Then & Now | From Hong Kong to Nepal, Bailey bridges have helped build communities
- Quick and easy to erect, the bridges are credited with helping the Allied forces win World War II
- Hong Kong’s Bailey bridges were mainly built by Gurkhas, often with funding from the Kadoorie family
Dotted around the New Territories, metal girder Bailey bridges provide lingering reminders of the vanished British garrison. Most were assembled as part of peacetime military assistance to rural improvement projects, back when the military presence in Hong Kong was popularly regarded as a positive addition to local life.
The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers (QGE) regularly carried out training exercises around the New Territories, which involved the construction – often with additional funding from the Kadoorie AgriculturalAid Association (KAAA) – of Bailey bridges. The military typically provided the bridge as part of a training exercise, while the KAAA supplied cement, sand and gravel for constructing solid approaches over watercourses and paths between villages.
As well as being a useful skill for a military career, knowing how to build and maintain Bailey bridges had substantial crossover benefits for ex-Gurkhas on their eventual retirement to Nepal.
