Copy of Funeral Service for Elizabeth Banham held at St Mary's Church held on 28th October 2021
Lis Banham, well known to so many Bamptonians, died April 17th after a courageous fight with cancer. She was a wonderfully active member of the Bampton community. She was one of the founder members of The Bush Club; she helped in the Community Shop; she 'sat' for the Archive in the Vesey room; she played bridge in the Bridge Club for many years and one thing she enjoyed doing was providing the table decorations for the club’s two parties each year. She was a member of the Flower Guild and loved her garden which she opened for Bampton’s Hidden Gardens and many people will remember her for starting and organising the Theatre Club, counting its member on to the return bus to ensure nobody got left behind; she was an active member for fundraising for ZANE, the Zimbabwe project. She always turned up for meetings of the various village groups and was always encouraging and helpful. She flew with the WAAF and you will be able to read much more about her in the next issue of The Lowdown but in the meantime, there is a delightful piece about Lis in the April issue. Her father was an Air Vice Marshall, the only member of the R.A.F. to shoot down an enemy aircraft in both WW1 and WW2. She will be greatly missed by many of us.
Jo Lewington & Frank Hudson

From issue 19 of The Lowdown 2021
LIS BANHAM
Lis Banham, who died on 17th April after a brave fight against cancer, made a truly invaluable contribution to life in Bampton, and has left a wonderful legacy from the forty five years that she lived in the village. To name a few? Lis started the Bampton Theatre Club where she will be remembered for her boundless energy and organisation, especially when making sure no-one got left behind on the buses; she was a stalwart of the Bridge Club for many years; she was a very accomplished gardener and her garden in Church Street regularly featured in Bampton’s Hidden Gardens; and she was a long-time and much valued member of the Bampton Flower Guild making arrangements for church and community events. Lis was actively involved in the Community Shop, the Bampton Community Archive where she sat in the Vesey Room, and BZP, the fund-raising society for different projects in Zimbabwe. She was a leading force behind the building of the Bampton Youth Club on Church View. In addition, Lis was at various times a Parish Councillor, a volunteer hospital driver and a Witney Citizens Advice Bureau member, truly a lady for all seasons and of many talents. Lis was born on 21st February 1931; her father was an Air Vice Marshall and was the only man to shoot down enemy aircraft in both World Wars. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1949 as a Pilot Officer and served with RAF Intelligence during the Malayan Conflict all over South East Asia - Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Ceylon, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. She returned to RAF Coltishall in East Anglia where she met her husband, Dickie Banham, an RAF fighter pilot. As a Flying Officer, she left the WAAF upon marrying in 1957 (a necessity in those days). Lis and Dickie moved around with the Air Force and lived in Washington DC for two years while Kennedy was President, and they also had spells in Ghana, and Cyprus during the Turkish invasion of 1974-76. They were posted back to the UK and to RAF Brize Norton in December 1976, where Lis fell in love with the local area and decided she wanted to settle there, having spent a life of moving houses around the world. They moved into Tudor Cottage, Bampton in the Spring of 1978 and she remained there for the rest of her life. Lis will be much missed by so many in Bampton and beyond. ~ A Life Remembered ~

PDF copy of the Service celebrating 40th anniversary of the sharing of St Marys Church with the Roman Catholic Church in the presence of Apostolic Nuncio The most Reverend Antonio Mennini, Contains an interesting account of the history Roman Catholic Services held in Bampton from The Eagle Pub, The Town Hall, and the Old Grammar School before moving to St Mary's

Photographs of the two heads in the south aisle of St. Mary's Church

Article written by Dr Ernest Parkin describing the Double Easter Sepulchre in the church, which is "special" because it is double. Dated from 15th Century.

Newspaper article and Leaflet asking for donations to help with the restoration of the Church Organ which was originally made by William Gray in 1812 at a cost of £460 guineas. Estimated cost for the project was £175,000 which would comprise of £75,000 grant and £100,000 from donations. Work was eventually carried out by Cousins Organs in Coalville North-west Leicestershire, after the company Peter Collins Ltd of Melton Mowbray went into administration. Douglas Clare -churchwarden and treasurer and choirmaster - David New

Printed Sheet with Hymns and Prayers for Order of Service - Opening of the Horde Aisle as a vestry Nov. 8th 1894
Attended by the Bishop

Photograph similar to those taken by Henry Taunt after full restoration in 1870 to St Mary The Virgin..

Photograph taken by Joan Bateman daughter of the vicar of Bampton from 1936

The Friends of Saint Mary’s try to offer three talks each spring to raise funds for the church.
This flyer was one of those talks.
The Role of Wine in the Church by Robin Shuckburgh

This newspaper cutting is from April 1st 1983.
The anniversary of the Women's League was celebrated by joining with the Mothers' Union for prayers and a celebration tea.
The PTA held a bazaar and raised £75 for their funds which in 1983 was a good amount of money. The same day head teacher Malcolm Mason took some of the school's boy to Wembley to see the schoolboys' match against Germany.
The wives club monthly meeting had a special speaker called Mr Blue who talked about colour in the home; he had previously worked on the interior of Blenheim Palace.