President Akufo-Addo will this morning lead a wreath-laying ceremony at the Nationalism Park, near the Independence Square in Accra, to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the infamous Christianborg Crossroads Shooting.

The 1948 incident which left three ex-servicemen dead, served as a major catalyst for the struggle of the country’s independence in 1957.

The anniversary is held to honour the memory of Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, all members of the then Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force who embarked on a peaceful march to the Castle to demand unpaid war benefits.

The Crossroads

It was noon 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. They were, however, 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.

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, but they were not paid their gratuity.

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, hence the march.