Moving On To Pastures New

Often, working on the milk wasn't fun, so how come you could have a good laugh about being a milkman?

During the late 1960s and the early 1970s Edinburgh Corporation initiated a massive house building project at Clovenstone and Wester Hailes creating hundreds of new flats for families from throughout the city to move into and make a life for themselves the way we all did at Oxgangs.

Douglas Blades

Douglas Blades (6/6 Oxgangs Avenue) saw an opportunity there and deploying a textbook marketing approach, identified customers' needs – milk (which back in the day was a daily requirement for all families) and determined how he could meet their needs

As more and more new families began to move in to the area his sisters and several of the local kids dropped leaflets through the new residents’ letter-boxes advertising Douglas's new milk business. A significant number of kids from The Stair (Boo-Boo Hanlon; Alison and Ruth Blades; Iain and Peter Hoffmann; and also Paul Forbes) helped Douglas to distribute the flyers to each flat and then we revisited the house a few days later to see if they were keen to sign up. 

Photograph courtesy Pete White

Innovative and quick off the gun as Douglas was it wasn't straightforward as he had some significant competition from other milk businesses including Murchies Dairy who rather ironically supplied his milk at Leven Street, Tollcross. 

Whenever we got a new customer signed up it was a red letter day. We made dozens of visits with Douglas in his red Austin which looking back must have been the reason for his choice of vehicle to accommodate  the crates of milk in the back.

When the business was up and running I used to help Douglas with the milk deliveries early in the morning for six months or so in 1972. If I couldn't make it my brother Iain took my place; on occasion Paul Forbes came along too. However the business wasn't without its teething problems e.g. there were occasions when the Austin pick-up broke down and we weren't able to deliver the milk – diary extract: 1^st August 1972 ‘Milk a disaster...van broke down!’

Each Friday evening I used to go out with Douglas collecting i.e.visiting our customers for them to pay their bills. 

Looking back full credit to Douglas for being so entrepreneurial and also atypically hard working; he could be a tough boss to work for but I generally enjoyed being out with him. On sun-kissed school summer holiday mornings doing the milk wasn’t really a hardship unlike the dark winter mornings when it was dark and cold and lonely.

Douglas eventually went on to sell the business to Murchies before, if you'll forgive the pun, moving on to pastures new.

The Milkmen Ride Again - Douglas Blades and his milk-boy Peter Hoffmann

 Halloween 2012 Strathpeffer Railway Station

So how could you laugh at being a milkman? 

Well I guess we've all heard jokes about the milkman - here's my contribution featuring Edinburgh’s most famous milkman Sean Connery:

One morning whilst out ‘n about in Fountainbridge Sean comes across an order for 45 pints of milk. Puzzled, he decides to ask the customer if this is a mistake. When he knocks on the door, a woman comes out with just a bath towel around her.

She confirms that yes she wants 45 pints. "Milk baths are good for your skin," explains the woman.

"Oh, OK," says Sean. "Do you need it pasteurised then?"

"No," says the woman. "Up to my tits will be fine."