The story
A Bailey bridge being built by 72nd Field Company, Royal Engineers at St Loup Hors, near Bayeux, 4 July 1944.
Photo 1: Bridge under construction
Photo 2: Road bridge completed. Railway lines being cleared.
Some more info:
At the site of the old bridge destroyed by Royal Air Force bombing on D-Day, sappers have strung white tape over the sixty foot wide gap as a means of determining the alignment of one of the two Class 40 Bailey bridges due to be launched across it from the northern end with steel rollers on the opposite side. The assembled Bailey bridge is slowly pushed across the gap with the help of steel rollers and is secured to a jack (which will be used to lower it onto its final resting position).
Both Baileys are seen in position as sappers use pneumatic drills to demolish a projecting section of the old bridge's remaining fabric and begin clearing rubble off the railway with the help of a heavy bulldozer. Watched by engineers and French civilians, the commanding officer of 7th Army Troops Engineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd, and the Mayor of Bayeux formally open the crossing by breaking the tape and driving across both Baileys; a mobile excavator is seen demolishing the German-built bypass in the background.
Same photos with one retouched
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You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.