When milkman Leslie Jones retired willagers of Ashendon and Westcott turned out to show their appreciation for the three million pints of milk he had delivered in the past 18 years without missing a day.
The villagers of Westcott presented Mr. Jones with a silver tankard, a lighter and money and the people of Ashendon presented him with a watch.
The presentation at Ashendon was very much a village affair. As Mr. Jones delivered in the village on the morning of the presentation he didn’t see a soul, which was unusual.
Code Signs
And Mr. Jones didn’t spot the code signs which were being exchanged to indicate where in the village he was. He popped into his local, the Red Lion, as usual, but when he returned to his van in the car park, he found the whole village waiting for him.
Mr. Jones, aged 65, lives with his wife Millicent at 3 Council Houses, Ashendon. He was born in Wotton Underwood and moved to Ashendon in 1954. After working as a milkman for someone else for eight years he bought the round. He has never taken a holiday during those 18 years and the only day he has had off has been Christmas Day.
By Sledge
He particularly recalls the winter of 1962 when he couldn’t get his van up the hills because of the snow. They had to deliver it on a sledge. A keen gardener, Mr. Jones now intends to devote much of his time to this hobby. But he is sure he will not be able to break the habit of being up and about by six each morning.