Construction of the first bridge over the Bara River, Waziristan, 1930

Photograph compiled by Major General Cecil Wotton Toovey (1891-1954), 5th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment, formerly the 82nd Punjabis, November 1930.

Toovey was Brigade Major for the 2nd Rawalpindi Infantry Brigade, Northern Command, between 1929 and 1931.

The construction of a Mark 1 Inglis Bridge over the Bara River, near Bara Camp, Waziristan (Pakistan), in 1930. Soldiers and local people can be seen both in the river below the bridge and on the rocky cliff walls.

The 'Inglis' pattern bridge was a prefabricated portable bridge named after its inventor, Lieutenant (later Professor Sir) Charles Inglis, (1875-1952).

In late 1930 the Rawalpindi Brigade was deployed to the Khajuri Plain west of Peshawar. Unrest had broken out in the region in 1930 and two incursions by Afridi tribesmen into the Peshawar District convinced the British Government of India to act to deter further outbreaks. Karawal was a prominent hill overlooking the Khajuri Plain and it was selected as the site of a base for operations. The troops constructed roads and fortified posts in an effort to improve security and pacify the region.

The bridge over the Bara River was constructed by No 4 Field Company, King George's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners. The specifications required that it be capable of carrying infantry in fours or 10 ton steam rollers, one at a time. Work began on 29 October 1930 and the bridge was open for traffic on 23 November. It was dismantled in 1933 as it had been superseded by a permanent concrete design.

From a photograph album entitled, 'India 1917-1937 - Iraq, Waziristan, NW Frontier, Tank trials, Aden, building Bara Bridge, Indus Ferry', relating to India and Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Iran), 1915-1939, compiled by Major General Cecil Wotton Toovey, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) and the 82nd Punjabis (later the 5th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment).

Credit line: 'Son of Major-General Toovey'