She had written to members of Round Table asking them to drive her to visit her son during their Wish Week. She had completely forgotten about her request until the uniformed driver of the car knocked on her front door in 1970. Mrs Hall, of Little Brewery Street, St Clement’s, Oxford, said: “I thought they would have so many wishes they would ignore me.
“I never dreamt they would take me in a Rolls-Royce. I wouldn’t have minded if they had brought a donkey and cart.” It was the first time that Mrs Hall, who was 66 and couldn’t walk far, had been in a Rolls.
When she reached her son’s home in Field Avenue, Blackbird Leys, as you can see in the picture, a crowd had gathered to greet her. She said: “In the car, I started chatting with the chauffeur - Mr Smith - and then thought I’d just sit back, enjoy myself and watch the world go by.” The car was provided by J Barclay, the motor dealers in Road, Oxford, with the distinctive number plate, JB 1.
For their Wish Week, Round Table members had invited people to put forward ideas that would put a smile on their faces. The surprise arrival of the Rolls-Royce outside Mrs Hall’s home certainly did that! Since 1938, Oxford Round Table has donated over £1m to good causes in and around Oxford. Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get: Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the .