Page 307 - They Also Served

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John Bangura 1954.
John Amadu Bangura was born on 8th
March 1930 in Bombali District, Sierra
Leone. He joined the army as a private
soldier in 1950 and, after an outstanding
performance on a leadership course held
in Ghana, the colonel-in-chief of the
RWAFF recommended him for officer
training. The first from his country to
be commissioned from Sandhurst in
August 1954, Bangura attended the Infantry Platoon Commanders’ course before a short attachment to the British Army in Germany.
Returning home in 1955, he commanded a platoon in the 1st Battalion, Royal Sierra Leone Regiment and was promoted to captain in 1958. On 27th April 1961, Sierra Leone gained independence and, the following year, he served in the UN mission to the Congo. Promoted to major on his return, he was, again, promoted to lieutenant- colonel in 1964 and commanded a battalion. In 1966, he attended the Joint Services Staff course in the UK and was promoted to colonel.
The 1967 general election was the first democratic election held in post-colonial Africa. A few days before polling, Bangura was imprisoned, possibly to remove any influence this charismatic leader may have had. Siaka Stevens won the election but was deposed in a military coup after only four days. The army commander, another Sandhurst alumnus, David Lansana, took power but was overthrown the next day by a group of majors who formed the National Reformation Council (NRC). The NRC invited another former Sandhurst cadet, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Juxon-Smith, who was abroad at the time, to return and lead the country. As a potential rival, Bangura was sent out of the country to the Sierra Leone embassy in Washington.
Bangura was, however, upset with the army’s ham-fisted coup and counter-coup and, with no sign of a transition to an elected government, he returned to Sierra Leone. At the head of the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement and supported by senior NCOs, he overthrew Juxon-Smith in the so-called Sergeants’ Coup. Bangura was head of state for four days (18th–22nd April 1968) before stepping down in favour of
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