Bailey Bridge Memorial

[Chris Hall]

Sorting through my mother's effects I came across these photos. I'm guessing that this memorial is somewhere in Christchurch, Dorset, UK, which is where my parents used to live. The chaps in the second photo are my Uncles, long since departed for the Elysian Fields.

Does anyone have any further information on this ? Does anyone know a precise location ?

Best wishes, and stay well,

Chris

[Stephen White]

long since departed for the Elysian Fields.

... or to quote the Royal Tank Regiment motto, ..."to the Green Fields beyond".

How interesting Chris. The memorial is indeed in Christchurch, which was the location of the MEXE (Military Engineering Experimental Establishment. MEXE was formed after WW2 from a station which traced its origins to the Experimental Bridging Company RE of WW1. In 1970, MEXE was amalgamated with FVRDE (Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment) and moved to Chertsey.

I believe the plaque was removed from the gate of MEXE and applied to a new memorial on Barrack Road:

https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/155507/

Dare I suggest the Uncle on the left bears more than a passing resemblance to his nephew?

All the best.

Stephen

[Chris Hall]

Stephen -

Thanks for the clarification as to location. I shall make a visit there sometime. It's obviously been moved, though, since my photo ........ my parents moved to Christchurch in the late 1980's, and I'd date my picture to sometime in the 1990's. It's a shame the bridge has been repainted, and the plinth isn't nearly so nice ........

I didn't use the 'Green Fields' as, as far as I'm aware, neither of them served with the RTR or RAC. Good spot about my Uncle Den, though - he was my father's brother so I suppose blood did follow through . My other Uncle, Ted, was my father's sister's husband, so only related to me by marriage. Confusing stuff, families ......

All the best,

Chris

[Stephen White]

Chris, when Eisenhower made his famous comment about the equipment with which the war was won, he should have included the Bailey Bridge. It was the only available solution for gap crossing for both the British and US forces. In the last three months of the war in Europe, the Allies had to cross the Scheldt, Rhine, Weser, Leine, Aller and Elbe. Without the flexibility and reliability of the Bailey, the German defence of those river lines would have caused far greater casualties at a time the Allies were fast running out of infantry manpower. Reading John Russell’s account of those months, the Germans were very good at bridge demolitions, which is one of the trickiest operations of war for any commander. I can testify to the problem: blow too early and you leave your mates on the far side. Blow too late and the enemy pre-empts you and seizes the crossing. The Allies were able to confront blown bridges with a very quick answer. At the Aller crossing at Rethem, for example, the fast flowing river gap was spanned in a morning, under fire. It was a remarkable piece of engineering and like all good bits of military kit, simple and reliable. The only blot was the lack of interchangeability between UK and US components. It would be good to see more of the Armortek kits completed.

Imagine this scene. It’s morning in the lobby of a posh hotel in Berlin. The entire British Army Staff College course of 180 students and 20 Directing Staff are waiting for transport, dressed in best kit. The Commandant, a striking figure of a modern major general, is standing by the revolving front door, splendid in his kilt and glengarry. There is a commotion outside and we notice one of our foreign student officers, crawling purposefully towards the door, having spilt out of a taxi. He courageously fights his way through the revolving door, against the flow and finds himself at the General’s feet. Recognising the gravity of the moment, he takes a deep breath, draws himself up to as near a position of dignity as he can manage and declares with passion: “last man across, blow the f.....img bridge”. We had trained him well. At that point, his night out finally got the better of him. The General was impressed. He turned to his deputy and said “now there’s an officer who can think clearly in the fog of war”. The officer concerned subsequently rose, deservedly, to become a general in his own army.