THE FUNERAL of Rosemary Squires MBE was held at St Thomas's Church on Monday morning. 

Rosemary was born Joan Rosemary Yarrow on December 7, 1928, and died peacefully on August 8, aged 94. 

Her career began in 1940, when she appeared on the BBC Home Service’s Childrens Hour, aged only 12.

She spent the war entertaining UK and US troops on bases around Salisbury, whilst working in a shop near the cathedral selling antique books, where she was notorious (and hugely popular) for being too generous with the change for purchases.

Described as the “British Doris Day”, she soon became a professional singer and sang with most of the leading big bands in the 1940s and 1950s, including those of Ted Heath, Geraldo, Cyril Stapleton, Max Harris, Kenny Baker, Nat Temple, Johnny Dankworth and Alan Clare. She became a fixture on the BBC Light Programme and sang on Workers’ Playtime.

She also made TV appearances on Six-Five Special (with Pete Murray and Cliff Richard) and Juke Box Jury and briefly had her own show, Rendezvous with Rosemary, in 1961. She worked alongside Morecambe and Wise, Ken Dodd, Alma Cogan, Frankie Vaughan and Vince Hill in summer seasons at leading theatre venues, as well.

She was known as “The Queen of the Jingles” for her work on TV commercials, being. She was familiar to many households as the warm voice of the signature tunes for Fairy Liquid, Comfort and Skol Lager. 

Rosemary singing 'Give Me the Simple Life'  was played at the start of the service, and her rendition of 'What a Little Moonlight Can Do' was played as the congregation left the church. 

There were fitting tributes from her grandson Jack and her niece Pat, as well as prayers and the hymns All Things Bright and Beautiful and Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven. 

In 1984 Rosemary was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. In 2004 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to music and charity.

In 2012 she was awarded the British Music Hall Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, when she was described at the ceremony by her peers in the music profession as having “remained faithful to her particular style and talent, so widely admired as a true professional, yet never losing her natural personality”.

Rosemary is survived by her sister, Julia, and her niece, Pat.