Bailey Bridges

[von Poop]

I wonder just how many bridges were built in western Europe 44-45, and how many miles of Bailey were used up?

[Bodston]

Originally Posted by Von Poop

I wonder just how many bridges were built in western Europe 44-45, and how many miles of Bailey were used up?

From 'A Bridge to Victory' by Brian Harpur

From 1942 to 1945 nearly half a million tons of Bailey bridging were made for use in every theatre of war. This included no less than 700,000 panels which if laid end to end, as the cliché goes, would stretch from London to Leningrad.

on numbers of bridges

At least 2,500 bridges were built in the Italian campaign alone. Another 2,000 in north-west Europe and in the Far East. Hundreds more were built after the war. Improved versions of it are still in use all over the world.

[von Poop]

According to this, London to Leningrad = 6063.70 miles... that's a fair amount of Bailey.

[smithmaps]

Just a snippet, my local bridge at Walton on Thames in Surrey is a wartime 'Callender Hamilton' bridge', which was erected in 1953 from left over wartime stock.
It still stands, and in places you can still see kahki paint!
This web site gives more details.

Walton Bridge - The fourth bridge

Guy

[sapper]

Wonderful bridge, did a few myself. Not nice while under heavy fire!.......In the British Sector the Third British Infantry was put in sole charge of preparing and organising the Rhine Crossings. ...A shocker! it was done in full view of the enemy on the far bank. There had been smoke, but it choked everyone, so they stopped it.
BY then I was back in the UK laying in a hospital bed encased in plaster from head to toes.... The LOT.
Crpl Ford My old Mucker took a dip into the Rhine on the crossing, He got out I don't know how many died in that instance?
Ginger Ford got double pneumonia, but still managed to collect a full set of uniform insignia, and sent them to me in hospital with the words:

"We don't want you to look like a rookie Brian"

Bless him. That was the last time I ever heard of Ginger Ford.......I tried many times to find him....Never did. So if nothing else! remember Cpl Ginger Ford of 246 Field Company RE.... 8th brigade. Monty's Ironsides. A quiet hero M.I.D.
As I have repeated ad nausea, before I was wounded I was awarded one of "Monty's Certificates" For service beyond the normal call of duty. I never got it and I am still waiting.... 63 years on.

That nineteen year old, laying in a complete body cast, with a spinal fracture amongst many other injuries, had only one thought in his mind. "When is the postman going to bring me my award" I looked everyday. it never came.

if I have one thing in my life, that needs to be put right? it is the final arrival of "Monty's Certificate" For one reason only: To at last put right the dreadful heart break, that badly wounded nineteen year veteran experienced, back in hospital 1944/5.
Sapper

[40th Alabama]

Dad told me once that they attempted to bridge the Rhine three times and each time the bridge was distroyed. The fourth time he said they built it and swung it in place, then rushed troops across. Have you ever heard of this?

[sapper]

No I never heard of that event. but we were many miles apart, and up to our necks in it....That did not mean it did not happen.

war brings about many events, and happenings, that the man in the street has trouble coming to terms with. Not me!
Sapper

[Owen]

In my Gren Gds History I've just read first Bailey built in active service was at Medjez-el-Bab over the ruined Roman Bridge.

[von Poop]

If there's no other contenders (?), then 'First 'active service' Bailey Bridge' is quite a significant event... I like it.
The first of how many thousand feet/miles of the stuff? I know we've had the statistic here somewhere.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Tom Canning]

The Bailey bridge was first developed at what was known as the SRDE - the defence establishmen at Christchurch which was in Hampshire at that time - Donald Bailey was Knighted after the war and lived and died in nearby Bournemouth - now Dorset in 1985. The main manufacturing was done in Lancashire - like Gerry - I too croseed many of them - the most scary being in the mountains in Central Italy when our Churchill tank was disabled and we were on a Transporter when we came upon this 40 Ton bridge - so the whole crew dismounted to guide the driver of the now near 55 ton unit across the bridge - not thinking that if anything untoward had happened - we were on the wrong side of the gorge !