The Northern Assurance Company was established in Aberdeen in 1836 as the North of Scotland Fire and Life Assurance Company and renamed Northern Assurance Company in 1848. The company initially had two departments: fire assurance and life assurance. In 1837 a new prospectus stated that “the company insures houses, manufactories, furniture, goods, and merchandise, farming stock, shipping in Port and Dock, and while Building, Repairing, or used on Navigable Canals, and all other Property, from Loss or Damage by fire”. The business also included “endowments of children, the purchase and sale of annuities, insurance on joint lives and survivorships, and every Transaction dependent on the Contingency of Life.” It is now part of Aviva.
At the outbreak of WWI, between 50 and 60 of the 361 male staff in the UK were already in the territorial forces or naval reserve. By the end of 1914, 105 staff had joined up. By the end of the war, 335 men were serving in the forces, 61 were known to have died: 18% of those who served.
