Reminiscences
Much of the information contained in these pages came from reminiscences written by members of staff, either for the staff magazines directly after the war. Or for a special supplement to our pensioners' magazine, In Touch, in 2005. Many of these were worthy of more than just a brief quote and are reproduced here in full.
The stories cover life as a POW, service in the Army, Navy and Air Force, ARP preparations and office life on the home front and under enemy occupation. There are some wonderful stories like that of R A Peyer who survived for months in the arctic after his ship was sunk.
We hope that reading them will spark reminiscences of your own and that you will share them with us.
Jersey branch arrangements
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Under occupation
Robert Le Sueur writes about how General Accident's Jersey branch copied after the German invasion.
- Add comment
- View comments (0)
Defence of a provincial branch
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
An article written about a manager who helped to save records and files from a burning building in Norwich.
Notes on ARP at Union head office
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
An article written by Union Assurance about air raid precautions introduced in the their head office.
Evacuation of head office
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
An article published in the British General staff magazine talking about the evacuation of their head office from Cheapside to Redhill.
Enigma
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Code breaking
O McEntyre writes about training to be a wireless operator, and becoming a intercept operators.
'Special' service as a VI
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Code breaking
Peter Ives writes about about joining and his experiences as a voluntary interceptor of the Radio Security Section of the War Office.
Working through the blitz
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
Doris Page recalls working at The Northern Assurance and living during the blitz.
Wartime at head office
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
J W Cheal writes about being one of the few who where left at the head office of North British & Mercantile to hold the fort, when the head office was evacuated to Newland Park.
Skeleton in the office
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
A R Tingey describes a day in his life as a member of the Yorkshire Insurance skeleton staff working in London during the blitz.
Firebomb raid, night of 29 December 1940 on City of London
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
Dorothy Haines writes about her experience of going into work after a firebomb raid in the City of London.
Reminiscences from Reading
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Home front
Jeanne Axton writes about her experiences of working at the branch office in Reading for Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance during the war.
Arctic survivor
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Sea
R A Peyer writes about his voyage to Russia by ship.
Proctor propaganda pamphlet
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Sea
Herbert A Proctor writes about his experiences of life at sea during the war.
Experiences serving with the REME
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Land
Cliff Bilney recalls his experiences of serving with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in France during the war.
Reminiscences
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Land
J Passmore writes about his experiences of being part of the air defences at Portland Bill and protecting an airport in Algiers.
Snippet from Second World War front line
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Land
Peter Garrett writes about his memories of fighting in North France after D-Day.
Letter
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Land
A letter written by Walter S Pethers about travelling through Italy and playing cricket.
Reminiscences
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Air
J A Shepherd writes about his memories of joining the Volunteer Reserve Services with his friends and joining the RAF.
The story of Geoffrey Palmer
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Air
A letter written by editor of Norwich Union staff magazine quoting a letter from Geoffrey Palmer former Wing Commander to his parents, explaining the circumstances in which he was left behind in Java.
Service with bomber command
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
Staff on active service - Air
J Whiteley writes about his memories of joining the RAF, with no experience of how to fly an plane, in July 1941 and training pilots to fly bombers during the war.
Capture at St Valery and reminiscences of a POW
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
Reg Pope writes about registering for service under the National Service Act in June 1939. Being captured by the Germans at St Valery-En-Caux in June 1940, and his experiences of being a POW.
Insurance Institute in POW camp
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
R Chapman writes about the beginnings of what must have been a very unique Insurance Institute.
We were prisoners of war - Todd's experiences
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
Stories of domestic life as a prisoner of war written by Captain D H Tood.
We were prisoners of war - Falconer's experiences
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
Trooper Peter J Falconer writes about his personal experiences of being in captivity in a German prison camp.
Three years in captivity
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
Lieutenant J W Blackah from Norwich Union writes about his experiences of being a prisoner of war, after being taken prisoner at Brook in June 1942.
Singapore retrospect
WW2 10 November 2010
Subjects:
POW
The following is a brief account of Henry Robins Cook, Norwich Union, of his existence as a POW under the Imperial Japanese Army. Written in June 1946.
