Frank Hudson nearest in the chariot race

Mrs Emmie Hunt, mother of 'Rocky,' Ernie Hunt in Castle View farmyard sitting in one of the prams used in a shirt race.

Bampton always has a weekend filled with fun and laughter over the late May Bank Holiday. These cuttings talk about the Shirt Race and the Morris Dancing.
In one of the cuttings you can also read about

1. An exhibition of Arts and Crafts in the Town Hall
2. Cancer Research Bampton branch raising funds
3. The Community Fete organised by the Royal British Legion in the afternoon of Bank Holiday Monday
4. The Pumpkin Club which held a Tramps' Supper in the Cotswold Hotel on the Saturday night after the Shirt Race

The Great Shirt Race takes place on the Saturday before the late May Bank Holiday. The winners in this year were Anthony Collett and partner Richard Buckingham. Neither of them can be sure of the year, they won more than once but it will be 1978, 1979 or 1980.

The cuttings are from the Standard, Times, & Echo dated Friday 1st June 1973. “Holiday festivities in Bampton”, “Bampton shirt race comes of age” and “Bampton Annual Fête”
This cutting describes the race and states it is in the 21st year. Harry Hampton and George Hunt , the winners of the first races in 1952/53 were the judges. Paul Bovington relayed the information. Junior class winners were Neil Hitchins and Darryl Hirons, and Adult Winners: Michael Bradley and Geofrey Lane from Black Bourton.
Junior Race: 1st -Anthony Collett Andrew Bathe, 2nd - Malcolm Walker and Kevin Paintin, 3rd - Clive Tanner and Valerie Adams
Senior Race: 1st Richard Snook and Mickey Smith, 2nd - Richard Buckingham and Darryl Hirons 3rd - Gordon Walker and David Pearce.

Various letters, receipts and newspaper cuttings from the records of the SPAJERS. Poster advertising the exhibition in the Vesey Room, on 11 September 2011
The receipts from local businesses and Brewery, thank you letters from the pensioners, Entry Rules, Lists of winners, Newspaper cuttings from Oxford Mail and Gazette

List of winners of the Shirt race from 1953-2011, namely: Harry Hampton and George Hunt, Cyril Smith and Robert Radband, Thorarian Benediks and John Wixey, Franks Smith, Rodney Adams, Frank Hudson, Jim Townsend, Mikey Smith, Richard Snook, John Fox ,Frank Piercy, Anthony Collett, Bryan Withers, Richard Buckingham Gary Barber, Stephen Radband, Thomas Cole, Martin Wheeler, Michael Beckett, G Kane, Craig Godwin, D Lawrence, K Curtis, George Blackwell, S Preston, G Clack, D Beckett, G Benfield, Deane Barber, Andrew Bridgeman, T Perry, A Gardner J. Shuker Jr, S Godfrey, W Money, M Green, Jacob Booty Richard Stephens,

Keith Mitchell and Rhona Peacock in fancy dress for the shirt race in 1983. Their pram was made into a coffin on wheels.

Order of Service for the funeral of Cyril Smith born on December 7th 1933. He lived in South Leigh, where his father was a farm hand. and then lived to Bampton. He played for Bampton Town Football and took part in the Shirt Race. He was one of the Bampton Traditional Morris Dancers, and worked for W J Lock & Son until they closed then continued to work as a builder until he was eighty. Married Margaret and had one son Christopher.