The Ex-Servicemen Who Lit Ghana's Freedom

In this episode of The Story of Ghana, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal role of Ghana's ex-servicemen in the struggle for independence. After fighting for Britain in World War II, thousands of Gold Coast soldiers returned home to broken promises, discrimination, and economic hardship. Their frustration boiled over on February 28, 1948, when a peaceful march on Christianborg Castle turned into a massacre. The shootings of Sergeant Nii Kwabena Bonnie Adjetey, Corporal Patrick Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey ignited riots across Accra and galvanized the independence movement. We trace the ex-servicemen's journey from the battlefields of Burma to the crossroads of Osu, uncovering their demands, their leaders like J. S. T. Sackey and R. S. S. Otto, and how their sacrifice reshaped Gold Coast politics. We also discuss the Watson Commission, the British response, and how this tragedy propelled Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People's Party onto the national stage. It's a story of heroism, betrayal, and the high cost of freedom. #ExServicemen #GoldCoast #1948Riots #ChristianborgCastle #SergeantAdjetey #KwameNkrumah #GhanaIndependence #WorldWarII #BritishEmpire #WatsonCommission #OsuCrossroads #BurmaCampaign #RSSOtto #JSTSackey #AccraRiots #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory #GhanaHistory #AshantiEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo