1960 1969
A timeline of news, stories and pictures from 1960 1969.
If you have stories, memories or pictures of the band we'd love to hear from you.
All 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1969 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
decade
1960 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 1 October 1960
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: West Bromwich Borough, Section B: Kibworth Silver and Section C: City of Leicester W.M.C.
Second overseas tour
1961
A second overseas tour takes in Belgium. Luxembourg and Western Germany.
1961 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 7 October 1961
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Berry Hill Silver, Section B: Mansfield Borough Silver. There was no Section C contest on this occasion.
75th Anniversary
August 1962
The band celebrates its '75th Anniversary' with a series of concerts, visits from overseas bands and a commemorative booklet.
1962 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 6 October 1962
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Aldbourne Silver, Section B: City of Leicester W.M.C. An evening concert was performed by the Ransome and Marles Works Band.
COSB to play at Highbury!
Saturday 8 December 1962
COSB to play at Highbury!
The City of Oxford Silver Band will be playing away on January 5 thanks to a very sporting gesture by the Metropolitan Police.
As every supporter of Oxford United will know this is the day that the United meet Arsenal in the third round of the F.A. Cup and the Police the resident band at Highbury, have very kindly agreed to step down from the rostrum for that day so that, from the bandstand at least, Oxford can call the tune.Mr. F. Wolff, the band secretary, says: "We are all delighted to be able to play to our own home team on such an important occasion. A special programme will be arranged and this I am sure will be very much welcomed by all present waiting for the kick-off, which we trust will bring United a step nearer Wembley.
Well, at any rate the music will be in their favour. All we've got to hope now is that the score will be too.OXFORD MAIL - 8 DEC 1962
The Match finally took place on 30 January 1963 (the earlier fixture cancelled owing to the weather) and Arsenal beat Oxford United 5-1. Unfortunately for some reason the band were unable to attend.
Tour of Holland
July 1963
40 bandsmen of the City of Oxford Silver Band, accompanied by more than 70 of their wives, families, and supporters, spend ten days in Holland. The tour included a performance for Queen Juliana, a return visit to the airborne Cemetery at Arnhem and an appearance on Radio Hilversum.
To mark the tour bandsman Trombone payer Richard Sansom designed a blazer badge bearing the band's crest and motto.
Home hears Oxford band
Lord Home, Britain's Foreign Secretary, chats to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands after a performance by the City of Oxford Silver Band in the garden of the Queen's Palace at Soestoijk, Netherlands, today. Lord Home and his wife were paying a courtesy call on Queen Juliana during their visit to Holland. The Oxford Band is on a ten day tour of the country.
OXFORD MAIL - 18 Jul 1963
Left to right: Nobby Challis, Queen Juliana, Percy Sprules (centre), Lord Home, Roger Lock (far right)OXFORD MAIL - 18 JULY 1963
Cowley Barracks
August 1963
The redevelopment of Cowley centre means the band has to move out of its laboriously constructed bandhall. It moves its headquarters to the former officers' mess at Cowley Barracks on Hollow Way.
Band plays in the parks
Sunday 11 August 1963
The City of Oxford Silver Band play concerts in Oxford's public parks for the first time since 1948.
BAND PLAYS IN OXFORD PARKS
For the first time for nearly 15 years, people were yesterday able to sit in an Oxford park and listen to a silver band.
Many hundreds arrived at Cutteslowe Park in the afternoon to hear performances given by the City of Oxford Silver Band.A band spokesman said: "In the past we have not been allowed to do this by the City Council - partly because it was thought there was a lack of demand.
"We had plenty of support today and are asking everyone who wants more of this entertainment to contact their local councillors and tell them."
OXFORD MAIL - 12 August 1963
1963 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 5 October 1963
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Ynyshir Wattstown Colliery, Section B: Towcester Studio Silver.
Carols
December 1963
CAROLS
The City of Oxford Silver Band entertaining Christmas shoppers on Saturday afternoon with a programme of carols.
This was another in the series of informal concerts which the band is giving to raise money for its new building to be built near Temple Cowley Baths. The Lord Mayor of Oxford. Ald. Alec Parker, has launched an appeal fund to help the band.
By playing carols at Cowley, Blackbird Leys, Minchery Farm, Marston and Headington since December 13, the band has raised £203. "We are very grateful to the people of Oxford for this wonderful generosity," said Mr. Frans Wolff, one of the bandsmen. On Christmas morning two parties of bandsmen will make a goodwill tour of Oxford Hospitals.
OXFORD MAIL, 23 December 1963
Appeal for new bandhall
Thursday 12 December 1963
The band launch an appeal to raise money towards the construction of a new bandhall.
Jimmy Edwards
Saturday 11 January 1964
Comedian and bandsman Professor Jimmy Edwards attends a prize-giving at the City of Oxford Silver band.
Prizes given by Jimmy Edwards
Mr. Jimmy Edwards presents the Percy Lewis Cup to David Morgan, who was first in the learner's Section at the City of Oxford Silver Band members' solo contest at Cowley Worker's Club on Saturday. Mr. Percy Lewis in in the centre.
PROFESSOR Jimmy Edwards, a former brass bandsman - "I am a brilliant soloist myself" - presented the prizes at the City of Oxford Silver Band members' solo contest, held at Cowley Workers' Social Club on Saturday.
"If only I hadn't been so busy this afternoon I would have come along and taken some of the trophies myself." said the one-time member of Barnes Borough Band, now Watney's Brewery Band.
The contest attracted 19 entries in the senior section, five in the youth section and 13 in the learners section. The youngest competitor was nine-year-old cornet player Miss Susan Bradley.
