HIS • SHS 1Term 3WAEC / WASSCE SyllabusVIP Lesson
The 1948 Accra Riots & the Watson Commission
The ex-servicemen march to Christianborg Castle, shooting at the Crossroads, looting of AWAM stores, arrest of the Big Six, and findings of the Watson Commission.
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Real-World Context & Relevance in Ghana
Every year on 28th February, Ghana commemorates the 1948 Christianborg Crossroads shooting with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument in Accra.
Key Syllabus Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze the socio-economic and political causes of the 1948 Accra Riots
- 2Recount the events of the Christianborg Crossroads shooting and honor the fallen ex-servicemen
- 3Evaluate the findings of the Watson Commission and its role in accelerating Ghana's self-government
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Comprehensive Syllabus Study Notes
• Background to the 1948 Crisis:
- Post-WWII Disillusionment: Thousands of Gold Coast soldiers who fought for the British in Burma and East Africa returned home to mass unemployment, unpaid war pensions, and high inflation.
- Economic Grievances: European and Syrian import merchants (Association of West African Merchants - AWAM) monopolized essential imported goods, price-gouging local consumers. Nii Kwabena Bonne III led an effective nationwide boycott of European goods in early 1948.
• The Tragic Crossroads Shooting (28 February 1948):
- Ex-servicemen staged a peaceful, unarmed protest march toward Christianborg Castle (seat of British Governor Sir Gerald Creasy) to present a petition.
- At the Christianborg Crossroads, British Superintendent Colin Imray ordered fire on the peaceful veterans: Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey were shot dead on the spot.
• National Outrage & Rioting:
- Sparked five days of violent rioting, arson, and looting of AWAM trading stores in Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, and Nsawam.
- British colonial administration arrested the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) - "The Big Six" (Kwame Nkrumah, J.B. Danquah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, and Ako Adjei).
• The Watson Commission & Coussey Committee:
- The British constituted the Aiken Watson Commission of Enquiry to investigate the disturbances.
- Findings: Declared the 1946 Burns Constitution "outmoded at birth" and recommended immediate constitutional reforms toward internal self-government. Led directly to the all-African Coussey Constitutional Committee of 1949.
- Background to the 1948 Crisis:
- Post-WWII Disillusionment: Thousands of Gold Coast soldiers who fought for the British in Burma and East Africa returned home to mass unemployment, unpaid war pensions, and high inflation.
- Economic Grievances: European and Syrian import merchants (Association of West African Merchants - AWAM) monopolized essential imported goods, price-gouging local consumers. Nii Kwabena Bonne III led an effective nationwide boycott of European goods in early 1948.
- The Tragic Crossroads Shooting (28 February 1948):
- Ex-servicemen staged a peaceful, unarmed protest march toward Christianborg Castle (seat of British Governor Sir Gerald Creasy) to present a petition.
- At the Christianborg Crossroads, British Superintendent Colin Imray ordered fire on the peaceful veterans: Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey were shot dead on the spot.
- National Outrage & Rioting:
- Sparked five days of violent rioting, arson, and looting of AWAM trading stores in Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, and Nsawam.
- British colonial administration arrested the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) - "The Big Six" (Kwame Nkrumah, J.B. Danquah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, and Ako Adjei).
- The Watson Commission & Coussey Committee:
- The British constituted the Aiken Watson Commission of Enquiry to investigate the disturbances.
- Findings: Declared the 1946 Burns Constitution "outmoded at birth" and recommended immediate constitutional reforms toward internal self-government. Led directly to the all-African Coussey Constitutional Committee of 1949.
Practical Example:
Every year on 28th February, Ghana commemorates the 1948 Christianborg Crossroads shooting with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument in Accra.
Core Takeaway:
Memorize the names of the three martyred veterans: Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey.
WAEC / WASSCE Examiner Tips
- Memorize the names of the three martyred veterans: Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey.
Common Candidate Pitfalls & Errors to Avoid
- Confusing the Watson Commission with the Coussey Committee that followed it.
- Writing that the rioting stayed in Accra when the towns of the east and Asante followed.
- Naming the ex-servicemen's march as the sole cause and dropping the political and economic grievances.
- Thinking the Big Six were arrested in 1949 rather than March 1948.
- Dating independence to the riots of 1948 instead of 1957.
Topic Mastery Checklist
- Analyze the socio-economic and political causes of the 1948 Accra Riots
- Recount the events of the Christianborg Crossroads shooting and honor the fallen ex-servicemen
- Evaluate the findings of the Watson Commission and its role in accelerating Ghana's self-government
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