West Africa Command
West Africa Command | |
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Achimota College, Accra, Gold Coast |
West Africa Command was a
History
After the
From 31 May 1944, there was a Royal Air Force communications squadron associated with the area, and at times directly associated with the West Africa Command. The West Africa Communication Squadron RAF was formed on 31 May 1944; disbanded July 1945 and renamed twice; reformed on 1 October 1946 at RAF Waterloo in South Africa; and finally disbanded on 25 September 1947.[5]
Postwar plans to raise an infantry division in West Africa as part of a British strategic reserve were not realised due to lack of funding.[6] It would have required 1,200 British officers and NCOs, construction totalling £13 million, and taken four to six years to establish.[7]
After disbandment, West Africa Command's infrastructure, including the officer training school at Teshie, was used by the new Ghana Army.[8]
Commanders-in-Chief
Commanders-in-Chief have included:[9][10]
- 1940–1943 Lieutenant General George Giffard
- 1943–1945 Lieutenant General Francis Nosworthy
- 1945–1946 Lieutenant General Brocas Burrows
- 1946–1948 Lieutenant General Noel Irwin
- 1948–1951 Lieutenant General Cameron Nicholson
- 1951–1953 Lieutenant General Lashmer Whistler
- 1953–1956 Lieutenant General Otway Herbert
See also
- West Africa Command Communication Squadron RAF - formed in July 1945, disbanded 1 November 1945.[5]
References
- ^ The development of African History as a discipline in the English-speaking World, Page 30
- ^ National Records Office
- ^ British Military History - West Africa Command 1930 - 47
- ISBN 978-1-85285-417-1
- ^ a b Lake 1999, p. 290.
- JSTOR 181123.
- ^ Lee, J. M., African Armies and Civil Order, New York: Praeger, 1969.
- ^ Hutchful, Ebo. "The development of the army officer corps in Ghana 1956-1966".
- ^ Whitaker's Almanacks 1940–1955
- ^ Army Commands
Sources
- Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
External links
- West Africa 1930 - 1947
- 'Athos', "Recollections of an Area Commander in Africa," RUSI Journal, Volume 94, 1949 - Issue 573