Portsmouth dairies and the men who delivered their milk | Nostalgia

The arrival of the milkman was one of life’s constants – something by which you could set your alarm clock.

Before supermarkets sounded the death knell, virtually, of home deliveries, milk arrived at your door courtesy of the milkman and a plethora of local dairies.

Here we look back at some of them, none called Ernie…

The first picture was taken some time in the 1920s on the streets of Portsmouth.

It shows George Warner, the grandfather of Barry Evans, who sent us the picture. However, no-one in the family knows which dairy in the city he worked for.During his life George fought and was injured in the First World War and when he returned delivered bread and milk, firstly by hand, then by horse and cart and finally by motor.Florence, his wife, worked for a Mr Derrick who owned a small shop in Elm Road which once stood by the Air Balloon pub at Mile End.

FANCY SOME MORE?: See the full dairy and milk portfolio of pictures

Milkman Len Garland is pictured n Froddington Road, Fratton, in 1926 with his pushalong float.

He went back to the dairy twice on his round to complete his deliveries.

He is working for the Portsea Island Mutual Co-op which was very big in Portsmouth in more ways than just milk.

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There seem to be half-pint bottles of milk on his float too. Note the gaiters, perhaps they were to deter dogs that might take a liking to his legs. Len died in 1996 aged 94.

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

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