More bridges

Some early pics of the Thames [h/t CELR].

Paul Mc Cann | Saturday 24 May 2014 at 07:31 |

Speaking of bridges. Did you know that either the Queens Bridge or the Albert bridge over the Lagan in Belfast (Can’t remember which) was damaged by a troop of British soldiers marching over it without breaking step ?
bjg | Monday 26 May 2014 at 08:04 |

I don’t think so …. The Albert Bridge in Belfast did collapse in 1886, but news reports of the time do not suggest that soldiers were involved. It was a masonry bridge and Belfast Corporation had been warned that the foundations were sinking. The watchman was killed when two arches collapsed.

The concern about marching soldiers seems to relate to suspension bridges [including the Millennium Bridge in London]. At least two collapses of early suspension bridges involved groups of soldiers: the Broughton and Angers bridges. The Albert Bridge in London has a sign about soldiers.
Paul Mc Cann | Monday 26 May 2014 at 10:19 |

I merely repeated a story told by the late Dr Brian Kenned who many years ago had the un-enviable task of trying to beat some history into us :-)
bjg | Monday 26 May 2014 at 10:31 |

He probably didn’t have tinterweb back then!

However, he might have been thinking of the Long Bridge, several versions of which preceded the building of the Queen’s Bridge. According to this article, one Long Bridge fell down when soldiers were passing over it, but the problem was the weight of artillery rather than the impact of marching in step.

bjg

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