WITH helmets in place, it was time for these workers to show their versatility. Fire had put a large part of Oxford University Press out of action and all hands were needed to get the plant back into production.

Oxford Mail:

The photograph above shows staff from the keyboards, casters and composing room taking part in the clean-up operation.

Former OUP worker David Brown sent in the picture after spotting a brief item about the fire in our Looking Back column from 40 years ago (Memory Lane, July 21).

Oxford Mail:

The fire which broke out just before midnight on July 18, 1974 badly damaged a small print room, above,  in Walton Street, but also severed power cables to the main printing works.

The fire was discovered by nightwatchman Frederick Barrett, who was nearly overcome by fumes. Another employee saw the smoke and raised the alarm.

Mr Barrett, of Wootton, near Abingdon, said later: “I was on my normal round. I went through a doorway into this building and ran straight into the smoke.

“I dodged back after I had tried to see where the fire was, but the smoke got thicker and I was almost knocked out by it. I saw flames, but I was overcome by the smoke and I couldn’t investigate further.”

Five fire appliances from Oxford, Headington and Kidlington were called and firemen wearing breathing apparatus fought the blaze.

Deputy chief fire officer Christopher Durrant said: “When we got here, there was a billow of smoke and the building was heavily smoke-logged.

“There were reports from passersby of an explosion, probably a flashover which happens when a door or window is opened and all the heat that was contained bursts into flame.”

Mr Brown, of Jordan Hill, North Oxford, built up a huge archive of photographs of social, work and sporting activities during his 41 years at OUP.

Memory Lane this week

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