The Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force

Royal West African Frontier Force

The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...

, was formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Nigeria Regiment and the Southern Nigeria Regiment

Southern Nigeria Regiment

The Southern Nigeria Regiment was a British colonial regiment which operated in Nigeria in the early part of the 20th century.The Regiment was formed out of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force and part of the Royal Niger Constabulary...

 on January 1 1914. At that time, the regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 consisted of five battalion

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...

s:

• 1st Battalion - ex 1st Bn, Northern Nigeria Regiment
• 2nd Battalion - ex 2nd Bn, Northern Nigeria Regiment
• 3rd Battalion - ex 3rd Bn, Northern Nigeria Regiment
• 4th (Lagos) Battalion - ex 2nd Bn, Southern Nigeria Regiment
• 5th Battalion - ex 1st Bn, Southern Nigeria Regiment

The regiment served throughout the First World War in West Africa

West Africa Campaign (World War I)

The West Africa Campaign of World War I consisted of two small and fairly short military operations to capture the German colonies in West Africa: Togoland and Kamerun.-Overview:...

, and in East Africa

East African Campaign (World War I)

The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions which started in German East Africa and ultimately affected portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. The campaign was effectively ended in November 1917...

. It saw service as part of the chindits

Chindits

The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...

 in Asia during the Second World War and formed the infantry element of the 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade

1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade

The 1st Infantry Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War II. It was formed in 1940 from battalions of the Royal West African Frontier Force and served in the East African campaign against the Italians and against the Japanese in Burma.-History:The 1st Infantry...

. In 1956, the regiment was renamed as The Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force.