3 Infantry Battalion

Brief History of 3 Infantry Battalion

The Elements That Formed The Third Infantry Battalion Were Raised At Akwatia In Mid August 1939. The Nucleus Of The Battalion Was Composed Of Cadres From The 2nd Battalion Of The Gold Coast Regiments (Now 2nd Infantry Battalion). Majority Of The Troops Were Nevertheless Called From The Nearby Diamond Mines. Most Of The Elements That Formed The Nucleus Of The Battalion Thus 2nd Battalion Of The Gold Coast Regiment, Took Part In The Following Campaigns:

• Ashanti - 1873 – 1874
• Ashanti - 1900
• Duala & Camerouns - 1914 - 1916
• Narugumbe, Kamina & East Africa - 1916 – 1918

EVOLUTON

In October 1939 The Battalion Subsequently Moved To Winneba For Concentration And Training In Preparation For Move To East Africa. In East Africa The Battalion Formed Part Of The 2nd Gold Coast Brigade Which Counteracted The Intransigence Of The Italians For A Little Over Fourteen Months. In The Process The Battalion Took Part In Other Campaigns Including The Assaults Of Abbysinia And Uaddara. The Battalion Then Returned To The Gold Coast (Now Ghana) In November 1941 And Was Stationed At Abasi Near Ejisu And Subsequently Moved To Tamale The Following Year. The Battalion Was Part Of The Force That Opposed The Vichy French In The Frontiers Of The Gambia Still As Part Of 2nd Gold Coast Brigade. After A Successful Campaign In The Gambia, The Battalion Returned Once More To The Gold Coast In March 1943 And Was Stationed At Kintampo In The Brong Ahafo Region (The Base Is Where Kintampo Health Post Is Now Located).

In 1943 The Battalion Again Moved To Nigeria To Prepare For The Burma Campaign. In April 1944, The Battalion Was On The Move Again To India As Part Of The 82nd West Africa Division In The Campaign Against The Japanese In Burma Between October 1944 And The Latter Part Of 1945. On Return Of The Battalion From The Second World War, It Was Immediately Disbanded In July 1945 To Be Reformed In Kumasi In June 1949. Since 1949 The Battalion Had Moved Round All The Stations (Now Garrisons) In Ghana. The Battalion Served With The UN Peace-Keeping Force In The Congo Leopoldville During The Crisis In That Country In 1960. After This Operation The Battalion Was Once Again Disbanded In 1961. Again The Battalion Was Formed In Tamale On 1st October 1962 With Lt Col JTD Addy As The CO. After The Overthrow Of The Nkrumah Regime In 1966, The Unit Moved To The Liberation Barracks In Sunyani And Has Remained In This Barracks Ever Since.

IDENTITY

The Wearing Of Muffler In The Unit Was Initiated In 1968 At The End Of A 130 Km Walk For Which Soldiers Who Completed The Course Were Given Certificate And The Yellow Mufflers As A Morale Booster Under The Leadership Of Lt Col Twum-Barimah The Then CO. By That Presentation The Unit Became The First To Wear Muffler In 2 Bde Group. The Unit Adopted The Scorpion As Its Logo After Its Tour Of Duty In Liberia As ECOMOG GH2 Under The Command Of Lt Col JB Danquah. The Liberia Operation Saw The Unit Engaged In Serious Combat With Rebels In The Countryside As Well As In Built-Up Areas. The Crest Was Designed In Lebanon And Approval Was Given By Then Army Commander, For The Unit To Adopt.

