Dave the old school milkman is cream of the crop

When Dave retired he became a volunteer at the National Lottery-funded museum at Dudley in the West Midlands. Now 72, he’s become a member of staff who helps bring the past to life by dressing up as a Midland Counties Dairy milkman and delivering bottles of the white stuff with the help of an authentic three-wheeled electric cart called a ‘Graiseley’ (it took its name from a neighbourhood in Wolverhampton).

Dave’s character is named Ken Ball in honour of his late father. For Dave, who began helping his dad on his milk run at the age of 10, it’s an important connection. He said, “My father passed away two years ago. I’ve found that playing him has been a good grieving process. I can talk to complete strangers about him and tell a few of his funny stories.”

Dave’s father used a Graiseley cart when he started as a milkman in 1953. Indeed, Dave likes to tell visitors to the museum about the mischief he got up to when he played unsupervised on his father’s vehicle.

The carts, which were manufactured by a Wolverhampton firm called Diamond Motors Ltd, could carry up to 500 bottles of milk and reach a speed of 4mph – a brisk walking pace. They could travel about 14 miles on a single charge and were renowned for their manoeuvrability, rapid acceleration and ease of use.

Milkmen walked in front of the cart, squeezing a handle to control the speed. Dave likes to point out that in the 1960s, the milk industry was extremely eco-friendly. As well as electric vehicles it used glass bottles and metal crates, both of which could be recycled.

In the 1960s, about 95 per cent of households in the UK had their milk delivered by a milkman. But when corner shops and supermarkets began selling milk, the milkmen and their electric carts began to vanish from our streets.

Dave, who started ‘on the milk’ in 1974, loves introducing himself to younger visitors who only know milk as something you buy in plastic containers from a supermarket shelf. Dave said, “Young people are fascinated. When I walk up with my cart their parents and grandparents say ‘Oh look, there’s a milkman’. It starts an interaction between the older and younger generations.”

Talking to museum visitors is a big part of why Dave loves his job. He said, “My dad taught me that the customers become your friends. You’d hear stories about milkmen spotting a house fire or keeping an eye on elderly customers. There was definitely a social side to the job.”

One thing Dave didn’t inherit from his father was a singing voice. Milkmen were renowned for whistling or singing on their rounds, but Dave prefers a good conversation. He said, “My dad was a brilliant singer, a tenor. Sadly, I didn’t follow in his footsteps.”

Black Country Living Museum is just one of the amazing places taking part in National Lottery Open Week 2025 (please note tickets have now sold out). This year’s event runs from 15th – 23rd March. During Open Week 2025 you’ll be able to get free entry, discounts and special offers** at all sorts of attractions across the UK.

Check out National Lottery Open Week 2025 to find out all of the places you can visit!

**Use any retail or online National Lottery ticket, including Lotto, EuroMillions, Set For Life and Thunderball or National Lottery Scratchcard or Instant Win Game, for special offers at selected attractions between 15th and 23rd March 2025.

Visit nationallotteryopenweek.com for more details. Full Ts&Cs apply. See individual venues for full details. Players must be 18+.

4th March 2025