A discussion in English between Anthony Rees and David Reynolds. David was a milk churn haulier for 4 years in the Whitland area in the late 1950s. He shares memories of the job, working practices, creameries and farmers. He subsequently became an oil industry haulier based in Milford Haven. He also speaks of his passion for ploughing matches and combine harvesters.

Transcript of interview with David Reynolds

Location: Haverfordwest
Topic: Milk Churn Collection and Later Haulage Work

Introduction

Interviewer:
So here we are in Haverfordwest with David Reynolds. David, thank you for talking to me today.

David Reynolds:
That’s all right.

Interviewer:
Perhaps we could start with you introducing yourself — who you are and your background.

Family Background and Early Career

David Reynolds:
My connection with milk goes back to my father. He had been collecting milk churns for many years. I eventually went on the milk lorries in 1957. The churn collection finished in 1979, and I stayed on milk work for about four years after that.

Later I left milk altogether and worked for Shellmex and BP for three years, then moved to Esso in Milford Haven. I stayed with Esso for 26 years, until most of the haulage was contracted out to companies like Hoyer.

Alongside that, my second love was combines and ploughing. I took part in ploughing for many years. My son became interested too, and I tried to teach him as best I could. He did very well before moving away to Farnborough to study engineering. Eventually he moved to Ireland, where he has now been for nearly 30 years.

He’s still interested in old tractors and lorries, though not farming. He now works manufacturing hip joints — very precise engineering work. He sets up milling machines to make the parts. He’s a very capable engineer and has his own milling machines and lathes at home.

Milk Work Begins (1957–1958)

Interviewer:
Let’s go back to 1958. Which company were you working for?

David Reynolds:
J. E. Lawrence, Clarbeston Road. In the summer they usually had about five lorries on milk collection. When production dropped in September or October, they’d take perhaps two lorries off milk and the drivers would do other work — tippers and general haulage.

These were milk churns — I never worked with tankers. Tankers didn’t come in until 1979.

There were several hauliers working into Whitland at the time — J. E. Lawrence, Lawrence Llawhaden and Bevan Williams from Clynderwen. In busy times they might run five lorries. We all knew most of the drivers.

Routes Covered

Interviewer:
What area did you cover?

David Reynolds:
When I first started, I covered the Trecwn area towards Fishguard. Routes changed from time to time. In my first year, I did Llanfallteg as a short run, returning to Whitland.

In other years I went as far as Tavernspite and almost into Narberth. Another second route brought me back towards Haverfordwest — places like Redstone and surrounding areas.

We usually did two loads a day.

Seasonal Work Patterns

I mainly worked summer milk. From September or October I would come off milk and work from the Clarbeston Road garage — driving tippers and doing other haulage. If one of the regular year-round milk drivers took a fortnight’s holiday, I’d cover their route.

Number of Farms and Churns

Typically I collected from about 14 farms per run.

The lorry carried between 98 and 104 churns. Some farms might only put out two churns; larger farms could have 12 to 14.

Some older drivers had double-deck lorries, but we didn’t at Clarbeston Road.

Best Part of the Job

The best part was the hours. We started at about 7:20am and usually finished around 3:30pm, unless you stayed to wash down the lorry.

You met good farmers. If they were late bringing milk out, you’d wait. Now and again you’d be rewarded — a bag of potatoes, a dozen eggs. That meant something in those days.

Relationship with Farmers

In some areas you knew the farmers well. In others, the milk would simply be left on the stand.

Sometimes three farms shared one stand.

You were part of their lives — you were there every day.

Record Keeping

Each farm had an allocated number. We were given a book at the dairy. As we collected milk, we recorded the gallonage and placed a receipt slip in the churn for the farmer.

At the dairy, the book was handed in and the office staff entered the quantities on each farmer’s account for monthly payment.

We checked labels and flagged churns that seemed short. If milk was underweight, it would be reweighed and adjusted accordingly.

Quality Control

At the dairy, milk was checked for smell. Occasionally someone would ask:

“Have you got any sours to go back?”

If milk was sour, it was labelled and returned to the farm the next day — something farmers didn’t like.

Problems were rare. Most farmers were very clean.

There was one case where weights and measures followed the lorry and a farmer was prosecuted for adding water. That was the only time I encountered that.

Butterfat testing was done at the dairy and sometimes by inspectors who travelled ahead of us, taking samples at the stands.

Physical Nature of the Work

Drivers usually unloaded the churns themselves onto a conveyor chain.

It was heavy work, but you developed a knack for it.

I was in my early twenties then, so that helped.

Winter Conditions

In winter, snow could make roads difficult, but generally we managed.

Working Hours and Holidays

It was seven days a week.

You were usually home by mid-afternoon, so you had the rest of the day.

We had about a fortnight’s holiday each year.

Milk collection continued on Christmas Day. My father often worked Christmas and didn’t mind — farmers would sometimes give small gifts or tips.

Changes Over Time

Many drivers later moved from contractors to companies like United Dairies, where conditions were better and working patterns improved.

The churn system ended in 1979 when tankers took over.

The job was never the same after tankers came in.

Milk Stands

Most milk stands were roadside structures made of concrete or stone. Some were wooden — railway sleepers and uprights — but those have mostly disappeared.

Some stands were communal and shared by several farms.

Many still survive, though some were removed for road safety.

Memorable Stories

David recalls a story of a driver who left a farmer behind. The farmer later complained to the boss, saying:

“What can you do with a man like that? Only last week I gave him half a crown!”

Another story involved a steamroller operator’s green-painted water churn being mistakenly taken during a purge to recover surplus churns.

Churns today are worth £80–£100 each, sometimes more.

Steel churns had a distinctive rattle on the lorry. Aluminium ones were quieter.

Later Career

After milk:

• Shellmex & BP – 3 years
• Esso, Milford Haven – 26 years

He remained active in ploughing competitions and vintage machinery.

For around 26–27 years he demonstrated a threshing machine at Camrose Vintage Working Day. He purchased the machine about 40 years ago and maintained it with his wife Liz.

Closing Reflections

David reflects on how important it is to record these memories:

“If I didn’t relate some of the stories, they’d be gone forever.”