Images of the 'Rolls of Honour' and 'War Memorials'

The 'Rolls of Honour' / 'War Memorials' are installed in a basement corridor of the Northern Bank (Danske Bank) Head Office, Donegall Square West, Belfast.  They are securely attached to the walls and are covered in glass to protect them. 

The width of the hall together with the reflective glass make it extremely difficult to take good photographs without reflections.

There is no memorial to the 3 civilian bank employees who were murdered during the Northern Ireland Conflict.

Northern Banking Company - Brass Panel with Raised Lettering - The Great War & WWII

Northern Banking Company - The Great War - Pictorial Record - Panel 1

Northern Banking Company - The Great War - Pictorial Record - Panel 2

Northern Banking Company - The Great War - Pictorial Record - Panel 3

Belfast Banking Company - Brass Panel with Raised Lettering - The Great War & WWII

Belfast Banking Company - The Great War - Pictorial Record

Northern Bank - Ladies of 1919

Northern Bank - Ladies of 1919

A number of Lady Staff photographed on the roof of the Northern Bank Head Office building in Victoria Street, Belfast.

Some of them may have joined the bank to cover the officials who had left for war service.

Northern Bank Golf Club Outing - May 1951

Amongst this group of golfers are a few ex-servicemen e.g. L McK White, J F Bristow, Wm H G Millikin and R P MacGregor.

Belfast Bank Football Team - 1930's

Amongst this group of footballers are a few ex-servicemen e.g. O. Mulholland, W A Rainey and I W Bratty.

Excerpts from Documents

25th September 1945

Temporary Lady Clerks

As the members of the permanent staff in the Forces will soon be returning to take up duty again, the Temporary Lady Clerks will, as a matter of course and in keeping with the terms of employment, be released from duty as the men return.

We are sending this notice now so that those ladies may have an opportunity of securing positions elsewhere and we shall be prepared to release them on short notice, if they are successful.

We wish to express to the Lady Clerks, our appreciation of the help that they have given in carrying on the services of the Bank to the Public during the War period.

 

 

19th March 1946

Staff

In order to avoid redundancy of staff by the return of Officials from Active Service, we have, as far as possible, restricted new entrants to our Service, and, therefore, decided not to hold an examination for Clerkships this year.  As the rate of demobilisation is somewhat slower than we expected in the case of younger men we now find that our Staff will be somewhat short during the Summer months when we are providing for holiday and sick relief.

We do not wish in any way to curtail or upset the usual holiday arrangements, and we appeal, therefore, to our Managers and Staffs, to examine the situation at their respective Branches and see if it would be at all possible to help us out of this temporary difficulty by lending us a hand for the current leave season, or by dispensing with relief.

Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated and materially help us to tide over a very difficult period.

Relocation of Northern Bank War Memorial - 1977

Relocation of Northern Bank War Memorial - 1977

Following the sale of the Northern Bank former Head Office at 16 Victoria Street, Belfast, it was necessary to remove and re-locate the Northern Bank War Memorial. This Memorial which bears the names of Officials who served in the 1914-1918 and the 1939-1945 wars has been placed beside the Belfast Bank War Memorial in Waring Street branch, Belfast.

The Dean of Belfast, The Very Rev. S B Crooks, M.A., T.D., kindly offered to officiate at a Dedication Service which was held in the Branch on 7th December 1977.

The service, which was attended by ex-servicemen and their guests, was followed by dinner in the Ulster Reform Club. As it has been decided to discontinue the annual dinner the evening was naturally filled with nostalgia.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Spring 1978) contains photographs of veterans and guests of the Ex-Servicemen's Association. A few names are known. Please help by commenting.

Rededication Service in Waring Street branch

A, Brian White & David (?) Christie

D, E, F & G

H, Barry Lowry & Micky Thompson

Barry Lowry, Wesley Duncan, Stanley Dawson & N

O, P, Q & R

R & P

Wilson Ervin & V

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1976

A number of photographs and articles appeared in the Northern Bank Staff Magazine 'The Link' of the Ex-Servicemen's Association dinners and reunions. They are reproduced below.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Winter 1976) contains a photograph of Ex-Servicemen’s Reunion Dinner.  Names include M S D Thompson, J F Bristow, W L Stephens, W Ervin, J M Henderson and W A Nesbitt.

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1975

A number of photographs and articles appeared in the Northern Bank Staff Magazine 'The Link' of the Ex-Servicemen's Association dinners and reunions. They are reproduced below.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Winter 1975) contains a photograph of Ex-Servicemen’s Association.  There are 5 unnamed persons altogether.

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1974

A number of photographs and articles appeared in the Northern Bank Staff Magazine 'The Link' of the Ex-Servicemen's Association dinners and reunions. They are reproduced below.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Winter 1974) contains a photograph of Ex-Servicemen’s Reunion.  Names include E J Gould, J Carson, F W T Dolan, W Ervin, J F Bristow.

Update: February 2021. I have been given the original colour prints from this event. One was used in the magazine article. All are reproduced below.

E J Gould, J Carson & F W T Dolan

Lt Gen Sir Frank King KCB MBE, Wilson Ervin, J F Bristow & M S D Thompson

6, 7, 8 & Ted Larmour

9, 10, Ted Larmour & 11

12, 13, 14 & 15

16, 17, 18, 19 & 20

21, Lt Col Wesley Duncan UD MBE, 22, Wilson Ervin

23, 24, 25 & 26

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1973

A number of photographs and articles appeared in the Northern Bank Staff Magazine 'The Link' of the Ex-Servicemen's Association dinners and reunions. They are reproduced below.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Winter 1973) contains 3 group photographs of the Annual Dinner for ex-servicemen.  There are 13 unnamed persons altogether. 

