SPAJERS - The story of a village which helped itself

The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing otherwise known as

SPAJERS

The story of a village which helped itself A Bampton Archive Publication

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In memory of

John Arthur Quick 1915 - 1989

The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing

SPAJERS Compiled by Frank Hudson Chairman, 1974 - 1987 Don Rouse Chairman, 1987 - 2005 and Helen Grimwade

A Bampton Archive Publication

A Bampton Archive Publication www.bamptonarchive.org

First published September 2011 Revised January 2016

BCA-34/A January 2016

The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing

SPAJERS “Dynamic Yet Disciplined”

The Bampton SPAJERS I have been honoured with the task of sharing the writing of this book with Frank Hudson.

Frank and I cover well over thirty years of Chairmanship and Vice Chair of this wonderful organisation that was established by John Quick and some of his cohorts nearly sixty years ago.

John’s incentive was that he could see how the onslaught of television was ruining the social structure of our village life. Being involved with the planning of Bampton’s celebrations for the Coronation in 1953 was the opportunity that he had been waiting for to do something constructive about it.

You will see from many of the pictures in this book how the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing was born. The way that I have always interpreted the meaning of SPAJERS is that it is all about Bampton people creating fun and raising money so that our senior citizens can have fun. To use modern parlance: Recycling = money.

You will see pictures and references to the different events that have been promoted by the committee through the years. Some are still happening to this day, some have fallen by the wayside and others are being dreamed up as you read this. Many events have been promoted such as the dances that were held in the Women’s Institute; the annual Grand Ball at Weald Manor; the Christmas parties held at the primary school with the school children entertaining; and the annual outing to the seaside - though you will not find any mention of the time that I left two people behind in Weymouth, I try to keep that quiet. Then there is the village garage sale, quiz nights, the donkey derby and of course, the great annual ‘Shirt Race’.

Though the event that gave the committee most satisfaction, when 7

we were able to get most of our senior citizens together in one day, was the Millennium Tea Party at the home of our president, Lord Donoughmore. Over 200 attended and a great time was had by all.

The committee still gets inspiration from some of John Quick’s quirky sayings. Take our motto for example ‘Dynamic yet Disciplined’. Or adverts for his business which included ‘Candlestick Maker to the Gentry’ and ‘Devices Dreamed Up’. Oh, how I wish we could think up sayings like that. For me, one of the most enjoyable experiences has been the wonderful camaraderie between Bamptonians through the years. Mention the word SPAJERS and people will rush to help. When Frank and I joined the committee, the recipients of the goodwill of the SPAJERS were the grandparents and parents of our associates. Now sixty years on, it is us!

We do hope that you will enjoy reading this and that it will inspire you all, wherever you may be, to have fun and help make the life of our elders an enjoyable one. For some of you this book will be a stroll down memory lane and perhaps for others it will be a case of “I can’t wait to be a senior citizen in Bampton” and who knows, perhaps for outside visitors it is a case of “let’s buy a house in Bampton to retire to.”

Don Rouse September 2011

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The letter that went out to all householders in Bampton asking for donations to fund the Coronation celebrations 9

A letter congratulating SPAJERS on their 60 years of existence.

We are still going strong and so is Her Majesty!

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The Original Great Shirt Race in 1953 As part of the 1953 celebrations in Bampton for the Queen’s Coronation, John Quick (the main instigator of this wacky protoSPAJERS event), Doug Read and Paul Bovington got together and came up with the idea of organising a pram race through the streets of Bampton to help celebrate the day. John was the local gas man (this, remember, was when Bampton had a gasworks with its own gasometer down Aston Road), Paul was the owner of the Bampton fishmongers in the High Street and Doug was a farmer.

The race was to consist of two individuals; each to be dressed in a nightshirt; one to ride in any non-powered transport (pram, wheelbarrow, sack truck etc.); and the other to push said contraption.

The competitors had to run to the first stop, the Elephant and Castle pub, where the one pushing had to down a half pint of ale and then swap with the person in their vehicle. Then on to the next stop at the Wheatsheaf where they again had a drink and changed places.

This was then followed by stops at the Talbot, Lamb, Jubilee and New Inn (now the Morris Clown) and on to the finish at the Swan (now the last house on the left down Buckland Road).

This first race started at Weald corner, near Bampton Manor, at midday on Tuesday 2nd June 1953 - Coronation Day. The race was started by Ernie Sheppard, who fired a twelve bore shot gun into the air.

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Ernie Sheppard getting the starting gun ready The winners were to be the first pair in the front door of the pub.

And in 1953, that pair was Harry Hampton and George Hunt who duly won a four-and-a-half-gallon barrel of ale.

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The winners of the first race, Harry Hampton and George Hunt, crossing the finishing line at the Swan The committee of three decided to invite the nurses from Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary to come along and collect money for the hospital.

