Having just enjoyed the Easter break, my mind turned to a particular card in my collection of insurance related postcards. And then my mind wandered to other cards which demonstrate that a career in insurance is not as boring as it sounds. As you can see, the card was posted in Hove on 25 January 1924, presumably by the local branch manager of the Pearl Assurance Company (the full name is hard to read). It is addressed to a General Agent in Sheffield – a long way from Hove! “Please forward full details re Easter and Whitsuntide Chocolate Clubs” is the request.
What on earth is a “Chocolate Club” I ask myself and what will the enquirer do with the answer? Was there a Chocolate party in the Hove Branch of the Pearl in 1924?
The Ipswich Branch of the Prudential Assurance Company had much more mundane things to think about as this card shows.
This card was postally used on 30th May 1913 and is addressed to “The Waterworks Co, Ipswich.”
The “above address” is stated to be the Superintendent’s address so I’m left wondering if it is his home or the Prudential’s local office?
The Ipswich Water Company must have received a lot of business from the Pru because here is another such request. No date on this one I’m afraid but this time it’s the Agent’s tap that needs fixing.
This time the card is addressed simply to the Manager of the Ipswich Water Company. “Kindly send a man to attend to tap over sink at above” says Mr Reading. Can’t have ladies or anything of that sort, can we? Wouldn’t be acceptable today! I conclude from this that the Pru had a lot of leaking taps in their Ipswich branches!
Far more serious than a leaking tap was the problem faced by the Norwich Union in 1904. This card was posted in Billingshurst on 9 July 1904.
Clearly, Mr Sutton had a problem with his cesspool but why on earth would the Norwich Union be trying to get someone to clean it? Was it anything to do with a claim? Was it just an intended favour for a client?
Finally, here is a card of the Prudential office in Leeds on 14 September 1903. The name of the sender is unknown but why use a card depicting the Pru office. Did he work there? And was he courting Miss M Vaughan? Was she a fellow employee? We will never know but his message was:
“Faith the foundation sure, remains,
The Anchor. Hope our soul sustains,
But rooted in God’s grace we prove,
The greatest of the three is Love,
FAITH, HOPE LOVE”
I do hope that the sender succeeded in his pursuit of Miss Vaughan and, as happened to so many, he did not die in the conflict a decade or so later.
Whoever said that a job in insurance is boring? The first member to explain what a Chocolate Club is or was will get a big bar of chocolate from me.
Reg Brown, 21st April 2025.
