MANY old people in Charlbury were able to keep their home fires burning in November 1972 thanks to the local branch of the Royal British Legion and British Rail.
A lorry load of old railway track sleepers were delivered to Charlbury station on the direct instructions of Humphrey Todd, the London division manager of British Rail.
At a public meeting in the village the railways authority was criticised for burning piles of sleepers at the side of the local line, which was being made into a single track.
Mr Todd kept his promise to find out why they were being burned and, if it was possible, make a load available for old people in Charlbury to use as fire kindling wood.
RBL branch secretary Sidney Price said: "We have been given about 60 sleepers which we shall saw and chop into kindling wood.
"We also have a long list of old people in the area to whom we shall be delivering the wood."
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