The George Prior Challenge Trophy for the senior section was won by David Martin and the Ching Challenge Cup for the youth section was won by Terry Sherlock.
The competition's newest trophy, presented this year by Mr. Percy Lewis for the winner fo the learners section, went to David Morgan.
OXFORD MAIL, 13 January 1964
Silver Band Rehearses for Jimmy Edwards Show
Thursday 26 March 1964
Oxford City Silver band being conducted by Mr. Harold Williams at Cowley Barracks last night in a rehearsal for the Jimmy Edwards Charity concert at the New Theatre on April 5. At the concert Mr. Edwards will conduct three bands.
OXFORD MAIL, 26 March 1964
Solo, Duet, Trio - Jim tries 'em all
Monday 6 April 1964
Solo, Duet, Trio - Jim tries 'em all
Professor Jimmy Edwards has no ambition to play Hamlet, but he has several times realised another - to conduct.
At the New Theatre, Oxford, last night, he conducted three local bands in a mass brass bands concert.
Afterwards, the president of the City of Oxford Silver Band, Dr. Bernard Rose, presented him with a baton in a case and congratulated him on a "first class professional performance."
"Thank you, This will light many a good fire." replied the professor twitching his moustache.
Joined In
He joined in a euphonium trio with Roger Lock and Merlin Roberts of the C.O.S.B. and played a trombone solo, accompanied by the Pressed Steel Band.
Finally he ventured on a cornet duet with Gwyn Davies, of the B.M.C. Morris Motors Band or rather a cornet duel, in which he countered the bandsman's virtuoso variations with defiant repetitions of his own less adventurous phrasing.
The Morris Motors Band had just become Southern Area champions on Saturday, beating 50 other bands and regaining the title they held two years ago. They will now appear at the Great Britain finals at the Royal Albert Hall in October.
They returned on Wednesday from a five-day tour of Holland, where they gave six concerts, including one broadcast.
In his dressing room in the interval, Jimmy said this was the fourth time he had conducted brass bands for charity.
This time two charities benefited, two thirds going to the Lord Mayor's Appeal for the C.O.S.B. building fund for a new headquarters, the rest to the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.
For the rest of the interval he tried to work out a comic routine on the lines of those he had done in the first half with Eric Sykes, the programme's genial compere.
"Your E Flat doesn’t sound like my E flat" he complained as they essayed Nellie Dean and the Dark Town Strutters' Ball, with himself on trumpet and Sykes on guitar.
No cannon
"You really need a cannon for the 1812," warned Mrs. Edwards. "Someone go and buy a cannon."
However, in the end, Jimmy and Eric contented themselves with a cross-talk act and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was played without a cannon.
This was the impressive climax of a second half in which the three bands united under the professor's baton, and which included the Light Cavalry Overture by Suppe ("Minestrone to his friends" was Jimmy's footnote).
Derrick Grigs
PHOTO: Jim the jester tries on a new line in headgear.
PHOTO: A euphonic euphonium trio in the shape of Jimmy Edwards, Merlin Roberts and Roger Lock
OXFORD MAIL 6 Apr 1964
Bandhall vandalised!
Thursday 16 April 1964
Hooligans vandalise the Barracks bandroom and wreck a van used by the band to transport instruments.
Intruders wreck bandsmen's van
Sousa was late on parade at Cowley Barracks last night. Members of the City of Oxford Silver Band, who usually start their practice night with Sousa on Parade, spent more than an hour clearing up the mess left by intruders.
The band uses part of the old canteen block as its temporary band hut, but since they moved in last autumn vandals have been a considerable nuisance, said the band's secretary, Mr. F. Woolf sic.
Last night's escapade - a break-in without any theft-was the fifth.
When members of the band arrived they found the hut "a complete shambles."
Intruders had taken the band uniforms out of a cupboard and dragged them over the floor, getting them dirty and tearing some of the lapels and badges off.
The instruments, more than 30, had been taken out of their cases and left in an adjoining room used by sea Cadets.
When the practice began an hour and five minutes late the only thing reported missing was a mouthpiece, but one was quickly found.
Outside the canteen block the band's van used to carry their instruments around had been wrecked. The roof had been torn off, a bed frame thrown into the cab and another in the back of the van.
But this, said a band official was damage which had been spread over a long period.
OXFORD MAIL, 17 April 1964
A purpose-built Bandhall proposed
June 1964
Plans are submitted for a new bandroom to be built in Temple Cowley. Architect.: Peter John Parsons (Abingdon Design Associates)
1964 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 3 October 1964
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: British Railway Staff Association Silver (Swindon), Section B: Uplands (Smethwick).
1965 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 2 October 1965
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Pressed Steel, Section B: Kirton Brass. Evening concert by Black Dyke Mills.
Foundation stone laid
January 1966
The foundation stone of the new band hall is laid by former Lord Mayor Ald. A. P. Parker
TV Appearance
February 1966
ATV Midland Today visit the City of Oxford Junior Band and reporter David Lloyd speaks to Nobby Challis and several young players.
1966 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 1 October 1966
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Fisher & Ludlow Works, Section B: Croft Silver. Evening concert by the Fairey Band.
1967 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 7 October 1967
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Aldbourne Silver, Section B: Croft Silver. Evening concert by the G.U.S. (Footwear) Band.
1968 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 5 October 1968
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Aldbourne Silver, Section B: Gainsborough Britannia and Section C: Croft Silver. Evening concert by the Grimethorpe Colliery Institute Band.
1969 Oxford Annual Contest
Saturday 4 October 1969
The City of Oxford Silver Band hosts its annual contest at Oxford Town Hall. Winners were: Section A: Aldershot Brass Ensemble, Section B: Ellesborough Silver and Section C: Ratby Silver.