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1970

Ex-Servicemen's Association 1970

A number of photographs and articles appeared in the Northern Bank Staff Magazine 'The Link' of the Ex-Servicemen's Association dinners and reunions. They are reproduced below.

The Staff Magazine ‘The Link’ (Winter 1970) contains an article over 3 pages with photographs of the Retired Annual Dinner.  Names include H M Gabbey, W E Moore, W A Rainey, A McL Buller, H Carson, A Hanna, W L Stephens, J A Richardson, R C Malseed, G E Larmour, W F Irvine, W Ervin, W A Nesbitt, F C McBride, J Thompson and I W Bratty.

Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day - 15th August 2025 - 80th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War

Belfast Telegraph - 14th August 1945 - Preparations for VJ Day

Belfast Telegraph - 16th August 1945 - The Day After VJ Day

96 of our colleagues volunteered for service in the Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. 13 did not return.

Northern Bank – World War II	44 officials volunteered for service
of which	3 were killed in action
	1 was reported missing
Belfast Bank – World War II	52 officials volunteered for service
of which	9 were killed in action

The returning men were repatriated in stages from 1945 to 1947. Some had returned for other reasons during the war. All the men had stories to tell.  A few left the employment of the bank and went on to other roles.

The links below tell only part of the story. Each man has an individual story that can be accessed via the website filters.

Belfast Banking Company - deceased, missing or served - names

Northern Bank - deceased or served - names

This 16mm cine film records the men of the 8th Belfast HAA Regiment (The 12 Mile Snipers) returning home in 1946. If interested there are 2 other parts to this film.

Highlights include at 6 mins 40 seconds in is Major H Maurice Gabbey (Belfast Banking Company) described as a 'bridge player'. Their ship arrives in Larne at 8 minutes in and the film shows their return journey from Larne into Belfast where a parade was held for them.

We Shall Remember Them

Victory in Europe Day - 8th May 2020 - 75th Anniversary

VE Day - Belfast (Northern Bank, Donegall Square branch top right)

The 8th May 2025 is the 80th anniversary of the Victory in Europe. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill broadcast to the nation at 3:00 pm on 8th May 1945. Many people around the UK had already been celebrating from the day before when news broke.

96 of our colleagues volunteered for service in the Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. 13 did not return.

Northern Bank – World War II	44 officials volunteered for service
of which	3 were killed in action
	1 was reported missing
Belfast Bank – World War II	52 officials volunteered for service
of which	9 were killed in action

The returning men were repatriated in stages from 1945 to 1947. Some had returned for other reasons during the war. All the men had stories to tell. A few left the employment of the bank and went on to other roles. 

The links below tell only part of the story. Each man has an individual story that can be accessed via the website filters.

Belfast Banking Company - deceased, missing or served - names

Northern Bank - deceased or served - names

Bobby Malseed's return to banking in 1946 - article

We Shall Remember Them - (Courtesy of Heritage Flight Simulation)

Lisburn VE Day - 70 years on - by Gavin Bamford

British Library Web Archive

The British Library Web Archive have advised me that they have accepted the Northern Bank - War Memorials / Roll of Honour website for permanent archiving in the UK Web Archive.

An archive of this website from 14th January 2013 is available. I am not aware of how often archives are taken.

The UK Web Archive was established in 2004 to capture and archive websites from the UK domain, responding to the challenge of a ‘digital black hole’ in the nation’s memory.  It contains specially selected websites that represent different aspects of online life in the UK.

Medals Awarded During the Great War

The medals awarded during the Great War were:

1914 Star (Mons Star) was awarded for service in France or Flanders (Belgium) between 5th August and 22nd November 1914 (clasp).

1914-15 Star was awarded for service in France or Flanders (Belgium) between 23rd November 1914 and 31st December 1915, or for service in any theatre between 5th August 1914 and 31st December 1915.

Note: A person awarded any of the variants of the Stars automatically qualified for the award of the Allied Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

Allied Victory Medal (Victory Medal) was awarded for service in any operational theatre between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. It was issued to individuals who received the 1914 and 1914-15 Stars and to most individuals who were issued the British War Medal. The medal was also awarded for service in Russia (1919-1920) and post-war mine clearance in the North Sea (1918-1919).

British War Medal was awarded to both servicemen and civilians that either served in a theatre of war, or rendered service overseas between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. It was also awarded for service in Russia, and post-war mine clearance in the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea between 1919 and 1920.

Note: The Victory Medal could not be awarded on its own, therefore a Victory Medal must always be issued with at least a British War Medal (but the reverse is not true - some Naval personnel received the British War Medal but not the Victory Medal).

Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) was awarded to non-commissioned officers for bravery.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) was generally awarded to officers ranked Major and higher for distinguished war service.

Military Cross Medal (MC) was awarded to commissioned officers of Captain and below, as well Warrant Officers, for valour during active operations.

Numbers Awarded WW1, WW2 & Korea
	MC	1st Bar	2nd Bar	3rd Bar
1st World War	37,104	2,984	168	4
2nd World War	10,386	482	24	-
Korea	182	1	-	-

Military Medal was awarded to non-commissioned officers for bravery in a land battle.

Silver War Badge (SWB) was awarded to servicemen who became ill or were wounded while serving in a theatre of war or at home.

Territorial Force War Medal was awarded to servicemen who were members of the Territorial Force either on or before 30th September 1914 and who served in an operational theatre abroad between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918.

Note: A person who received any of the variants of the Stars could not be awarded the Territorial Force War Medal. 

“Mentioned in Despatches” was an award for commendable service or bravery. Despatches were official reports that detailed military operations. These reports were published in the London Gazette. Servicemen who had performed noteworthy actions were often mentioned in these reports, therefore having been “Mentioned in Despatches.”