As one of the longest-serving World’s Fair correspondents, Dave Springthorpe made many friends in the Showman and fairground enthusiast communities.
His love of the fair could not have been made more explicit than by the use of a Scammell Highwayman in David’s funeral cortege on 7 August. A plaque with a scroll dedicated to ‘Dave’ was attached to the grill of the vehicle supplied by fellow Rowell Fairground Society (RFS) member Carl Barlow. Several hundred people attended the service at Kettering Crematorium, including a sizeable number of Showmen.
Born and bred in the neighbouring Northamptonshire town of Rothwell (known locally as Rowell) on 21 June, 1944, Dave was a proud ‘Rowellian’ who was able to indulge his hobby at the local charter fair, but whose passion for funfairs took him much further afield. His reports of fairs in not only his home county but also Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and many other places appeared in these pages for many decades.
His camera accompanied him further still. Scottish fairground enthusiasts who would see Dave each year at Kirkcaldy Links Market report not only of his interest in ‘the shows’ but also football; the Leicester City fan having a surprisingly detailed knowledge of the game north of the border. His family note that he was also interested in trains (his first job was as a railway signalman) and steam engines.
An unashamed ‘trainspotter’, whether literally or metaphorically, Dave’s many years of fair-going saw him accepted by Showmen almost as one of the family. “I’ve known Dave a long time, maybe 25 or 30 years,” Stanley Thurston told Worlds’s Fair. “He would often come to see us in Bedford or Kempston.
“Some enthusiasts are only interested in one thing: the rides, the transport or the people, but Dave was the complete package. He was very knowledgeable and popular with a lot of Showmen. There was a very good turnout at his funeral, which I knew there would be.”
Speaking on behalf of Leicester-based lessees Billy Bates & Sons, Kennedy Bates told us: “As a child, I always looked forward to David visiting our grounds because it meant another chance to get into Chatterbox! He would also share stories of visiting our fairs when my grandparents were still alive. Every Christmas, a card would arrive without fail, along with a selection of photos of our equipment carefully labelled.
“In more recent years, David would visit our Christmas fair in Leicester city centre, commenting how much he enjoyed our videos on social media. He was a true gentleman, and a wonderful ambassador for our industry. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”
After several years in the signal box, Dave left the railways to work for Magnet & Southerns woodyard in Kettering before taking up a long career with Royal Mail. It was while working as a postman that he met his wife Marjorie in 1991, treating her children Bryan, Heather, Cheryl and Glen “as if we were his own kids” according to Bryan. He even introduced Cheryl to her husband Glenn, also a postie.
Like his World’s Fair reports, Dave was no-nonsense, but not without a good sense of humour. His activities with the Rowell Fairground Society extended to him organising its annual model show. Following his funeral, members of David’s family offered his extensive collection of photographs (in over 400 albums) to the National Fairground & Circus Archive in Sheffield.
Graham Downie, chairman of the Fairground Association of Great Britain (FAGB) and a member of the Archive’s advisory management committee, described the collection as, “Very important, representing as it does David’s travels over half a century throughout his native East Midlands and further afield.”
His passing on 17 July following a short say in hospital came as a shock to everyone who knew Dave. That the FAGB published no fewer than 14 tributes to him from fellow enthusiasts in its autumn Fairground Mercury magazine is testament to his popularity.
Publisher of this paper Lynne Whatmore added: “David was such a pleasure to work with; he was an absolute gentleman, warm, kind and always so helpful. He gave World’s Fair loyal service over many decades and we will miss him terribly.” No doubt many readers will miss his contributions, too.
A total of £1,746.92 was raised from donations at his funeral and in his memory afterwards, which was split between the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK. As well as Bryan, Heather, Cheryl and Glen, he leaves eight step grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Our sincere condolences to all Dave’s family.
