Togo
The Machine Gun Section No.1 Company, Gold Coast Regiment.
© Imperial War Museum
Togoland (now Togo) was a German possession pre-1914 – a long thin country with the British-owned Gold Coast (now Ghana) as a western neighbour, French-owned Dahomey (now Benin) on the east, and the Bight of Benin to the south. Militarily speaking, Togoland had only one asset – a powerful radio station at Kamina, capable of transmitting news of Allied shipping or troop movements to German East or German South West Africa, or to Berlin.
The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) had been formed by the British from units in their various West African colonies: nearly 14,000 from Nigeria, almost 10,000 from the Gold Coast. Sierra Leone contributed about 650 men, The Gambia some 350. To silence the radio station, WAFF forces from the Gold Coast and French troops from Dahomey invaded Togoland on the outbreak of war in August 1914. On 24 August the Kamina station was destroyed, and two days later the Germans surrendered power in Togoland.
The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) had been formed by the British from units in their various West African colonies: nearly 14,000 from Nigeria, almost 10,000 from the Gold Coast. Sierra Leone contributed about 650 men, The Gambia some 350. To silence the radio station, WAFF forces from the Gold Coast and French troops from Dahomey invaded Togoland on the outbreak of war in August 1914. On 24 August the Kamina station was destroyed, and two days later the Germans surrendered power in Togoland.
Cameroon
1st Battalion, Nigeria Regiment mobilizing for action in Cameroons.
© Imperial War Museum
The German colony of Cameroon had French Equatorial Africa to the north and British Nigeria to the west. In early August 1914 the French and British invaded Cameroon. They captured Duala harbour, and embarked on an 18-month campaign against stiff German opposition.
The British contingent, part of the West African Frontier Force included about 7,000 Nigerians, along with some units of the Gold Coast Regiment. A battalion of Indian soldiers also took part, as did a Sierra Leone-based battalion of the West India Regiment, and tens of thousands of carriers and back-up personnel. The campaign was tough for everyone. But at last on 10 March 1916 the final German garrison in Cameroon surrendered, and the Allies took control of vital raw materials for their war effort – plantations of cocoa, oil palms and rubber.
The British contingent, part of the West African Frontier Force included about 7,000 Nigerians, along with some units of the Gold Coast Regiment. A battalion of Indian soldiers also took part, as did a Sierra Leone-based battalion of the West India Regiment, and tens of thousands of carriers and back-up personnel. The campaign was tough for everyone. But at last on 10 March 1916 the final German garrison in Cameroon surrendered, and the Allies took control of vital raw materials for their war effort – plantations of cocoa, oil palms and rubber.