HISTORIC TROPHY COMES HOME
by
John F. O=Mara
9 July 2002
The Royal St. John=s Regatta Committee has designated this year=s ADerby Day@ as
the AJubilee Regatta@ in honour of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
This is not the first AJubilee Regatta@. A AJubilee Regatta@ was held in 1935 to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V. In 1887,
the AJubilee Regatta@ was a two-day affair to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen
Victoria.
The 1887 AJubilee
Regatta@ was held on August 10th and 11th
with rowing matches the first day and sailing races on the second. On Wednesday
the 10th , there were thirteen rowing matches. The final competition
of the day featured native built single sculls. Three boats entered - the Nina,
the Terra Nova and the Dart. They competed for a first prize of a silver cup
with $10.00 for second and $5.00 for third. The Nina, rowed by William Squires,
came in first in a time of 12:33. Second place went to F. Barnes in the Terra
Nova while the Dart came in third.
In June of this year, Mrs. Alma Squires, widow of George R. Squires,
presented this historic cup to the Royal St. John=s Regatta Museum. Mrs. Squires late husband was a descendant of William
Squires.
The trophy is silver plated and stands fourteen inches high. The cup
sits on three crossed oars attached to a footed base. It is engraved on the
front as follows:
1837 - 1887
Victoria=s Jubilee
Regatta
1st Prize
Single Scull
won by
William Squires
St. John=s
N. F. Land
On the back, there is an engraved figure of a Regatta Committee member
holding a shotgun - the Starter=s gun.
The Committee first became aware of the existence of the cup when
Regatta Archivist John O=Mara was contacted to seek information about the cup and the race in
which it was won. Following further discussions, Mrs. Squires decided to donate
the cup to the Regatta Museum. It is the oldest trophy now in the Museum=s collection.
The cup has been in the possession of the Squires= family since 1887. However, for nearly fifty
years, the cup was lost. The late George Squires operated a business in New
Jersey. When he retired and sold the business, the new owners found a package
up in the rafters of the premises. Luckily, this was the coveted historic
silver cup.
The Royal St. John=s Regatta Committee is truly grateful to Mrs. Squires for her generous
gesture. It is only fitting that this silver cup from the first AJubilee Regatta@ of 1887 should return home 115 years later in time for this year=s AJubilee Regatta@.
