Rosemary Squires

Born in Bristol, England, Squires was the daughter of a civil servant. She took singing, guitar and piano lessons while at school at St Edmund's Girls' School, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Initially she entertained troops by singing on nearby UK and US army bases around Salisbury. With her appealing West Country burr she sang with various musical groups and with a Polish military band, all the while maintaining a job in a shop for antique books and later office work.[1]

When Squires became a professional singer she performed with big bands such as Ted Heath, Geraldo and Cyril Stapleton. She also sang with the smaller jazz bands of Max Harris, Kenny Baker and appeared in the BBC Festival of Jazz at the Royal Albert Hall with the Alan Clare band. She moved from Salisbury to London in 1948 at 20 years of age. In the 1950s and 1960s, she became a regular on the BBC Light Programme (now BBC Radio 2) on programmes such as Melody Time and Workers' Playtime.[1] Squires worked in the United States with Danny Kaye and Sammy Davis Jr., as well as appearing on the Johnny Carson Show.[2] In 1994, Squires was part of the entertainment for Prince Edward's 30th birthday celebrations. During the 2012 Royal Diamond Jubilee year Squires undertook two countrywide tours to celebrate her own diamond jubilee in show business, including two appearances at the Royal Festival Hall.[3]

(incomplete list)

• 1956 in five episodes of Let's Stay Home, an Associated-Rediffusion comedy series.[4]
• 1956 as a guest on The Nixon Line.[4]
• 1958–59 in three episodes of After Hours, a comedy series, with Michael Bentine, Benny Lee and Clive Dunn among others.
• 1959 in Musical Playhouse, a BBC musical series.
• 1962 as a guest singer on Muziek voor U!, a Dutch music programme
• 1964 as a guest on the Arthur Haynes Show.
• 1967 in Hooray for Laughter, with Ted Ray, John Junkin and Reg Varney.[4]
• 1976 in The Good Old Days[5]

In the 1960s, Squires recorded the "Now hands that do dishes …” jingle as part of the Fairy Liquid detergent advertisement. It continued to be used until 2000.[6]

Squires returned to live in Salisbury in 1983. In 1991, she married Frank Lockyer. She continued to perform at local charity events.

Rosemary Squires died on 8 August 2023, at the age of 94.[6][7] The announcement of her death was not made until 18 September, in the Salisbury Journal. Her funeral took place on 25 September. Tributes were paid on social media, with founder of Angel Radio, Tony Smith, recalling a time when Squires heard the station in her car and popped in for an impromptu chat on air.[8][9]

In 1984, Squires was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[10]

Squires was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 for her services to music and charity.[6]

In 2012, she was awarded the British Music Hall Society's Lifetime Achievement Award.[3]

• Death Notice - Rosemary Squires
• Singer Rosemary Squires' funeral to take place at St Thomas's Church
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
• Back In Your Own Backyard
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