We don’t know how much was collected, but such was the success of this first event that it was decided to make it an annual affair and to give the proceeds to the pensioners of Bampton.

So the SPAJERS were born, although it’s said that the real origin of the “Shirt Race” can be attributed, either to the occasion in 784 AD when Ethelred the Shirtless chased the burgers of Bampton through the streets in order to clothe his nakedness, or to a certain action of William the Conqueror’s soldiers stationed at Shifford during the beer drought of 1067. But John always said it was re-started to combat the dreaded influx of that “new fangled television” which he was bitterly “agin” (his word). To our knowledge it was the first race of this kind, certainly in this area, so it took on its name of The Original Great Shirt Race. It has been copied in many places over the years but in our opinion never been bettered.

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The Chariot Races in the 70s In 1970, John Quick came up with another Master Plan. Apparently while he was watching his son’s RAF passing out parade he saw on the edge of the parade ground a “Chariot” type of vehicle, and thought what a good idea for a chariot race in Bampton. It was run on similar lines to the Shirt Race but with seven competitors per chariot, six pulling and one rider.

Unfortunately, it only had a short life (from 1970 to 1975) as it proved difficult to get people to make the chariots and raise a team of seven.

An early seven-person chariot

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A chariot design from March 1970: “S.P.A.J. Mark I�

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Another seven-man chariot from the 1970s

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The Evolution of the Shirt Race There have been many different routes for the Shirt Race over the years. As we have said, the first started at Weald Turn and finished at the Swan. The following year it was from the top of Broad Street to the Swan, and the reason for this in the early days was for all the public houses in Bampton to be involved (there were 11 pubs in Bampton in 1953). In later years the race has been shortened and now starts from Aston Corner finishing in the Market Square, but taking in Church Street and Bridge Street. This has mainly been to accommodate all the health and safety issues that have arisen‌

The race in full-swing in 1954

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Competitors gathering at the Swan

A pair of competitors with their pram 18

The oldest-known competitors, George Shergold (l) and Ted Hicks (c. 1959)

Taking on refreshments outside the Lamb (where the Market Square flats are now located)

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The “Amigo” Dutch marching band in 2007

Mary Cook, Dixie Dean, Don Rouse and Alan Dunbar at the Shirt Race winners presentation in 2009 20

The local fire brigade in action

A recent Shirt Race 21

The Shirt Race winners’ cups

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Poster for the first Bampton Archive exhibition in 2002 23

Commemorative Seats and Parties The SPAJERS acknowledge the contributions that all of our Presidents have made over the years, namely Air Vice-Marshal Thornton, Major Colvile and our current President, Lord Donoughmore, who, at the time of writing, has held the title for a record 25 years.

There are many people who have served the SPAJERS well during its 58 year span, too many to mention here. There are two ladies however, who though they have passed on, whose contribution has been honoured by installing two seats in their honour, strategically placed for the benefit of our pensioners. One is in The Lanes which is an area where many senior citizens live. This one is dedicated to Dora Townsend who not only raised a lot of money at our events, but also did the catering for our annual Christmas parties.

The other seat is dedicated to Peggy Roberts, one of the first ladies to be on the committee. She took on the onerous task of maintaining the book containing the list of members, and administering the annual payout. Peggy was succeeded by Ruth Wheeler, an event that John recorded in the Minutes as “Mrs Ruth Wheeler, agreed to take charge of the Book and keep it up to date (takes on the rank of Corporal)”.

The seat dedicated to Peggy is in the gardens of Lavender Place flats, Bampton’s sheltered accommodation.

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Committee with the seat dedicated to Peggy Roberts (c. 1980) Back row l-r: Roger Peck, Frank Hudson, Maj. Robert Colvile, Maurice Wiggins, Front row l-r: Ruth Wheeler, Francis Shergold, Liz Rose, John Quick, Mary Cook

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A SPAJERS party at Bampton school in the 80s

Another SPAJERS party at Bampton school 26

Enjoying a drink at a SPAJERS party!

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The SPAJERS Annual Ball There have been many money raising efforts put on by the SPAJERS, but perhaps none were more enjoyed than the annual ball at Weald Manor, by kind permission of the Colvile family. These typically ran from 9pm to 1-30 or 2am. This was one of John Quick’s pet projects and the first one was held in 1961 with a 7-piece band in attendance from RAF Abingdon, and the last one was in 1992.

These were grand affairs with a formal dress code: dinner jackets for men, with the ladies in full evening dress. In the beginning there was always a finger buffet laid on, though later on this progressed to a cooked buffet supper. A large and popular tombola, with very good prizes, raised a lot of money.

There were various bands over the years but John’s favourite was one called Frantic Fred.

Following the demise of the annual ball, a quiz was held in the WI Hall instead. These started in 1993 and are still going strong with between 12 and 15 teams taking part.

