Thanks for all the nice comments re-last week's rock 'n roll flashback, much appreciated.

This week I'm leaping a little further back in time than usual, returning to the days when Milford still aspired to become a major player in the world of transatlantic voyaging.

In earlier TRM's I've previously touched on the sagas of Brunel's mammoth, but calamitous 'Great Eastern,' and also the failure of the trail-blazing Canada-bound 'Gaspesia,' but I thought this time, I'd concentrate on a visit which must have seemed like a fairytale come true for every local child who loved the excitement and thrills of a fair or circus.

And not just any old fair or circus, oh no! The creme de la creme of them because, sailing from New York to Milford Haven, in October 1889, was part of 'Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth,' so our featured 'ship of the week' is the 'City of Rome' (see photo), the vessel which was transporting the world famous touring ensemble.

Built by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, with quarters for 271 saloon passengers, her maiden voyage started from Liverpool on October 13, 1881 and occupied nine days 17 hours from Queenstown to New York. One of her major publicity points was that electric light on the swan system was fitted in the engine room and principal public rooms. Dimensions were 560' by 52' by 37'. The dining saloon was 72' long by 52' wide.

It was originally intended she compete in the cargo trade, but it was found impractical.

There is an interesting local connection, the City of Rome was originally designed by a Mr John, formerly of Neyland, who also designed the American Warship 'Maine.'

Her arrival to the Port of Milford Haven, on October 24, 1889, had naturally caused great interest, and not only among the youngsters who were dreaming of some of the world renowned stars of the circus, but it was also deemed to be a major coup towards heralding Milford's well known, fervent aspirations for transatlantic glory.

I can easily imagine groups of wide-eyed youngsters huddled together in groups, eagerly anticipating the mere local presence of the circus which had once included 'Jumbo, the largest elephant on the planet.' They knew that Jumbo had passed on a few years earlier, but that didn't matter. "I bet there'll be other elephants, and lions, and horses, and bears, and monkeys that keep jumping about everywhere. It's gonna be smashing, isn't it?"

But it wasn't that smashing. All the excitement and promotional hype disappeared when, because there was no landing pier, the City of Rome was met in mid-stream by the Great Western Railway Tender 'Gail,' who took off all the passengers and Barnum's show, and diverted them to the 'Special' train awaiting them for transit to London.

After proving herself one of the most successful ships in the trooper Flier during the South African War, the City of Rome was finally sold in 1902 to German shipbreakers for £17,500.

Prior to all the transatlantic dreaming, during the mid-1800s history shows that Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock's shipyards launched some of the largest sailing ships ever built in the county, but then, in the 1870s, to make way for Milford's new docks, some of them were made to close.

Here's a snap of the docks taken a few years after the City of Rome came to town, it's from the 1890s.

Now I'm sticking to the Milford waterways, but leaping forward a century, to 1991.

I've recently been approached a few times to provide a few snaps from July of that year, when Milford launched the start of the Tall Ships Race and heralded the birth of the town's marina.

Thanks to my good friend, photographer Kevin McCauley, who a few years ago gave me a terrific collection of snaps from that momentous occasion, I thought to conclude my maritime meanderings, I'd include one that hasn't already been given out.

Now time for our 'little brain cells' poser. Last week's: A man pushes his car to a hotel and tells the owner he's bankrupt. Why? provided just two winners, the answer being that the man was playing Monopoly, and on top of their game were Les Haynes, Anne & Jets Llewellyn.

Let's see how many can unravel this maths one: How can you add eight fours together so that the total adds up to 500 ?

As usual, shut off time is noon on Friday.

And that's about it for another week. One of the comments I received recently was from a lady who said: "I look forward to Wednesdays for your column, I never know what subject is going to be in it."

I liked that because it reminded of my dear old mum who would often declare: "Jeffrey (that signified trouble) just sit there where I can keep my eye on you. When I turn my back, I don't know what you're going to do next!" 70 years on, nothing's changed !

I leave you with this thought: When you're old you think you've become more patient, but in truth, you're just past caring.

Stay safe.