Oho ! ...google is my friend
Still none the wiser really, it was Army property I guess and was placed on the site of the old Mendi Valley Klab
Could think of quite a few names more appropriate
Des Clancy Klab
Ron Neville Klab
"Brown" Heageny (Good Morning) Klab
Major General Sir Clive Steele Memorial Gates
The Memorial Gates at the entrance of the SME are symbolic of the Bridge which was conceived and designed in 1942 by MAJGEN Sir Clive Steele, K.B.E., DS.O., M.C., V.D.. The bridge was manufactured in Australia during WWII when Bailey Bridging supplies were unavailable.
Brigadier Clive Steele, Engineer Commander of the Australian Army HQ had departed Colombia aboard SS Orcades in Mar 1942 bound for Australia. The "Designers" of the bridge, CAPT. G.D. Colebatch and R.A. Simpson on the staff of C.R.E. 7th Div Corps Troops were instructed by Brigadier Steele to carry out a detailed design and prepare drawings and specifications for a heavy bridge to be fabricated on and prepare drawings and specifications for a heavy bridge to be fabricated on arrival in Australia. On arrival in country Hume Steel Ltd fabricated the test sections and in April 1942 the first test section of the Steele Bridge was assembled and tested with a single tank passing without incident. When tested with two tanks, deliberately overloading the bridge, it failed. A hurried redesigned of the cross-bracing on the top chords resulted in the bridge passing all tests. One of the early Steele Bridge sets was dispatched here to the School for training purposes.
For spans up to about 120 ft the Steele Bridge proved to be invaluable in the South West Pacific campaigns before the more sophisticated and more expensive Bailey and Australian Panel bridges became available.
Old Fella do you remember the inimitable Sgt Ozzy Osbourne?
Back to stormynights question.
Cant see how a couple of tours in PNG would fail to do you some good
Its not like the old days you have more chance of surviving long enough to learn something now