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The Workers’ Dances During the 60s and 70s SPAJERS held dances throughout the year in the Women’s Institute Hall, but most especially on the evening of the Shirt Race. These were known as the Workers’ Dances. The minutes of the SPAJERS meeting held on 5th January 1963 contain the proposal for a “Workers’ Dance some time in April.” This was to enable those without a ‘black tie’ to enjoy the frivolities of the SPAJER promotions.

A Workers’ Dance in the WI Hall c. 1970 30

The Fete and Donkey Derby Another big part of the Society’s income is the popular fete and donkey derby held in Sandfords Field on August Bank Holiday Monday. A fete was held here on the Whit Monday afternoon in the 60s, run by the British Legion. When this fete stopped, the SPAJERS started their fete and donkey derby, with the first being held in 1971 (and it’s still going strong). The early events included ‘sulky racing’ - a donkey pulling a two wheeled cart with a person driving it from the cart.

Frank Hudson at speed on a ‘sulky cart’ There were always various stalls at these fetes, including bowling, Aunt Sally, bottle stall, milk the cow, book stall, produce stall, tombola, roll-a-penny, and many more. In the early days, John Quick made up a “knock the lady out of bed” game which proved very popular.

There is always tea and cakes on sale together with ice creams, and of course a beer tent.

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Donkeys all the way from Weston-super-Mare

Children in the donkey race 32

Crockery smashing

Our popular compere, Don Rouse, affectionately known as ‘rent-a-gob’ 33

Other Events The SPAJERS have also always tried to promote a variety of events, not only to raise money, but to also give Bampton as much ‘junketing’ variety as possible. Events like the village garage sale; “Josie’s Draw”, organised by a committee member with her friends and family, that has raised many thousands of pounds; and the latest money raising event being a fireworks display and pig roast held on the sports field in conjunction with the fire brigade.

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Millennium Tea Party Problem: With no hall in Bampton capable of holding more that 100 people, how can the SPAJERS celebrate the Millennium, with all its members?

Answer: Utilise all known resources!

Our President, Lord Donoughmore, invited us to use his facilities at Bampton Manor; our connections with the Old Berkshire Hunt produced a marquee; committee members, Lynne Shuker and Sheila Tanner, organised the catering; and with everyone working together, a very successful party for over 200 people was held.

And with Witney Town Band and a variety of entertainers present, the terrible weather was forgotten, and a good time was had by all.

Umbrellas at the Millennium Tea Party 36

In the dry in the marquee at the Millennium Tea Party

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Trips and Outings Somehow, through the years, the SPAJERS have managed to hold and promote events that the community has both needed and supported.

The money raised by all these events is primarily spent on a Christmas gift to the senior citizens of Bampton and Lew, Lew having been included in SPAJERS events since 1973.

Other treats for the pensioners have been regular outings in September. These have varied over the years but have included seaside trips to Southsea, Weston-super-Mare, Bournemouth, Weymouth and Swanage, as well as trips on the River Thames, to Bristol Zoo and tours round the Wye Valley.

On the early trips, the pensioners enjoyed a cooked lunch but this eventually became prohibitively expensive. In the past few years, shopping trips have also been made, and then in 2010, a small group were taken for a tour of RAF Brize Norton.

Following a request from some of our members who find it difficult to go on long journeys, SPAJERS are now putting on more local trips and a recent tea party was hosted by St Hugh’s School, Carswell, where our members enjoyed a tea and a musical entertainment afternoon put on by the children.

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A tour of RAF Brize Norton in 2010 39

The 2011 SPAJERS Committee

Dixie Deane, Alistair Newing, Roger Snow, Neville Woodley, Don Rouse, Alan Dunbar, Josie Buckingham, Stuart Pierce, Sheila Tanner, Frank Hudson, Dave Gardner, Paul McGrath

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Payouts and Thank-Yous The SPAJERS first Christmas payout, in 1954, was 10/- (10 shillings, or 50p) and was made to 26 Bampton pensioners - a total of £13.0.0 (see below, and see next page for some thank-you letters).

In 1985, the payout was £5 and was made to 285 Bampton pensioners - a total of £1,425.

In 2010, the payout was £20 and was made to 435 Bampton pensioners - a total of £8,700.

