Delivering milk in a snowstorm, February 1933

This photo shows Frank Kelly, Moyliscar, in Mullingar delivering milk during “deep snow” – as is noted in handwriting on the back, on February 23, 1933.

Frank was one of four or five milkmen who delivered to the town. They had their own streets and each day they all met in the town centre to share out milk in case any of them were short.

On this occasion, Frank had to leave the cart at home because of the snow and delivered the milk in the cans carried on the horse’s back. He had to ration the milk to the householders to make sure everyone got something.

The milk came from his own farm.

There was a short report in the Westmeath Examiner dated February 25, 1933 under the headline, The Snow Storm. Below that was a subhead, Pony electrocuted.

The report reads:

‘In common with other portions of the country, Westmeath is practically snowbound. The storm broke on Thursday evening and by Friday a deep while coat was everywhere. The drifts in places are up to ten feet deep.

Numbers of sheep and lambs are reported to have perished and the people in the outlying districts are in a bad way.

A pony the property of Mr Joseph Bennett, Baker and Confectioner, Mullingar, was electrocuted on Friday morning, his feet becoming entangled in a fallen electric wire. The driver owed his escape from a similar death to the fact that he was wearing rubber boots.’

• Does anyone know what street Frank is on in this photo? (We think it’s Mount Street.) Email editor@westmeathexaminer.ie, if you have any information.