Hail the World War II veteran Mumuni Grunshi Tachi

Africa especially Ghana is noted for not honoring, celebrating and hailing its heroes unlike other continents and countries in the World.

Today, we delve into the story of Kuoro Mumuni Grunshi Tachi who died at age 128.

He was born in the year 1889 in a homestead then called Jabaga.

This homestead is located in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region of Ghana.

The people from this Jabaga are Sissala by tribe and known as Jabaglia. The Name Jabaga was derived from the name of a horse in the Sissala dialect. The Jabaga or enclave used to be known as a hub for wild horses; some got domesticated and thus used in fighting by the people. The original settlement of the Jabagla people was around an enclave comprising Nabulo and Welembelle in the Sissala East Municipality, and Halinbejekpe and Funsi in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region.

The activities of Salve raiders forced their great grandparents to migrate to their current location which is geographically located between Kundugu and Balliakpong communities in the Wa East District.

This man used to be known as Kuoro Mumuni Grunshi Tachi came into the World at a time; the quest to wield power over each other was the paramount practice everywhere in the World.

Today, there are protocols one goes through to join the army but what existed those days was different as people with the physique or stout-looking persons were forcefully taken and recruited into the army.

Kuoro Mumuni Grunshi Tachi who together with his mum had to migrate from his hometown to Kintampo in the Southern part of the country after his father passed on. At Kintampo, he learned to drive with the help of their host called Mallam Mecca Mallam from Welemblle in the Sissala East Municipal in the Upper West Region who had trucks working for him then.

One day, people scouting chanced on him and felt he was well fit for army especially knowing he could as well drive. They took him to his mother and guardian and informed them of their motive but not for the purpose of asking for their permission.

They took him to Accra and made him go through preparatory stages of recruitment and finally off to the jungle for army training. He served in the Gold Coast army for years before World war II.

Then World War II came and some army personnel serving under the Gold Coast were drawn including him to serve and fight for Britain.

At World War II Mission, an exercise that took place in the period September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945.

He was part of the Ghanaian contingent in Burma where a number of battles were fought in the British colony of Burma, present-day Myanmar – a war that ended in 1945. Over there, he was specifically assigned to driving high-ranking white army officers but do join in the battlefield when is necessary.

History on the war

The Burma campaign took place in World War II where a Ghanaian regiment took part on the side of the British against the Japanese. During this war, the Gold Coast regiment raised nine battalions of which three took part in the East African campaign as the 24th (Gold Coast) Infantry Brigade in the 12th African Division under the overall command of Alan Cunningham, attacking Italian Somaliland from Kenya.

After occupying Mogadishu, the troops advanced further into the Ethiopian lowlands (Ogaden). After the completion of this campaign, the Brigade returned to West Africa in December 1941, was restructured as the 2nd West African Infantry Brigade and deployed alongside the 5th West African Infantry Brigade (consisting of three other battalions of the Gold Coast Regiment) in the Burma Campaign.

During World War II, approximately 65,000 Ghanaians served in the RWAFF. The Gold Coast Regiment participated in campaigns in East Africa and Burma and in maneuvers in the Gambia.

Ghana also played a significant role in the allied war effort. On June 27, 1942, the United States Army activated the Air Transport Command in Cairo under Brigadier General Shepler W. Fitzgerald. Ten days later, Fitzgerald moved his headquarters to Accra and organized the Africa-Middle East Wing.

In late 1942, the United States Army expanded its presence in Accra by activating the 12th Ferrying Group Headquarters, the 41st Ferrying Squadron, and the 42nd Ferrying Squadron. The 12th Ferrying Group, which was part of a transportation network reaching from the United States, via Africa, to the China-Burma-India theater of operations, ensured the movement of men and materiel through Senegal, Ghana, and Chad.

In the year 1949, Kuoro Mumuni Grunshi Tachi retired from the army and got married according to an old practice of arranging young ladies for marriage among many tribes in Ghana and Africa at large.

Thereof, he gave birth to his firstborn in the same year in Accra.

He later resettled in the regional capital of Upper East, Bolgatanga.

While in Bolgatanga and still active, he took his driving profession where, one Sissala man, Mr. Baba Sidiki gave his truck to him to use for commercial purposes.

While commuting to Damango the Regional capital town of the newly created Savannah region, he fell in love with the town and resettled there for the rest of his active years.

As faith would have it, he finally resettled back to his roots(hometown) and was installed the chief of his community, Jabaga in the Wa East District.

Jabaga community is specifically located in between Kundugu and Balliakpong communities both in the Wa East District.

There was once a story of an invasion of military men around Kundugu a community also in Wa East District and inhabited by Sissalas and almost everyone has rounded up apparently with no reason but, when he showed his identity symbolizing he ever served the army and hence participated in the Second World war, he was greeted with a complement of salutes.

And he was mobbed for being a hero that day by the locals after the military men had left.

He was survived by 28 children, 5 wives and numerous grandchildren.

He once told of a story where the white men with a high rank in the army used to like having him drive them around apparently for reason known to themselves. He said that development did not go down well with some of his colleague drivers and hence dislike him.

This situation made him uncomfortable and had compelled him to devise ways of not being used by the whites again. This he said, made him usually drive at a fast rate which got the white men complaining and even resulted in punishment to him severally. He was later tasked to run on errands on a motorbike which could easily kill him due to its weight and speed.

But he ended up mastering the use of the bike and would often receive applauds in the camp when on it.

Unto him, we came and unto him, we shall return! Death laid its icey hands on the unsung hero in the year 2017.

He was buried according to the traditions of the Sissala people.