The home front
"There is something fantastic and repulsive in the thought that it should be necessary, in this year of grace, to equip a building in the heart of a civilised city with protection from attack by supposedly equally civilised people…"
- DIB, Union Assurance
The lives of those who stayed at home were dramatically changed on the outbreak of war. They suffered through evacuation, shortages and air raids while they shouldered additional burdens in the office and in their various civil defence duties. These pages give some idea of what life was like for our staff during those years.
Preparations for war
The archive records for many Aviva constituent companies contain detailed information of preparations made for the protection of staff, offices and business records in the face of the impending threat of war.
Office life in war
Staff left behind to run the offices had to deal with new war time insurance legislation and their evenings were spent in civil defence work. As well as contributing to various war time appeals staff in Aviva constituent companies also contributed a mobile canteen and a spitfire to the war effort.
Working in the blitz
Many of our offices continued working in London throughout the war but although many of our London offices were damaged and some even destroyed the reminiscences of staff working there in this period capture the famous "blitz spirit".
War damage
London staff were not the only ones to experience air raids and dozens of provincial branches were also damaged or destroyed. Staff became used to working in temporary accommodation and some performed heroics to save their branches from the flames of incendiary bombs.
