David Squires Feature Profile

Hi!

Below is a feature profile on David Squires- Poole Town Crier, and one of the longest serving criers in the world. Enjoy!

Mark A.

“The first thing children say is ‘Mummy! Mummy! It’s a pirate’, because of my hat, or at this time of year Father Christmas because of my uniform!”
Sitting in the cosy home of David Squires, sat stroking his white facial hair in front of his festively decorated log fire; it is puzzling to see how anyone could come to this conclusion.
Poole’s very own town crier lives in Parkstone Dorset, a suburb between the town centre and Bournemouth, a fittingly discrete location for a reserved and dignified man- whose job just happens to be shouting for a living.
“Officially speaking I am paid £1-a-week by the council, but in 1837 the man doing my job received one guinea so technically I’ve been de-valued,” David jokes.
Formerly a buying manager, the 67–year-old now lives at home with his wife and their cat Sparky- who is keen to get involved in the interviewing process as she leaves her paw print signature on my notepad.
David’s home is full of reminders of his calling- beside the door is a small church-like bell, prompting visitors do wonder whether it is this they operate to get inside or the more functional electronic doorbell next to it.
Inside in a room to the left through a door left slightly ajar the proud, protected uniform of the crier can be seen- the brilliant red obstructed only by the shine of the plastic covering it in the light.
“All-in-all I must have spent around £9,000 on uniforms. First you have to find a manufacturer and I was very lucky to find one locally for the last three uniforms- hopefully the next one will last until I retire.”
It is not just the uniform that makes David proud. He is a challenger for the title of the world’s longest serving crier- though it is not a title that is prolifically recorded.
“I started on April 2nd 1958, and have served under 50 mayors- though two of these served twice,” he notes.
“I shall be contacting the Guinness book of records after 60 years of service as I believe that is the current record, but it is still something I am proud of.”
Tony Evans is less supportive of David’s claim however- as chairman of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers he points out there are two other members of the guild who have served 61 and 53 years service respectively.
Evans says: “I have known David Squires for many years, but he is not the longest serving Town Crier in the world, I have recently had several enquiries from Town Criers hoping to claim to this title.
He claims: “David has been Town Crier of Poole for 50 years this year, a fine achievement, but the longest serving Town Crier in the world, and a member of the AHGTC, is still a Town Crier for the same town as was his father and grandfather before him, he was awarded the MBE for his services to Town Crying, and this year the AHGTC Meritorious Service Medal,” Evans went on.
Whether or not the record stands, Poole’s town crier still holds many titles and achievements, not least the 1992 National Town Crier Award, and as a result representing Great Britain in the 1993 World Championships in Canada.
For something that started as a hobby and has since seen him visit all parts of the world in his crying career David admits it has been a wonderful experience.
“I look back over the years and I’ve done all sorts- beauty pageants in Cherbourg, carnivals, fates- it’s been wonderful.”
The nature of crying may now have changed, but David now has a ‘horrendous amount’ of private functions, and is even asked to perform at weddings.
“I do quite a few weddings, one couple had around 150 guests and they went out onto the harbour on a barge- I gathered information about them, incorporated it into a poem then put it into a scroll with an ole-worlde font and in full costume read it on the day itself”.
David has had the morning off today, giving the voice a rest, and attended a planning meeting about Poole Town Football Club’s proposals to build a new stadium on the recreation ground close to his home.
Attending the meeting is a marked sign of a man very much involved in his community, and the role his work plays within it.
“It’s just a nice feeling, to be recognised by ones peers and the wider community. They stop me in the high street and say ‘still doing it then?’ It sounds pompous but the post commands a lot of respect.”
David’s afternoon shift lights up the high street with his shouting, bell-ringing and colour. Much like his personality, his uniform sets him apart from everyone around him, and looking on at the faces of shoppers passing by they are smiling and answering their children’s questions about the man in the hat.
David stops with two older ladies to pose for a photo- he gives one his bell and the other his mace and aptly strikes a photogenic grin. But his generosity in posing for photos or talking to children is very reminiscent of the earlier comparison once made by a child.
After 134 events attended as Crier in 2008 and an estimated 180 in 2009, surely only Father Christmas himself can be a more recognisable man in red around Poole this yuletide.