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A thank-you letter from Mrs E E Mills in 1954

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A thank-you letter from Madge Randall in 1959

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SPAJERS accounts for 2010 44

Winners of the “Original Great Shirt Race” 1953 to 2011 1953

Harry Hampton / George Hunt

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Harry Hampton / George Hunt

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Cyril Smith / Robert Radband

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Cyril Smith / Robert Radband

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Cyril Smith / Robert Radband

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Thorarian Benediks / John Wixey

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Frank Smith / Rodney Adams

1960

Frank Smith / Rodney Adams

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Frank Smith / Rodney Adams

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Frank Smith / Rodney Adams

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Frank Smith / Rodney Adams

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Frank Hudson / Jim Townsend

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Frank Hudson / Jim Townsend

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Bob Hudson / John Hudson

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Mickey Smith / Richard Snook

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Frank Hudson / Jim Townsend

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Brian Radband / Rodney Adams

1970

Brian Radband / Michael Shanahan 45

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Jihn Wixey / Frank Smith

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Bob Hudson / John Hudson

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Mickey Smith / Richard Snook

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Mickey Smith / Richard Snook

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John Fox / Frank Piercy Anthony Collett / Bryan Withers

77 Richard Buckingham / Anthony Collett 78 Richard Buckingham / Anthony Collett 79 Richard Buckingham / Anthony Collett 1980 Richard Buckingham / Anthony Collett 81 82

Thomas Coles / Richard Buckingham

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Thomas Coles / Richard Buckingham

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Thomas Coles / Richard Buckingham

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Martin Weaver / Michael Beckett

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Martin Weaver / Michael Beckett

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Anthony Collett / George Blackwell

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Michael Beckett / S Preston

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Michael Beckett / G Clack

1990

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Gary Barber / Steve Radband

Michael Beckett / D Beckett

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Michael Beckett / G Kane

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Michael Beckett / Andrew Bridgeman

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Michael Beckett / Andrew Bridgeman

94 95 96 97

Craig Godwin / D Lawrence Michael Beckett / Andrew Bridgeman Craig Godwin / D Lawrence Michael Beckett / K Curtis

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Jack Wearne / J Thompson

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G Benfield / Dean Barber

2000

G Benfield / Dean Barber

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G Benfield / Dean Barber

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Michael Beckett / Andrew Bridgeman

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T Perry / A Gardner

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S Godfrey / J Shuker jnr

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S Godfrey / J Shuker jnr

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S Godfrey / J Shuker jnr

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G Barber / J Barber

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D Barber / J Barber

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W Money / M Green

2010

W Money / M Green

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Jacob Booty / Richard Stephens

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A Tribute to John Quick Frantic Fred’s Faithful Fan After his passing in 1989, Liz Rose (an ex-SPAJERS committee member) wrote this dedication that embodies all our sentiments.

They threw away the mould when they made John Quick. Who else, with his cofounders Doug Read and Paul Bovington, could possibly think of calling a society formed to keep people away from watching the “dreaded box”, and at the same time put a little icing on the cake for the pensioners of the village… “The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing” who’s motto was “Dynamic yet Disciplined!”?

Newcomers to the village must be puzzled by the name SPAJERS, and the society’s function.

The dictionary definition of junketing is “to feast, banquet or picnic – to take part in a convivial entertainment”. Everywhere that John was, was convivial entertainment, but perhaps in ‘junketing’, he had in mind his favourite event of the year - the SPAJERS ball. John worked very hard behind the scenes for all the SPAJERS events, but he would not actually turn up on the night for many of them. They were not his cup of tea. But the ball was. He loved to trip the lightfantastic and, more than anything, he liked to do so to the music of a group he dubbed “Frantic Fred and his Relations”.

It is many years since Frantic Fred has played at the annual ball, for time passes and fashions in dance music change, as they must. But even so, each year at the meeting to discuss the arrangements for the ball, John would make his annual stand to bring back Frantic Fred. For the first few years after the demise of said Fred, this merely brought laughter from the rest of the committee, and later on, boos of derision. But John would not be deterred and just alter his request to one for “Son of Frantic Fred”.

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John’s entries in the SPAJERS minute book (always short, succinct and written on the spot in block capitals), carefully chronicled, on and between the lines, all his little idiosyncrasies – including Frantic Fred. Every now and then, after tackling a thorny problem, the minute book entry would read “much discussion – no decision”.

What member of any committee could deny identifying with similar scenarios in their own meeting? But only John could record the event in a mere four words.

In 1989, after John’s death, and whilst putting the finishing touches to the arrangements for the ball, a discussion broke out as to how he had fixed up the great trail of balloons above the dance floor, which always descended on cue. Did he use a net or a system of strings? A quick look back to the minutes of a year ago might reveal the answer? But no, the book entry read “Bloons [sic] and Dec. Lanterns – blowing and climbing by intrepid sec”. Result - much laughter and love, and not a dry eye in the place (even in John’s absence, let alone in his presence). And there are many more stories where that came from.

We female members of the committee will miss our annual ‘turn’ around the dance floor, John.

Like Frantic Fred, you will be a hard act to follow.

Liz Rose

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A flowering cherry tree being planted near the Bampton war memorial in memory of John, by Don Rouse, Frank Hudson, Mrs E Quick and John’s son, Ken.

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