Paul's new wheels deliver crate expectations
Former Shropshire milkman Paul Nicholls never forgot the milk float on which he helped out on rounds as a 12-year-old schoolboy.
Now, over 45 years on, he has tracked it down – and bought it.
"It was still running, and I thought that it was a shame for another milk float to be scrapped when I had the opportunity to buy it back. My plan is to do it up and take it to shows," said Paul, from Shifnal.
"As a 12-year-old schoolboy in Shifnal in 1974, I was on it on the first day it was brand new to Unigate Dairies. The supervisor was Brian Hart, who played football for Telford United, and I was helping a milkman by the name of John Clarke, who had the float."
Paul was already something of a veteran "milkboy," his career on the floats having started in 1968 when at the age of six he began giving a hand to Shifnal milkman John Powell to earn some pocket money, and then in 1969 teaming up with John Clarke.
And then along came that gleaming new machine, first registered on February 4, 1974.
"It's a Morrison electric float, and goes as a Crompton Leyland. I spent many happy hours on that. It was the first float to deliver milk around Applebrook in Shifnal when they were building the estate.
"It was with Unigate for quite some time. I drove it in the early 1980s when I started working there full time. Unigate had it, and I think it went around different depots in the Black Country, and then Unigate sold it.
"I found out a while ago that this one was still running and decided to track it down. It was at B & A Dairies in Coventry and I went to see it a while ago and said to the guy that when you sell it, would you give me first chance of buying it. He said yes. He took it out of service last month and I bought it. It cost £3,500. They gave me the crates and empty bottles to put on it.
"The other day I took it around Dawley and Madeley for a drive around to make sure everything is in order."
Since then Paul has taken his milk float, XJW 272M, which in his time had operated out of Unigate's Halesfield depot in Telford, on a few other runs and received admiring glances.
And yesterday he took a trip down milk memory lane as he met John once more and made a "delivery" to some of his old customers in Brimstree Drive, Shifnal, Tom and Marian Doughty.
"They still live in the same house," said Paul.
"There are not many milk floats of this type about now. This is the last one out of the Telford depot still standing."
At some point in the past Paul's purchase was given a new cab to replace the rotted original. It's no speedster, making about 10mph, and has a range of around 25 miles.
"It's in quite a tidy condition really. It just needs a bit of paintwork doing on it. It's green and cream, the colours of B & A Dairies, and I want to paint it back in Unigate colours."
But don't bother placing your orders because HGV driver Paul, who made his last doorstep delivery in 1990, has no plans to resume deliveries.
"It will be used for pleasure."
