WW1 Tunic buttons identity

**NR72** · 07-04-2014, 07:16 PM

My Great Grandad was in the Durham Light Infantry during WW1 and was posted to Sierra Leone after being wounded in the trenches. I always believed that these were from his secondment to the west African Regiment, but i cannot find out anything about that regiment even if it existed. I know about the West African frontier Force. It has W A R on his Army issued Chest which i have as well. Any information would be greatly appreciated

**jwp** · 07-04-2014, 07:48 PM

Here's some info from the national army museum,

The West African Regiment was raised in 1898 as a single-battalion regiment in Sierra Leone, for the defence of Freetown, a major British naval base. The colony of Sierra Leone also provided a battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force, a body responsible to the Colonial Office for garrisoning the British West African colonies.

**NR72** · 07-04-2014, 08:00 PM

Thank you jwp

**Jerry B** · 07-04-2014, 08:11 PM

A swagger stick to the same on this page. Must be quite a rare unit.

Sierra Leone Web - Medals and Insignia, from the Gary Schulze Collection

**NR72** · 07-04-2014, 08:45 PM

Yes it must be, My G Grandad was a 2nd lieutenant in the Durham Light infantry (He started off in the Middlesex Regiment as a Territorial Sgt , but was wounded near Ypres in April 1915) he was commissioned in mid/late 1915 and went off to freetown for the rest of the war. I have his photograph album of his time in Sierra Leone, he brought back a baby parrot after WW1 but it sadly died during WW2 as they couldnt get any food for it. He never returned to the trenches for the rest of his life unable to face it. Can't imagine what he went through