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Nana Addo remembers Christianborg Crossroads Shooting

The ex-soldiers had fought alongside the allied forces in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force during the Second World War

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Flags were raised at the Freedom Monument, Osu, to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the shooting to death of three ex-servicemen at the Christianborg Crossroads on February 28, 1948.

The three, Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, all members of the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, that fought alongside the allied forces during the Second World War, were killed while the Regiment was going to present a petition to the then British Colonial Governor, Sir Gerald Creasy.

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The colonialists had demobilized them promising to resettle them but had reneged on the promise.

Relatives of the fallen heroes, Ministers of State, Parliamentarians as well as other important dignities graced the occasion.

On February 28, 1948, a number of ex-servicemen were marching from Accra to Christianborg Castle to present a petition to the Governor on their unpaid war benefits when they were intercepted at the crossroads by a contingent of armed policemen.

The contingent, led by British Police Superintendent, Mr Colin Imray, ordered that they disperse and when they refused to obey, he gave an order to the police to open fire and the three ex-servicemen were killed.

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The ex-soldiers had fought alongside the allied forces in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force during the Second World War and had returned home poor and were not paid their gratuities.

After several appeals to the colonial government to consider their plight had failed, the ex-servicemen decided that a direct appeal should be made to the British Colonial Governor of the Gold Coast.

News about the death of the servicemen spread rapidly, leading to a situation where law and order broke down in Accra and other parts of the country.

It encouraged anti-colonial movements to press the British government to institute a committee to investigate the killings and general disorder.

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The Committee recommended self-government for the Gold Coast, which subsequently led to the attainment of political independence for the country on March 6, 1957.

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