Bailey Bridges

And good stuff Spidge. But far from funny.
or the Madding Crowd

 

Here is two Bailey Bridges of 22 constructed (No photo's - sorry) after the D-Day landings.

Also names the Sappers et al killed and wounded.

11. Gennap (Holland)
4008ft Bailey Pontoon Bridge Class 40 over the River Maas, consisting of:
a) Bridge of six 61ft landing bays on class 40 landing piers, five 42ft rafts, two 41ft 6ins end floating bays, one 32ft raft and one 44-46ft sliding bay.
b) 962ft viaduct of S/S Bailey supported on steel bridging cribs.
c) 2133ft viaduct of 42ft floating bays, pontoons afterwards replaced by steel bridging cribs and Bailey Cribs.
Constructed by 7 Army Troop Engineers comprising of H.Q. 7 Army Troop Engineers, 71/72/73 and 503 Field Companies R.E., 277 Corp Field Park Company R.E. and 149 Pioneer Company P.C.
71 Field Company R.E. constructed — two 61ft landing bays, one 41ft 6ins end floating bay, three 42ft rafts, and also 962ft of viaduct on steel bridging cribs and replaced the pontoons in 1923ft of the second viaduct by cribs.
12. Well (Holland
750ft Bailey Pontoon Class 40 Bridge over River Maas. Consisting of:
Two 10ft ramps, one 80ft D/S approach span, one 110ft T/S landing bay onto type “D” pier, one 70ft D/S sloping bay, two 41ft 6ins end floating bays, one 44-46ft sliding bay, one 70ft landing bay, one 50ft landing bay, and one 50ft approach span.
Constructed by 7 Army Troop Engineers. Consisting of H.Q. 7 Troop Engineers, 7/72/73 and 503 Field Companies R.E. and 277 Corps Field Park Company R.E.
71 Field Company R.E. constructed one 70ft landing bay, one 50ft landing bay and one 50ft approach span. They also cleared mines on both approaches and obstacles on the far bank.

In reply to Spidge, I have a picture of the bailey bridge at Gennap as my Grandad was in 503 field company, I have previously posted it so sorry to bore you again but after research we are pretty certain this is it.

Chappie

 

Hello Sapper
Do you have a photo of the Bridge at Weert you mentioned?

 

No, No photo's. I notice that 503 fld Coy RE was mentioned.Third Div Fld Co were 17..... 246 (Mine) and 253/
Sapper

 

Due to the welding and heavy lifting hazards.

I did build one of these about 6 or so years ago but hadn't realized the ones used in the war were welded together in places, this must of been a hard task as the light is very bright.

 

There is no welding on a Bailey. They come ready to go. Everything fits.
from Sword onwards, we built many bridges. Both light assault, and Baileys.
Every one we built was completed under direct enemy fire. We never did manage to build one in peaceful conditions. Only once were we driven to ground by the weight of the enemy fire, eventually it died down a bit and we completed the task.
By heck! all those years ago..hardly seems possible.
Sapper

 

Cheers Sapper as a welder I did find it a bit strange welding especially at night. I can't even begin to image what it must of been like to bulid one in war time.

 

These begin at the Rhine and I think move East.

*The 1st picture is somewhere along the Rhine River
*The 5th pictue has a notation, "cutting a road through the dike on the near shore of the Rhine". Looks very narrow there though.
*Pictures 2, 3, and 4 look like the same bridge as picture 5 to me.

Time Frame: On 31 Mar 1945 the 187th Engineering Combat Battalion ferried the 79th Infantry Division across the Rhine. I think this was a 2-day operation. That would put the bridging operation in April 45. On 7 April 45 they were bridging the Rhine Hearn Canal. In June 45 they were bridging the Lippe River South of Haltern, Germany. I would suspect all of these bridges are mid 1st quarter to 3rd quarter of 1945.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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?

 

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

 

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 !