THE cry went up: “And God bless all who ride in her!”... It wasn’t quite the traditional ceremony of the Queen or other member of the Royal family smashing a bottle of Champagne on the bow of a ship before it sets sail on its maiden voyage.

But there was still plenty of excitement and enthusiasm when Milham Ford Girls’ School off Marston Road, Oxford, launched its new minibus in 1973.

Pupils gathered round the bus and looked from their classrooms through open windows as headmistress Miss WM Laws poured what looks like a bottle of pop over the bonnet.

Staff, pupils and parents had been heavily involved for six months raising £1,628 for the 15-seater bus.

Teachers and pupils had held a sponsored activities afternoon which had raised more than £800.

Fifty girls attempted to swim a mile for more sponsorship cash, while 200 walked and others played continuous table tennis.

Another group pursued what must have been a real ordeal – a nine-hour sponsored silence!

A total of £1,200 of the money was raised by the girls, some of whom “sold themselves into slavery” for a day at an auction organised by staff.

The remaining £450 came from the parents’ association.

The all-girls school moved to Marston Road in 1938 after outgrowing its previous premises at The Plain. It closed in 2002 and the buildings are now part of Oxford Brookes University.

The history of the school is somewhat confusing, as staff found out when they decided to organise anniversaries.

It celebrated its 50th birthday in 1956 and marked its centenary with a series of festivities – in 1993!

It was thought to have opened in 1906, but research by former history teacher Miss UL Thompson showed that its roots went back to 1897. Later research suggested the school was even older, hence the 1993 centenary celebrations.