Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

298 HISTORY OF THE BANKa certain kind of mosquito is responsible for spreading it,and the adoption of effective methods for dealing with thosepests; and the life of the banker in New Orleans now pursues anormal and placid course.During the German air raids over England, the membersof the London staff were not without exciting experiences.The situation of the office, close by the Mansion House, theBank of England and the Royal Exchange, was consideredby the military authorities as being in the danger zone, and inJuly, 1917, the Corporation of the City of London requestedthe bank to allow persons to take cover in its building at theirown risk during raids, and to post a notice to that effect in aconspicuous position outside the premises. In addition, forthe safety of the staff, an elaborate barrier of sandbags andplanking, about nine feet high and three feet thick, was constructedin the basement parallel to the counter as a protectionagainst missiles entering by the window openings.1Whenthe warning of an air raid was given, the members of the staffusually took refuge in the lower vault, or behind this barrierwhich ran in front of it. The roof of the building also wasprotected by a similar contrivance.On September 4, 1917, however, two members of the staffhad a very narrow escape from death. It was not a newexperience for either of them, because by a singular coincidencethe same two officers had passed through a similar ordeal in1915, while on a holiday at Margate. The circumstances,however, were somewhat different. At Margate they were ona tennis lawn, when the Germans came over on a bombingexpedition. They dropped to the ground, and a bomb fellso near them that it covered them with earth, but left themotherwise uninjured. At the time of the raid of September 4,1917, the two friends were occupying a maisonette in Londonnear the Connaught Club. Shortly after eleven o'clock theyboth retired to bed, but in about five minutes they heard theengine of an aeroplane, the loud noise from which convinced'See plate 49, facing page 294.