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Major HC Russell MC DCM

Major HC Russell won the DCM with the 1st battalion The Gold Coast Regiment RWAFF at the battle of Uaddara in East Africa on 11th May 1941. He won an MC as a Captain in Burma in February 1945 still with us. He joined the Queen's Own Buffs post war until obliged to retire on the 26th January 1965 due to ill health.

Until I obtain his two citations at TNA (UK) in Kew, I do not even know his forenames. We did not have many MC DCM winners in the regiment during WW 2. I should like to write him up for the regimental journal. Details of his post was service with the Queen's Own Buffs would be appreciated.

RWAFF was the Royal West African Force that amounted to two divisions and two independent brigades in WW 2. The officers were British, Rhodesian & Polish, there were European NCOs & WOs but the majority of NCOs & WOs and all soldiers were Africans from Nigeria, the Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone and the Gambia.

The regiment existed from 1897-1960, though we still have a few WW 2 officers alive and a couple of dozen national service officers. In addition we have sons, daughters, grand children and one great grandson and a number of military historians in the association.

Keith Steward
General Secretary RWAFF Association.