OXFORD firemen said farewell to one of their colleagues in style.

George Alfred James Cox was a volunteer member of the city fire brigade, but died from cancer at the age of 46.

One picture shows him in uniform, while the other was taken during his funeral procession, when he received full brigade honours.

The photographs were found in the belongings of his daughter, Jean Margaret King, who was only two years old when her father died.

Among other items was a letter written by the secretary of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade Club, Mr G H Reynolds, and sent to Mr Cox’s widow, Lilian, offering his condolences.

The postmark is from September 30, 1933, and the envelope is edged in black.

The possessions revealed a number of interesting facts about Mrs Cox, as well as her husband.

She worked as housekeeper to Vivien Greene, wife of author Graham Greene, at Iffley for at least 20 years.

Two cards and a telegram were found, thanking her for her 20 years’ service from 1944 to 1964.

The telegram was dated June 5, 1964, and was still in its original GPO envelope.

One of the cards was a “thank you” from the family cats – Alice, Treacle, Toby, Pansey, Penny, Tiffany and another cat whose name it is difficult to read.

A pasted cutting, from what might be the Oxford Mail or The Oxford Times, reads: “Mrs L V Cox, 25 Wingfield Street. Best wishes and gratitude from Mrs Greene, Grove House, Iffley Turn, and family, and all the cats past and present for loving care for twenty years 1944-64.”

The other card says: “To Mrs Cox, with every wish for health and happiness! Vivien Greene – hoping you will buy yourself a souvenir of our twenty years housekeeping together.”

No doubt she included something for a present.

Mrs King’s god-daughter, Alison Foster, of Hugh Allen Crescent, Marston, Oxford, discovered the information about Mr and Mrs Cox as she was helping her parents to deal with Mrs King’s personal effects.