement of Branch Inspector with 44 years' service  040
 Spring 1974  C  B P ("Bunny") Hayward  Retirement of General Manager with 48 years' service  083
 Spring 1974  C  A W ("Bert") Hopkins  Retirement of Assistant General Manager with 30 years' service  084
 Spring 1974  C  Elsie Bullock  Tribute to Branch Manageress who died in March 1974  085
 Summer 1974  C  Godfrey L Boden  Retirement of Branch Superintendent with 48 years' service  086
 Christmas 1974  C  Chairman's Message
 The Staff Association Chairman (Richard Snow) reports to staff
 regarding issues, such as a grading restructure, following the creation of the
 West Midlands County Council in 1974; computerisation; and a
 possible change of the Bank's status to be a Trustee Savings Bank
  003
 Christmas 1974  C  Being Sociable
 Year-end report by Derek Horner:
 Chairman of the Staff Association's Socials Committee
  002
 Christmas 1974  C  Christmas Pie
 Article by "Revlac" (Harry Calver) referring to some of the subjects covered by
 Richard Snow (see [003] above) - 'Saint Alban' being Alban Clemons,
 who had overall responsibility for the Bank's computerisation project
  004
 Christmas 1974  C  BMB Cricket Club  Report by Mike Read: 1974 Season  014
 Christmas 1974  C  BMB Motoring Club  Report re 1974; Photo: Steve Pink receiving award at R E Gillies Rally  015
 Christmas 1974  C   BMB Lawn Tennis Club  Report by Peter Aston re 1974 Season  016
 Christmas 1974  C  BMB Golfing Society  Report by Michael Bourke; Photo: Keith Haslam at Pro-Am Tournament  017
 Christmas 1974  C  BMB Table Tennis Club  Report by Roger Garner and Rod Tonks  018
 Summer 1975  R  Frank Harold Whitehouse  Tribute to former Superintendent  041
 Summer 1975  R  Walter ("Wally") Brown  Tribute to former Branch Manager  042
 April 1991  R  Bernard Percy Hayward  Obituary of former General Manager  008
 April 1995  R  Charles Hedley Massey  Obituary of former Assistant General Manager  009
 April 1995  R  William Arthur Camwell  Obituary of former Branch Manager  010
 Various  C  Humour at the Bank  Items selected from various editions of CONTACT
Staff Magazines
 
Staff
BACK TO THE TOP