A boyhood dream dashed - HMS Pomeroy

I have talked about my love of comics before but one of the strangest I would read was the ‘Mad’ comic from America. I would pick it up from time to time from a second hand bookshop dad would frequent.

They made no regard to a UK audience has it was oriented to the American market, mainly lamblasting American politics. Later a British publisher was found, British content was add, and which help with sales. That the time competition from British satirical and current affairs magazines begun to grow the biggest and most popular being Private Eye. Still growing up  it was still fun to read with some funky artwork and the covers were always fun.

While British comics were, giving away cardboard thunderclaps and other little trinkets in Mad, for a few dollars you could buy a Polaris Nuclear Submarine. A kid size nuclear Submarine and it didn’t stop there you could buy a tank, rocket ship and a Log Cabin all for a couple of dollars all child size and made for two.

The advent that got me licking my lips

In the early 1970s, I was still innocent enough to believe written press was god’s honest truth. I wanted the submarine, I envisioned myself diving into the depths of the River Taff at high tide. It promise torpedoes and Polaris missiles from the advert it looked epic but there was a problem with my dream. I lived in Wales and was unsure how to order or pay for possibly the greatest toy ever sitting somewhere in a warehouse in America.

My dream was to sink one of the Bowles Sand Boat and then nuke Grangetown just for the hell of it but it was a dream unfulfilled. It has been awhile since I thought of my childhood dream until I came across the above old advert. It led me to have a search of the internet to check out this wonderful offer and see how real it was. Oh boy, was I disappointed.

A childhood dream was dashed when I found out my "nuclear sub" was actually made of cardboard and the torpedo and rocket launched by rubber bands. I was glad I didn’t even try to look into having one deliver because what a disappointment it would have been having promised all my friends trips under the Taff.

The finished product