Jockeying for the milkies, 1964

Firstly I started in July 1964 after leaving Great Barr Comprehensive. My first week was as a jockey to the milkman delivering down Warren Farm Road then College Road finishing on Jockey Road. After that I was given a permanent round as a jockey starting at the “Golden Hind” delivering to all the streets off Greenholm Road. After that we did College Road to The Ridgeway,Moor Lane,Brookvale Road finishing at” The Barn” In January 1965 I left UK going to Australia(my brother was already here)for 2 years. On my return in 1967 I worked again at the dairy again as a jockey until I got my licence to legally drive a milk float. I was the given a round the back of “The Towers”on Walsall Road. I did all the houses finishing at Old Walsall Road. I did that for a year or more before leaving for Oz again. When I first started in 1964 all deliveries were by electric floats but there were a few horses still stabled at the dairy seeing out their time.All were 2 man rounds with the milkman and a jockey who were usually kids under 18.Deliveries were done 7 days a week usually arriving at the gates at 4.30-5am when the dairy opened.Sundays were busy as families ordered extra pints and cream.Mondays were also busy as it was the biggest collection day for empty bottles.We finished about 11am both days. Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday were good early finishing days about 10am.Both Friday and Saturday were long days not finishing until 5-6pm.Both days the jockey would deliver all the milk whilst the milkman collected his cash.The other 5 days of the week we would deliver milk with the jockey doing the passenger side houses and the milkman the drivers side.It was common for the kids to drive the float Fridays and Saturdays although unlicensed as it saved time.It took longer for the milkman to collect his cash so he was always behind the jockey.At that time there were 4 types of milk delivered….pasteurised,homogenised,sterilised(usually used for cups of tea)and Jersey gold cap(creamier) which was a penny dearer than normal pasteurised milk.In that first stint at the dairy Ski yoghurt,eggs and butter were introduced as sale items. In1967 when I got my own round the dairy were slowly changing to one man rounds.The range had also increased with tea and cheese added. Kingstanding Dairy covered a fair territory its extremities being Scott Arms,Chester Road,Erdington,Wyrley Birch,Aldridge Road,Beeches Estate,Hamstead Village and back to Scott Arms. The 1st of 2 stories I can relate to was when the milkies went on a stag night for one of the lads.We then partied hard into the early hours of the morning. When we headed for the dairy(about 20 of us) we were about an hour late for work and the gov’ner was really fretting.His words as we walked through the dairy gates still echo today….”This is a dairy but smells more like a damn brewery this morning”. Remember we all had to drive our milkcarts….no breathalysers or OH&S in those days. The other incident happened as I was delivering down the hill on Burnham Road. It was snowing,pavement slippery,I had 2 milk carriers full with another half a dozen bottles under my arm.I also had a “Park Drive” cigarette between my lips.Looking down the hill I suddenly was in a panic when I saw my fathers works vehicle(He was boss of the Salvage Department on Moor Lane) turn into the street.I desperately tried to spit out the fag but it had stuck to my lip with the cold weather.Finally I got it out but not before it took skin from my lip with it.I hoped my Dad had not seen the fag but he had and he tore into me with a lecture when I got home.