To mark the retirement of the Bank's Deputy General Manager, Mr F W (Fred) Parsonage, a special design was used for the Autumn 1960 issue of the staff magazine, CONTACT (below). The magazine also featured a caricature of Fred - reproduced on the right.

The basis of the magazine cover by 'Inky' (Margaret Stanley) was to show that a 'pillar' of the Bank had departed, but its published version caused some confusion as shown by the following correspondence received by the magazine's editor for the next edition:

 

Dear Sir,

 

Please can you tell me and also many fellow wonderers what exactly was the point of the drawing on the cover of your last issue? If Mr Parsonage, as the pillar, has gone (and I assume that such was the "message") why was the pillar still there? -- or is there some subtler meaning intended which is beyond my mental capacity? The previous efforts of "Inky" are to be commended but I think that someone has slipped up here!!

 

"BEWILDERED!

 

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Dear Mr Editor,

 

I think yore comiks luvley but yore larst cartune was barmy! If the pillers gorn, WY WOS IT THEER????

 

ANXIOUS ARRY.

 

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(I'm glad you asked me that. I was more surprised than you because the completed stencil that I took in to Head Office showed the building with one pillar missing. This was drawn in at some time during the typing etc. of the journal as it was apparently not clearly understood that there had been a deliberate omission. - Ed.)