Formed as holding company in 1915, United Dairies led the field in developing pasteurised milk for the domestic market. From the outset, United Dairies recruited a growing number of delivery businesses. This was not coincidental, since the presence of a holding company strengthened the position of subsidiaries, fending off increasingly frantic demands from the military for working horses. WW1 equine casualties topped two million animals, and any that survived service on the front line came back nervous and difficult to control. By the way, United Dairies continued to grow, rebranding as Unigate in 1959.
