大象传媒

STANDARD BRIGADE RIVER CROSSING TRAINING EXERCISE WITH BAILEY BRIDGING DURING 1943 AND 1944 ACROSS THE RIVER ADUR AT HENFIELD, WEST SUSSEX, IN THE BUILD UP FOR INVASION OF FRANCE THROUGH NORMANDY. CARRIED OUT MAINLY BY THE CANADIAN ARMY SECOND DIVISION.
(As recalled by Tony Adfield, Henfield, West Sussex, Resident)

As a teenager still at school in 1943 and 1944, I can remember witnessing the repeated exercising by mainly the Canadian Army Second Division (other formations of the Canadian Army did from time to time carry out the same exercise) of river crossing at Brigade strength. This was carried out over the River Adur at the west end of Henfield, a village in West Sussex.

To my recollection, the Canadian Army Second Division was made up of three infantry brigades, plus all the support arms, such as artillery, field engineers, anti-aircraft, signals, medical units, logistic units, etc. Each Brigade contained three infantry battalions.

Many of the Canadian Second Division units were stationed in Sussex, some of them actually in Henfield, in particular, the 2nd Provost Company which provided the military police for the Second Division.

One of the functions of an invading army is to negotiate river crossings where the established bridges have been destroyed by the defenders. Such an operation requires careful planning and training and it was with this in mind that the Canadian Army looked around for a suitable site for exercise in Southeast England. It was considered that a site at the end of a farm track just off West End Lane, Henfield, before Catsfold Farm, where the farm track finished on the east side of the brooks bordering the River Adur, was suitable. However, the farm track finished about 200 yards short of the river and, obviously, the marshy brooks was totally unsuitable for vehicle movements. So it was decided that a Causeway would be built by the Royal Canadian Engineers, using mainly rubble from 鈥渂litzed鈥� buildings from cities such as Portsmouth and London, over the approximated 200 yards marshy brooks to the point where the Bailey Bridge was to cross the River Adur. The rubble material was transported from the 鈥渂litzed鈥� cities in open railway wagons to Henfield Railway Station where it was loaded onto the Canadian Engineers鈥� lorries and taken to the site of the Causeway. The west bank of the River Adur would not require too much 鈥渞oad building鈥� as there was already a farm track rising away from the river bank. The track probably required some strengthening with hardcore up to where it joined a firm surfaced lane leading on to the main Partridge Green to Steyning road by the Fountain Inn, Ashurst.

In simple layman鈥檚 terms, a Bailey Bridge is made up of a series of prefabricated steel panels connected and bolted together, each panel being manhandled into place, erected on the attacking army鈥檚 side of the river, in this case the Henfield river bank, and gradually rolled out, on pre-placed rollers, over the river towards the opposite river bank, ensuring that there is always greater volume and weight on the land side to act as a counter balance until the bridge has reached pre-placed rollers on the opposite bank. To my mind, it was a piece of engineering genius.

The purpose of each Exercise in river crossing at Henfield, was that every Brigade should have a capability of making an assault across a river where there was no bridge, establishing a secure bridgehead on the opposite side of the river, erecting a Bailey Bridge across the river and then moving the entire Brigade over the river via the Bailey Bridge. At the completion of each Brigade Exercise, the Bailey Bridge would be dismantled by the Royal Canadian Engineers and transported away.

The whole Exercise, from the time the first assault was made across the River Adur using portable canvas side boats, until the last of the Brigade鈥檚 vehicles had crossed the Bailey Bridge, would take about 24 hours, maybe a little less.

At the start of the Exercise, a token 鈥渆nemy force鈥�, probably provided by troops from another Brigade, would be placed in defensive positions on the Ashurst side of the River Adur. An assault with infantry from one of the exercising Brigade鈥檚 Battalions, using portable canvass boats, would be mounted against the 鈥渆nemy force鈥� and a secure bridgehead established on the 鈥渆nemy鈥� side, probably with a mile perimeter from the river. In the meantime, the whole of the exercising Brigade would be moving in and around Henfield, 鈥渟crimming-up鈥� (camouflaging), setting up anti-aircraft defences with mostly Bofors Guns, and maintaining a general readiness to move when called forward. The Brigade鈥檚 Headquarters would be set up somewhere in Henfield using mobile office vehicles. The Bailey Bridging unit of the Royal Canadian Engineers would be positioned at a point close to the River Adur, possibly West End Lane, Henfield, the lorries with the Bailey Bridge materials and panels being in precise order in which they would be called forward by radio as each part of the Bailey Bridge was erected. I seem to recall that the lorries were numbered with chalk marks and as each component was required, the next numbered lorry would be called forward, reversing across the Causeway to where the Bridge was being erected, unloading and then moving back into Henfield to a parking area.

The bridgehead on the 鈥渆nemy鈥� side having been secured and the erection of the Bailey Bridge having been completed, the exercising Brigade was now ready to move over the river. Probably the first units to be called forward to cross the Bridge would be the remainder of the fighting arms to give support to the troops holding on to the secured bridgehead. The rest of the exercising Brigade would then move over the Bailey Bridge with all the vehicles and equipment as called forward and in order of priority set out by the Brigade鈥檚 Headquarters. The last vehicle having crossed over, it then just remained to dismantle the Bailey Bridge ready to start the same Exercise again, possibly a few days鈥� later with a different Brigade.

This Exercise was repeated on numerous occasions, sometimes with added 鈥渞eality鈥� in the form of mock air attacks by R.A.F. Typhoons. The same exercising procedure was used by Brigades from other Canadian Army Divisions, including either the Canadian Fourth or Fifth (possibly both) Armoured Divisions including Churchill Tanks. It is worth noting that when heavy armour was required to cross a Bailey Bridge, the Bridge was strengthen by doubling up on the prefabricated steel panelling.

It would be interesting to know just how many times the Canadian Army had to use its Bailey Bridge skills in the battles in Normandy and the advance through France, Belgium, Holland and into Germany, and whether the training exercises over the River Adur at Henfield proved to be worthwhile.

According to Internet information, the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division landed in Normandy on D-Day, the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division landed on 7th July 1944, and was involved in the sealing of the 鈥淔alaise Gap鈥�, and the Canadian 4th Armoured Division arrived in France on 31st July 1944. I was unable to establish an accurate trace as to whether the Canadian 5th Armoured Division was involved in European mainland operations.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.