https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250310/uk-colonial-massacre-of-ghanas-wwii-veterans-in-1948-sparked-independence-struggle-witness-says-1071021163.html
UK Colonial Massacre of Ghana's WWII Veterans in 1948 Sparked Independence Struggle, Witness Says
UK Colonial Massacre of Ghana's WWII Veterans in 1948 Sparked Independence Struggle, Witness Says
Sputnik Africa
On February 28, 1948, Ghanaian World War II veterans, who fought alongside British forces in Burma, marched in protest over unfulfilled promises of jobs and... 10.03.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-03-10T17:14+0100
2025-03-10T17:14+0100
2025-03-11T13:05+0100
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The massacre of World War II veterans in Ghana by British colonial authorities in 1948 sparked the country's struggle for independence, 100-year-old World War II veteran Josef Hammond said on the occasion of Ghana's 68th Independence Day.Ghana, the former British Gold Coast colony on the Gulf of Guinea, became Africa's first independent state in 1957.The veteran emphasized that some Ghanaian soldiers then had to beg for food in the streets.If the UK had honored the promises given to Ghanaian veterans—"pension, good pay, everything— things would not have been so," the centenarian added.
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ghana, west africa, killing, colonialism, british colonialism, independence, national holiday, holidays, celebration, veterans, world war ii, shooting, burma, united kingdom (uk), europe, pension
ghana, west africa, killing, colonialism, british colonialism, independence, national holiday, holidays, celebration, veterans, world war ii, shooting, burma, united kingdom (uk), europe, pension
UK Colonial Massacre of Ghana's WWII Veterans in 1948 Sparked Independence Struggle, Witness Says
17:14 10.03.2025 (Updated: 13:05 11.03.2025) Elizaveta Roschina
Writer/Editor
On February 28, 1948, Ghanaian World War II veterans, who fought alongside British forces in Burma, marched in protest over unfulfilled promises of jobs and pensions. The British colonial authorities gave the order to open fire on demonstrators, killing three soldiers and injuring several others.
The massacre of World War II veterans in Ghana by British colonial authorities in 1948 sparked the country's struggle for
independence,
100-year-old World War II veteran Josef Hammond said on the occasion of Ghana's 68th Independence Day.
Ghana, the former British Gold Coast colony on the Gulf of Guinea, became Africa's first independent state in 1957.
"They promised it fervently. [Gold Coast colony's] Governor Alan Burns promised us. But they failed us. There was no work. Our situation was so deplorable at that time. No work, nothing. We found it difficult," he pointed out.
The veteran emphasized that some Ghanaian soldiers then had to beg for food in the streets.
"So, we decided that if you don't ask, they will never give you. So, we waited patiently from 1946 to 1948, two years. […] I was standing before all of them [when they] were killed," Hammond, who witnessed the massacre in 1948, recalled.
If the UK had honored the promises given to Ghanaian veterans—"pension, good pay, everything— things would not have been so," the centenarian added.
"It was terrible. We were like a master and his boy. In the old Gold Coast, we were like masters and their [servants]. This, precisely, the way life was back then," he noted.
