The dark side of Forth Bridge: the mystery of one of the most famous bridges in Great Britain
Edinburgh's Forth Bridge railway bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the UK, stretching 2.4 kilometers across the Firth of Forth. Built in 1890, it can rightfully be considered the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and a marvel of modern engineering.
However, its fame has a dark side. During the seven-year construction of this magnificent structure, at least 73 men aged 13 to 61 lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. This was reported by The Mirror.
The bridge was designed by Benjamin Baker and John Fowler, with William Arrol serving as the main contractor for the project. Yet, the names of the workers who perished during the construction of this ambitious undertaking remain unknown.
The construction process of the bridge was exceptionally challenging, and the workers faced harsh conditions. Men of all ages toiled 300 feet above the water and 100 feet below it without adequate safety equipment, wearing old clothes, and disregarding safety precautions. Additionally, their travel expenses were deducted from their wages.
Under such conditions, and despite the challenges, a 13-year-old boy named David Clarke worked on the riveting team. The teenager heated the rivets, passing them to a holder who then inserted each rivet into the appropriate hole and held it while two other team members hammered it into the structure. This young man tragically became the youngest construction casualty, falling 150 feet to his death.
The deaths during the construction sparked public outcry, as evidenced by articles in the Dunfermline Journal in 1887. People criticized the architects for their design and demanded the introduction of safety equipment, such as safety harnesses. However, contractor William Arrol remarked, "There are no more accidents here than in an ordinary shipyard, but because there is only one Forth Bridge, everything that happens there seems to be in every newspaper in the country."
In response, the Forth Bridge Memorial Committee was established in 2005 on both sides of the Firth of Forth to advocate for the erection of monuments to honor the fallen workers. Later, in 2012, Alex Salmond unveiled two memorials in memory of those tragically killed during the construction of the bridge.