The UK Club was founded in 1869, in the same year as ships first transited the Suez Canal and Japan opened to the West. Thomas Miller became the manager in 1885, operating from Great St Helens. By 1899, the year the first Pooling Agreement was signed between the then six Clubs, the UK Club was the largest, having approximately 25% of the insured tonnage. Today, the thirteen Club's making up the International Group (ie who pool their claims together) insure 95% of the world's ocean-going fleet and handle and settle all the major casualties and accidents that occur on the high seas and in thousands of ports. To operate immediately in every port in the world, the Clubs appoint approximately 800 local firms as Correspondents. The Clubs operating together on a pro bono basis also act as an industry knowledge base and think tank, discussing hundreds of technical and international issues.
For the UK Club's 125th Anniversary, a history was written by a professional historian, Peter Young, and copies sent to all Members and Correspondents. This important work drew together for the first time the full story of the Club's history, its development and how it operates today. The book is available online here.
The Club also held a dinner at the Guildhall, London in January 1995 for 300 Members and other guests, with Lord Donaldson, the Master of the Rolls, as the principal speaker. Dinners were also held in other centres, coinciding with Directors' Meetings.
