Building The Bridge - Prologue. Prologue

In 1900 Sir Cecil John Rhodes, one of the leading pioneers of the foundation of the British Colonies in Southern Africa commissioned a bridge linking Northern and Southern Rhodesia by rail via Victoria Falls.

“I would wish that on my crossing over the gorge, I will marvel to feel the delight of the mists of that mighty waterfall caress my face whilst in my carriage,” it is purported that Rhodes stated to his advisors as they discussed the Cape to Cairo railway line that Rhodes was fixated with completing.

While fate would have it that Cecil Rhodes never made it to Victoria Falls, and the Cape to Cairo railway line was never completed, the Great Zambezi Bridge, or the Victoria Falls Bridge as it is called today was completed at great cost, personal sacrifice and through the sheer determination and will to succeed.

A small clan of men, some mere boys, engineers, steel workers and fabricators were supported by an army of native labourers. They toiled in sweltering tropical heat, against hunger and disease, fought natural and unnatural enemies and all under the most oppressive construction schedule yet seen in the twentieth century.

The result of this concentration of human effort is one of the finest arch span bridges in the Southern Hemisphere built by a company that has gone on to become world famous as one of the leading bridge builders in the world. On this, their very first bridge building exercise much was learnt and much lost.

This story tells of the journey of a young man who left Darlington in England to travel to the vast wide open plains of a virtually untouched Africa, and his experiences, the discovery of the true meaning of life, to grab and to lose love, to grow up to become a man, and to learn how to stand on his own two feet, all under the watchful gaze of one of the finest natural wonders of the world.

The Victoria Falls.

Disclaimer.
While certain facts of this story are true and there is mention of characters that truly were associated with the building of the magnificent bridge over the Zambezi River, none of the central characters of this story are real, nor refer to any of the men or woman who were alive and present at the time of the construction of the bridge.

Any similarity to anyone other than the historical figures identified in the prologue of this book is purely coincidental, and while there is dialogue associated with actual historical figures, this is purely created by the author, and should not be considered to be factual or based on any kind of evidence.

This is a work of fiction based on events that actually occurred in our recent history.

It should also be noted that there is detail of male on male relations within this story and if this should offend you or be illegal in any way where you live, then you should refrain from reading this story any further.

If you are under 18 years of age, please be sensible and find something more appropriate to read. Thanks.

Lastly, if you read this story and enjoy what you read; please take the time to let me know. As an amateur author the only way that I can get better and hone my skills is by living off of your feedback, so please be sure to drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Thank you for enduring this opening and happy reading.