Bailey Bridge - History

History

Donald Bailey was a civil servant in the British War Office who tinkered with model bridges as a hobby. He presented one such model to his chiefs, who saw some merit in the design. A team of Royal Engineer (RE) officers was assembled at the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment (MEXE), in Barrack Road Christchurch, Dorset, in 1941 and 1942; among them were Robin Foulkes, Darrell Herbert, John de Waele, and Bill Buckle, all R.E. subalterns at the time. In the course of development, the bridge was tested in several formats, e.g., as a suspension bridge, and as a "stepped arch" bridge, as well as the flat truss bridge which became the standard. The prototype of this was used to span Mother Siller's Channel which cuts through the nearby Stanpit Marshes, an area of marshland at the confluence of the River Avon (Hampshire) and the River Stour, Dorset. It remains there (50°43′31″N 1°45′44″W / 50.7252806°N 1.762155°W / 50.7252806; -1.762155) as a functioning bridge. Bridges in the other formats were built, temporarily, to cross the Avon and Stour in the meadows nearby. After successful development and testing, the bridge was taken into service by the Corps of Royal Engineers and first used in North Africa in 1942. A number of bridges were available by 1944 for D-Day, when production was accelerated. The US also licensed the design and started rapid construction for their own use. Bailey was later knighted for his invention, which continues to be widely produced and used today.

The original design however, violated a patent on the Callender-Hamilton bridge. The designer of that bridge, A. M. Hamilton successfully applied to the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors. The Bailey bridge however had several advantages over Hamilton's design. For example, damaged parts could not be replaced quickly on the Callender-Hamilton bridge, an essential requirement for military use.

Hamilton was awarded 4,000 pounds in 1936 by the War Office for the use of his early bridges, the Commission gave him 10,000 pounds in 1954 for the use (mainly in Asia) of his later bridges. Lt. Gen. Sir Gifford Le Quesne Martel was awarded 500 pounds for his bridge used before 1941.