suicidedesign

Squire nagged and bullied till I went to fight,
(Under Lord Derby's scheme). I died in hell -
(They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight,
And I was hobbling back; and then a shell
Burst slick upon the duckboards: so I fell
Into the bottomless mud, and lost the light
At sermon-time, while Squire is in his pew,
He gives my gilded namea thoughtful stare;
For, though low down upon the list, I'm there;
"In proud and glorious memory" ... that's my due.
Two bleeding years I fought in France, for Squire:
I suffered anguish that he's never guessed.
I came home on leave: and then went west...
What greater glory could a man desire?

I'm studying this poem for English A-level, and I've just one question: Who is Squire? I've researched it online, but to no avail. Help!

sardpete

This is posted in the wrong place but I will answer you anyway.
In english village life from the late 17th century through the early 20th century, there was often one principal family of gentry, owning much of the land and living in the big house. The head of this family was often called "the squire." You can find a whole page on wikipedia, which is where I cribbed this from. Sassoon is imitating colloquial speech in parts of the English Midlands and North by dropping the "the".