PEACE KEEPING OPERATIONS

Apart From United Nations Operations In The Congo, The Battalion Has Undertaken A Number Of Peace-Keeping Operations. These Include:

• United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) Ghanbatt 3 With HQ At Camp El Fanara And The CO As Lt Col WA Thompson.
• United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) Ghanbatt 10 In The Sinai With HQ At Mitla Camp And The CO As Lt Col Seidu Ayumah.
• United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) Ghanbatt 29 With HQ At Marakah Under Command Of Lt Col TE Nguah – 1987/88.
• ECOMOG GH2 With HQ At Baptist Seminary – 1990/91.
• UNIFIL Ghanbatt 36 With HQ At Marakah – Both Commanded By Lt Col JB Danquah.
• United Nations Assistance Mission For Rwanda (UNAMIR) Ghanbatt 1 With HQ At Byumba And Later Gikongoro.
• ECOMOG Ghanbatt 11 With HQ At Buchanan Both Commanded By Lt Col JN Adinkrah.
• UNIFIL Ghanbatt 49 With HQ At Al Qaranis Commanded By Lt Col M Owusu-Ababio.
• UNAMSIL Ghanbatt 5 With HQ At Kenema Commanded By Lt Col RK Opoku-Adusei.
• UNIFIL Ghanbatt 60 With HQ At Tibnin Commanded By Lt Col A Abu.
• MONUC Ghanbatt 11 With HQ At Kinshasa Commanded By Lt Col MA Amoah, The Present CO.

In Recognition Of The Spectacular Performance Of Ghanbatt 1, UNAMIR During The Rwandan Civil War, 9 Feb To 30 Nov 94, Maj Gen HK Anyidoho Who Was The Deputy Force Commander UNAMIR And Later Comd 2 Inf Bde Gp Undertook To Personally Finance The Construction Of A Peace-Keeping Monument At Liberation Barracks. The Monument Was Unveiled On 8 Apr 97.

COMMANDING OFFICERS

The Following Officers Commanded The Unit:

• Lt Col JTD Addy - 1 Oct 62 – 23 Mar 66.
• Lt Col IA Ashietey - 23 Mar 66 – 6 Feb 67.
• Lt Col HD Twum-Barimah - 6 Feb 67 – 12 Aug 69.
• Lt Col CR Tachie Mensah - 23 Dec 69 - 2 Aug 70.
• Lt Col CD Benni - 3 Aug 70 - 20 Jan 72.
• Lt Col Osei Boateng - 20 Jan 72 - 26 Jan 73.
• Lt Col WA Thompson - 26 Jan 73 - 13 Oct 75.
• Lt Col ANT Tehn Addy - 15 Oct 75 - 29 Nov 76.
• Lt Col Seidu Ayumah - 29 Nov 76 - 22 Aug 77.
• Lt Col DSK Amengor - 24 Mar 80 - 29 Sep 81.
• Lt Col BK Akafia - 22 Feb 82 - 29 Sep 83.
• Lt Col LA Ankrah - 30 Sep 83 - 2 Dec 85.
• Lt Col TE Nguah - 11 Sep 86 - 18 Feb 90.
• Lt Col JB Danquah - 19 Feb 90 - 2 Feb 93.
• Lt Col JN Adinkrah - 2 Feb 93 - 10 Apr 97.
• Lt Col M Owusu-Ababio - 10 Apr 97 - 19 Jan 01.
• Lt Col RK Opoku-Adusei - 19 Jan 01 - 20 Oct 03.
• Lt Col A Abu - 20 Oct 03 - 30 Sep 06.
• Lt Col M Amoah Ayisi - 30 Sep 06 -

REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOS

The Following Were The Previous RSMs

• WOI Yendu Damaslake - 1962 - 1966.
• WOI Bassiru Akomori - 1966 - 1973.
• WOI Abu Sadiq - 1973 - 16 Jul 79.
• WOI Samuel Siaw - 5 Dec 79 - 1 Feb 82.
• WOI Seth Ansah - 5 Feb 82 - 4 Sep 83.
• WOI Peter Ansante - 5 Sep 83 - 24 Oct 88.
• WOI John Baba - 25 Oct 88 - 31 Aug 94.
• WOI Chekorah Mohammed - 1 Sep 94 - 17 Oct 02.
• WOI Kanton Lure - 10 Apr 03