BRITISH Railways was not the only organisation to offer day trips to the seaside – the Oxford Mail also arranged summer excursions.

One such outing took place on Thursday, July 13, 1939, just six weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War.

The destination was Porthcawl, described as the Gem of the Severn Sea.

Details came to light when Tony Miles, from Upper Road, Kennington, attended the funeral of his brother-in-law, Bill Allen, and one of Mr Allen’s children produced a copy of the paper from that era. Readers were promised a “glorious day for the sea”, with adults paying 7s 9d (38p) and children half-price.

The train also stopped to pick up and drop passengers at Radley, Culham and Didcot on the way there and back.

But they had to be prepared for a long day. The train began its journey at Oxford at 10.25am and did not return until 1am the following day.

Buses were laid on at Oxford station to take people home, with adults charged sixpence and children threepence.

But there was no offer of transport at other destinations.

An advertisement in the paper warned readers: “This is the first excursion of the year organised by the Oxford Mail and, as usual, the demand for tickets will be heavy.

“If you wish to travel with this delightful trip, be sure to make early application for your tickets.

“There is only one train, and the number of tickets is limited.”

Families were urged to see Coney Beach, “Britain’s Coney Island, an amusement park packed with fun and entertainment for all”.

As we recalled (Memory Lane, July 9), British Railways often ran Peter Piper special trains to coastal resorts during the summer.

The trip we featured, in July 1970, took families to Bourne-mouth, Poole or Swanage.

These excursions proved extremely popular with families whose budgets wouldn’t stretch to a full week’s holiday.