He had to study for years to sit bank exams to help promote his career. He was Top for Scotland in his Final exam.
At the age of 27/28, he was chief of the small Kittybrewster branch of the North of Scotland Bank. He always said 1938 was his glorious year. He won several Golf awards (like the one in the photo in your kitchen), he became a father (Esther was born April 1938 and he was promoted.
Just before war broke out in 1939, he was offered a promotion to Head Office. A very good position. He realized that if he wanted to get ahead in his career, he had to be in Head Office asap. He accepted and moved to Head Office, now St.Nicholas Branch of the 'CBank'.
When war was declared, all bank managers were exempt from doing military service. Fregato! He was no longer a manager! So he was 'called up' when his age group qualified / Sept 1940. I was 2 months old. Aberdeen was being bombed daily because the Royal Family had evacuated to Balmoral Castle. Aberdeenshire and the Germans wanted to eliminate them... My father took us all to stay at my maternal grandmother's house in the country /Finzean, before leaving to join the army.
In November 1945. he was demobbed and returned to the bank where he worked until 1950 when the 'North of Scotland Bank' amalgamated with the 'Clydesdale Bank' becoming 'Clydesdale & North of Scotland Bank'.
All executive staff under the age of 40, were offered the possibility to accept a 'golden handshake' and resign. They had too many executive employees now that the banks had amalgamated and would be closing some branches.
This was a very difficult decision for him to make. My mother had died in 1949. At 38 he had been left alone with three young children. and housekeepers to be paid to look after the house and children.
He waited until the last minute to hand-in his resignation and accept the golden handshake. (He needed the extra money to pay the housekeeper's salary.
First he thought of buying a hotel with his golden handshake, but he had no experience in that business.... he had several other ideas ..... but he had to consider that he was a single parent with three small children of 5, 8 & 10 years old.... he applied for jobs.
He got a job with the 'Scottish Amicable Insurance Company' centred in Stirling. He was an Aberdeen based inspector...i.e. he proposed pension schemes, life insurance policies to prospective clients and travelled all over the north east of Scotland.
His bank connections were very useful. He knew all the bank managers in the area... they had studied for the bank exams together.
Soon he became Assistant Branch Manager, and later Aberdeen and district Manager Under his management, the Aberdeen office increased from 3 to 15 employees. He received many awards from the company. He retired in 1972.
In the meantime the 'Clydesdale and North of Scotland Bank' dropped the end part.... it was too long a title! and became the 'Clydesdale Bank plc', now known as only the ''CBank''.... always getting shorter!
