George's because the Corporation was not satisfied with him.

And moves have already begun to find a replacement with an advertisement being placed in The Royal Gazette yesterday.

When contacted, Mr. Elsom would only confirm that he had been relieved of his duties on January 31.

But The Royal Gazette has subsequently learned that the Corporation of St.

George's was not happy with his performance.

It is also understood that the Corporation was unwilling to pay Mr. Elsom the salary he requested.

Corporation Secretary Larry Jacobs, however, denied that there had been any dissatisfaction with Mr. Elsom or his performance. He said: "Mr. Elsom is no longer the Town Crier. He has found a new job so we have decided to advertise to see if anyone is interested in being the Town Crier.

"There were no difficulties with his performance or anything like that. He wanted to move on and has now done so.'' Mr. Jacobs said that the Town Crier position was unusual because it was very demanding during the holiday season due to commitments in the evenings.

However, in the off season, there was little or no work.

The advertisement calls for a person with good human relations and public speaking skills who is capable of working in a team environment.

Mr. Elsom became the new town crier in May 1994, succeeding the late Bob Burns.

He has spent 30 years in the hospitality industry, and 22 years in the Reserve Constabulary.

Born in Yorkshire, England in 1934, Mr. Elsom moved to Bermuda in 1962, when he came out to the Island for the funeral of his stepfather "and stayed here''.

Before moving here, Mr. Elsom had worked in tourist-related businesses in England and had served three years in the British Army, during which time he fought in the Korean War and was a member of one of the last troops to leave Egypt during the 1956 Suez crisis.

At the age of 28, Mr. Elsom took up his first Bermuda position, as the manager of the Crystal Caves in Hamilton Parish, before moving on to become night manager at the Castle Harbour Hotel in 1965.

The crier was duly sworn into the elite guild during a visit of dignitaries from Lyme Regis who came here for the local twinning ceremony.

Mr. Elsom placed eighth in the International Town Competition in London, England in 1997.

Twenty-six Town Criers from around the world took part in the summer contest that was held over two days.

Richard Elsom