MEMBERS of the City of Oxford Youth Band were off on their foreign travels 50 years ago.

They had been invited to make a five-day visit to Holland and are pictured setting off in August 1968.

The party consisted of 35 youngsters aged six to 17 and seven adults, among them their conductor, Cyril ‘Nobby’ Challis, pictured on the extreme left.

The tour of Holland was the result of a visit by the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines band to an international festival the City of Oxford Silver Band organised to mark its 30th anniversary in 1967.

The visitors were so impressed with the youth band’s performance that they immediately invited them to Holland.

Secretary Frank Wolff, who also travelled with the party, got in touch with the Royal Dutch Federation of Bands to see if anyone else would like to hear them play and as a result, four concerts were arranged, at Utrecht, Amsterdam and in the villages of Klarenbeek and Bruinisse.

Before leaving for Holland, the band had spent several months performing and raising money for the trip.

The young musicians entertained at Temple Cowley School fete and gave what was described as a farewell concert at Cowley community centre shortly before they boarded the coach.

The band had enjoyed a successful period, taking third place in an open competition at Reading Band Festival and winning an open competition with senior bands at Abingdon.

After returning from their successful tour of Holland, members had another prestigious date, at the National Brass Band championships in London.

The following year, the youth band embarked on an even more ambitious foreign tour, visiting Holland, Germany and Austria over 12 days.