Flags flew and the bell tolled as firemen took a break from fighting fires to join everyone in a celebration.

The picture was taken in the centre of Faringdon, possibly in 1953 when the country was marking the Queen’s Coronation.

It has recently been acquired by retired fireman Bill Law, who has an ongoing interest in the fire brigade’s history in the town.

He writes: “The vehicle is a Fordson fire appliance, which local authority fire brigades used after the war. I think the picture is no later than 1953 as Faringdon was issued with a new appliance in 1954.”

Read again: Randolph Hotel to close for six months and make staff redundant

Two of the firemen on board have been named – Lovell Drawbridge on the extreme right and Bill Goodenough next to him. Can anyone name the others? Faringdon was served by the National Fire Service until 1948, and became part of the Berkshire and Reading brigade until 1974 when towns in North Berkshire were transferred to Oxfordshire.

We’re excited to launch We Grew Up in Oxford, a new online community for everyone who loves our great city. In our new Facebook group, we’ll be delving into the archives - both recent and older - to bring you memories of what it was like growing up and living here through the years.

We hope you’ll join us and get involved in the project.