One of the most popular summer attractions in Oxford was to see firefighters competing against each other.
Teams would gather at various venues to battle it out with their hoses and pumps and win prizes, much to the delight of the crowd.
These were the days when many factories, hospitals and university buildings had their own private fire brigades.
Read again: Prince Charles unveils new building at Oxford college
Most were manned by employees who would down tools and rush to the scene of a fire or other emergency as soon as the alarm sounded.
Their quick intervention often saved lives and property in the crucial minutes before the city and county fire crews arrived.
Their annual programme also included public drill competitions which attracted large numbers of spectators.
Up to 18 private brigades are known to have existed in Oxford – all were members of the Oxford Private Fire Brigades’ Association.
The association was formed in 1913 at a smoking concert at the Clarendon Press Institute in Walton Street, co-chaired by Horace Hart, Controller of Oxford University Press, and Captain Fred Symonds, of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Read more: David Beckham's alleged stalker is in court
It represented five brigades at the time - the University Press, Oxford University Museum, Brasenose and Magdalen Colleges and Nuneham House.
An unsigned handwritten note of its history reads: “In 1914, World War One came along and the association’s activities ceased till 1923 when Mr Bennett, secretary of the University Press Brigade, was called upon to help restart the association.
“This he did with such good results that at the outbreak of World War Two, the association had grown to 18 brigades embodying some 120 trained firemen.
“This body of trained men formed a strong reserve to the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade from which it would call for assistance at all times when necessity arose.
“This has happened on several occasions during the past 25 years when serious fires occurred in the city.”
Read again: School celebrates 50th anniversary
Private fire brigades also existed at Morris Motors, Pressed Steel, Morris Radiators, Littlemore Hospital, New College, John Allen’s and MG Cars.
By the 1950s, however, many of them were beginning to disappear, mainly because of the difficulty of persuading workers to become firefighters.
At a meeting in 1958, Mr W Brogden, chief officer of the Pressed Steel brigade, regretted the trend and suggested training women.
He said: “They make good firefighters. It is scandalous that colleges and university buildings should be left entirely to the emergency of the city brigade, good though they may be.
“It is the first two or three minutes of a fire that are all important and that is where a college brigade can be most useful. The men needn’t be young men – older men could be trained along with women.”
Read more: Headteacher announced for new primary school in Grove
In 1985, when the University Press brigade celebrated its centenary, it was one of only two private brigades left in the city – the other was British Leyland.
This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here