Photo of John Quick, founder of the SPAJERS, pushing the gasworks pram in the shirt race, and a link to Short film by Roy Barratt of Life in Bampton in Oxfordshire recorded by Roy Barratt during the early 1960s. General views and events in Bampton ending with a short time on Church Green in Witney. Town Hall windows are bricked up, there are few cars about and the Elephant & Castle, Malt Shovel, Eagle and George & Dragon pubs were still open. https://youtu.be/fldMqNA41NY

Series of 33 photographs some with names of participants of the Shirt Race over the years
Roy Hewitt, John Shuker, Martin Barber, Henry Barber, Dougie Moncrieff Ben Tan ner, Rocky, John Mattingly, Tommy Tanner, Mark Norman, Paul Mellin, Mickey Beckett Ian Gough, Lee Woodley, Danny Beckett

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.

Advertisement detailing celebrations in the Village for the 70th Jubilee of the Queen. June 2nd - June 5th. Included the Shirt Race and Morris Dancing which usually took place on May Bank Holiday weekend. Organised by Parish Council

2 photos taken by Bill Govier of participants in Shirt Race held on Whit Saturday
Tommy Tanner and John Shuker on bicycles tied together

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.

These three pictures show the Shirt Race over several years. The first race ever took place in 1953 to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. All the contestants wore long night shirts hence the name.
The children's race is seen by the bridge in Buckland Road. In those days the race started by The Swan Inn just beyond the bridge on the left.
In later years, the night shirts were done away with and with fewer and fewer prams available, the modes of transport have varied and the costumes are now so good there is a competition before the races to judge the best one.

Image of crowd outside the Londis Shop
watching the Shirt Race

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