Union Assurance Society Ltd (No. 2)
The second Union Assurance Society was established in Glasgow on 12 June 1897 as The National Insurance Company of Great Britain Ltd. The society became a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd on September 11 1917. It was renamed the Union Assurance Society in February 1995 and dissolved on April 11 2006.
Company History
National Insurance Company of Great Britain stamp
National Insurance Company of Great Britain proposal, 1957
National Insurance Company of Great Britain proposal, 1963
National Insurance Company of Great Britain share certificate
Established as a fire insurer, the company signed its first policy on October 4 1897, receiving notice of its first claim just over two week later. In 1899, it established accident, burglary and plate glass departments. In 1907, business was extended further to include workmen's compensation and, by 1931, the company was undertaking all classes of insurance except life and marine. From 31 December 1966, all business was reinsured by Commercial Union.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1897 | The society is established |
| 1917 | The society becomes a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company |
| 1995 | Name changes to the Union Assurance Society |
| 2006 | The society is dissolved |
Subsidiaries and constituents
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1906 - 1910 | Scottish Commercial Plate Glass Insurance Company Ltd |
Head office premises
Glasgow
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1897 - 1898 | 44 West George Street |
| 1898 - 1906 | 139 St Vincent Street |
| 1906 - 1931 | 184 St Vincent Street |
| 1931 - 1963 | 145 St Vincent Street |
London
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1900 - 1903 | 233 Strand |
| 1903 - 1909 | 62 King William Street |
| 1909 - 1912 | 13 & 14 Abchurch Lane |
| 1912 - 1933 | 81 Cannon Street |
| 1933 - 1939 | 3 Birchin Lane |
| London office not listed after 1939 | |
Registered office
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1963 - 1967 | 26 George Street, Edinburgh |
| 1967 - 1969 | 24 Cornhill, London |
| 1969 - | St Helens, 1 Undershaft, London |
Staff and officials
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1897 - 1901 | D R Scott |
| 1901 - 1919 | James Glenn |
| 1919 - 1937 | A S Fraser (also manager) |
| 1937 - 1943 | John Henderson (also manager) |
| 1943 - 1959 | R K Lochhead |
| 1959 - 1966 | L S Cooper |
| 1966 - 1970 | H T Frost |
| 1970 - 1972 | J Linbourn |
| 1972 - 1977 | D R Cobden |
| 1977 - 1987 | G T Spratt |
Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1897 - 1919 | James Glen (also secretary from 1901) |
| 1919 - 1937 | A S Fraser (also secretary) |
| 1937 - 1943 | John Henderson (also secretary) |
| 1943 - 1958 | A J Makins (title changed to general manager)(knighted in 1950) |
| 1958 - 1967 at least | Francis Edwin Prescott Sandilands |
| Position not listed after 1967 | |
Directors (1897)
- Earl of Kinnoull
- Henry F Beaumont
- James Brand
- Bailie Steel
- Provost Brownlee
- George Duncan Collie
- Robert Graham
- Robert Alexander Hill
- William Kennedy
- Robert McClure
- William Macintosh
- George M'Crae
- Hugh Lennox
- John G Sharp
- John B Verel
Home branches
- Dundee (1897)
- Aberdeen (1897)
- Stirling (1897)
- Manchester (1898)
- Newcastle (1901)
- London (1900)
- Paisley (1904)
- Birmingham (1905)
- Leeds (1905)
Overseas agencies
- United States (by 1904)
- Antwerp, Belgium (1907)
- Canada (by 1907)
- Calcutta, India (1907)
- Bombay, India (1907)
- Hamburg, Germany (1909)
- Madras, India (1909) (branch by 1928)
- Amsterdam, Netherlands (1910)
- Rotterdam, Netherlands (1910)
- Roubaix, France (1910)
- Havre, France (1910)
- Alexandria, Egypt (1910)
- Colombo, Sri Lanka (1911)
- Marseilles, France (1911)
- Minnesota, United States (1913)
- Brussels, Belgium (by 1928)
- Athens, Greece (by 1928)
- Malta (by 1928)
- Bahamas (1925)
- Mauritius (by 1928)
- Cyprus (by 1928)
- Bermuda (1929)
- Morocco (1928)
Overseas branches
- Paris, France (by 1928)
- Madras, India (by 1928)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the second Union Assurance Society between 1897 and 2005. The collection includes board and general minutes, registers of members, annual reports and accounts, fire ledgers, registers of directors and secretaries, proposal forms and promotional material.
