While the title of this piece refers to the Shirt Race, which started as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, this articles talks about many people and is a lovely snapshot of social life in Bampton in 1959. People mentioned include:-

Albert Chandlers, saddler and leather worker and chairman of the parish council and still working hard at his leather work aged 81. Reference is made to the 100 or so council houses built in Weald since the war but there have been no council houses built in Weald, they were along New Road and the area north of New Road.

Percival O Money, "bespoke and surgical boot maker where everything was done by hand, even stitching when repairing footwear. Mr Money was a founding member of the debating society and secretary of the bowls club (which was in the grounds of Weald Manor.)

John Quick, one of the founder member of the SPAJERS - The Society for Ancient Junketer - who organise the Great Shirt Race and other events to raise money for Bampton's senior citizens while providing fun for all.

Mr & Mrs Arthur Scott-Norman licensee of the Elephant and Castle Inn in Bridge Street, knew each other in their school days then bumped into each other again in Tanganyika, never to be parted again. During the war Mr Scott-Norman was in the RAF and later in the Colonial office in Dar-es-Salaam and Mrs Scott-Norman was matron of the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar-es-Salaam.

There is much more of interest in the articel.

These children are sitting on the church wall passing time waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the church. The children includeKen LomasStan RadbandEllen CurtisPatricia and Pauline HooperSusan Hunt.

• Mrs. Chard
• Mrs. R Greenway
• Mrs. E. Papworth
• Mrs. Wearing

Back of Albert's driving licence

Annie Hudson nee Cooper, the paternal grandmother of Frank Hudson

From Dora Townsend's collection of family photo's. On the back it says, Aunty Eliza, Dad's (Albert Townsend's) eldest sister.

Ann Shergold, Penny Daniels and Dora Townsend cooking a S.P.A.J.E.R.S. dinner

The Bampton Community Archive puts on three exhibitions each year which run for two months. In September 2018 Janet Newman put up a wonderfully researched exhibition on some of Bampton's Families. Family trees were printed out on scrolls for people to see as well as written text. In this picture, young Devon Townsend and his father David can be seen looking at one of the family trees and have found themselves on it much to young Devon's delight.

Albert Townsends model 'T' lorry in front of Elephant and Castle