The Locksmith Journal Mar/Apr 2021 - Issue 73 | Page 34

HARDWARE & SECURITY

240 years of Squire

» AS BRITISH LOCK MAKER SQUIRE celebrates 240 years , we recall some of the many defining moments in the company ’ s remarkable history starting with the World War years .
This article is based on archive material and personal memories documented by the late Gordon Squire ( 1928-2014 ) and handed down to his son , CEO John Squire .
The Squire family business was led by fifth generation James Squire ( 1862-1932 ) through the First World War years . That was when Squire was making locks at its New Invention factory , Willenhall , West Midlands , which opened in 1910 . It was a three-acre site which James and his brother Henry had purchased to build the new factory , having outgrown their previous manufacturing space .
The early First World War years were difficult . Munitions were needed and the large engineering companies were securing the war supply contracts .
After losing personnel and machinery to the Government – legislation enabled them to do this - James realised Squire desperately needed a Government contract to secure the future of the business . He achieved this in 1915 , when he was awarded a war contract for land mine components and other parts , and this secured his machinery .
“ He was a great engineer and highly respected and revered ,” recalled James ’ grandson , seventh generation Gordon Squire . After the war , James led the company successfully until he died . That was when James ’ eldest son Percival Squire ( 1898-1978 ) - or Percy as he was named by all who knew him – took control .
“ He was a brilliant engineer and led the company through the difficult depression years of the 1930s and into the Second World War .” In 1937 , Woolworths became a new customer of Squire for padlocks - they wanted Squire to replace the locks they had been getting from Germany . Squire needed more new machinery , and Percy travelled to Germany - two years before the war started - to source specialist industry leading Berninghaus lock machinery .
“ There was some pressure from Woolworths to get these ( new ) products into production , so tooling orders for them were placed with Swiss toolmakers who worked with Berninghaus to provide them .”
Squire started production of the new Treble S locks range for Woolworths in 1938 ; “ The wheel of fortune had turned full circle and we were making locks again .”
Also in 1937 , the company suffered a major crisis with a fire in the main factory building . The building was badly damaged , but fortunately most of the machinery was saved . Percy took immediate action and , in less than a year , built a new 20,000 sq ft factory building with modern new northern lights design . In the same year , Squire introduced nine new padlock models , as well as improving the production of can openers ; “ Their skills were soon to be tested and proved in the looming war .”
At the beginning of the Second World War , Percy spent several weeks in London trying to secure a government contract .
He knew from his father ’ s experience that without such a contract the government could acquire any machinery and personnel from the company at any time , possibly leading to the business being forced to close .
“ When conflict started on 3 September 1939 , he went as soon as he could to the Ministry responsible for war contracts .” Finally , after weeks of negotiation , Squire
acquired a contract to make machine gauges . These gauges required the company to develop new specialist precision engineering skills .
“ The Ministry had stated that the sample gauges would have to pass tests set by The National Physical Laboratory before they could be accepted . They had to be perfect and ( Squire ) and its tool makers spent weeks getting them right .” They passed and started supply of the contract soon after .
The gauges performed a vital function . “ They were to check and make sure that weapons , guns , ships and aircraft which needed holes in them - some of which were of critical importance - were correct .
“ They were about six inches long with a ground and highly polished cylinder at each end . They looked like miniature ‘ dumbbells ’ used in gymnasiums .”
The success of this contract meant the company was awarded further war contracts for torpedo parts and machine gun links . The precision engineering skills acquired at this time would later prove to be a cornerstone for Squire in the decades that followed .
www . squirelocks . co . uk
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MAR / APR 2021
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