Joseph Edward Michel
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Brigadier Joseph Edward Michel (1917-1961) was a
Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...
. He was one of the early commissioned officers in the
Ghana Army The Ghana Army is the principal land warfare force of Ghana. In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast became independent from the British Empire, the Ghana Regiment, Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West ...
.


Early life and education

Michel was the son of Alexander Michel, a French Trader at
Tarkwa Tarkwa is a town and is the capital of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal District, Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district, a district in the Western Region, Ghana, Western Region southwest of South Ghana. Frequently dubbed as the "Golden City" by its indigenous ...
and Afua his wife who hailed from Atikpui near Ho. He received his education at the Ewe Presbyterian Boarding School at Amedzofe and continued at the Presbyterian Training College at
Akropong Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South Ghana. This town is known for producing snails and palm oil.
where he qualified as a teacher.


Career

Joseph Michel initially taught at the Kpando Presbyterian Senior School. On 4 August 1943, he joined the colonial army at Ho in the Volta Region via the school teachers' special enlistment programme. He started as a"local"
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
. He was initially a schoolmaster / instructor in the army. He was appointed full sergeant in January 1945. Michel was commissioned as a second lieutenant in April 1947. He was promoted a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
in with effect from 27 November 1947. He was appointed
platoon commander A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank. ...
at
Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...
. He attended a Platoon Commander's Tactical course at
Warminster Warminster () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of 18,173 in 2021. The name ''Warminster'' occurs first i ...
in the United Kingdom in relation to his appointment. Between 1948 and 1950, he was the second-in-charge of the Gold Coast Regiment Training Centre (GCR Training Centre) at Kumasi. In 1950, he attended the Company Commanders' Course 67/50 at the
School of Infantry A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. Franc ...
, Warminster. He returned to the GCR Training Centre where he was promoted to rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. He was made the Company Commander of the GCR Training Centre in April 1951. He was transferred in July 1951 to the 3rd Battalion of the GRC. In August 1952, he was transferred again to the First Battalion of the RTC at Kumasi. In January 1953, he was transferred again to the Boys' Company as the Commanding Officer. Michel was promoted to the rank of
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
in May 1953. Brigadier Alexander G. V. Paley, who was then Head of the Gold Coast Army, in a response to a report recommending his promotion wrote:
"He is loyal to his immediate superiors and is obedient both to orders and to the wishes they express. I agree that he should be fit for promotion - though not yet."
In February 1956, Michel was posted to the Second Gold Coast Regiment in Accra. He was cleared by the Medical Board in July 1956 and he was nominated for Staff College which he attended during 1957 at
Camberley Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...
, United Kingdom. His final report mentioned that he was:
"An intelligent and shrewd officer with a pleasant personality who has entered fully into staff college life and made many friends. He is most conscientious and works well in a team. Although he has been prone to listen and learn rather than put forward his own views, he has shown that he possesses much sound common sense and a very fair military background. He should make a useful reliable staff officer in his own country."
In February 1958, he was posted to the Second Ghana Regiment and later moved to the Headquarters of the Ghana Army. In 1959, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel along with Major S. J. A. Otu and Major J. A. Ankrah. He then assumed command of the Second Ghana Regiment in November 1959. Lt. Colonel Gilmour, the Chief of General Staff at the Ghana Army Headquarters rated his work at Army headquarters very highly. Brigadier G. H. Tadman, Commanding Officer of the Infantry Brigade at the time rated him as the "beset Ghanaian officer of his rank in the army." Major General Paley, now General Officer Commanding the Ghana Army agreed with the assessment. Following the April 1960 plebiscite on a republican constitution, Michel was selected to become the aide-de-camp of President Kwame Nkrumah. He and Brigadier S. J. A. Otu were the most senior African officers in the Ghana Army at the time.


Duties outside Ghana

Michel was selected as part of the military contingent from the Gold Coast to attend the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in London in 1962.


Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II

In 1959, Michel was selected to be
Equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...
to Queen Elizabeth II. He was based at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
and accompanied the queen and
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
on her 17 days tour of
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
,
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
and
The Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...
.


United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations United Nations peacekeeping, peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to th ...

Following the request of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
for Ghanaian troops in the
Congo (Leopoldville) Congo or The Congo may refer to: * Congo River, in central Africa * Congo Basin, the sedimentary basin of the river * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, sometimes referred to as "Congo-Kinshasa" * Republic of ...
, Michel was chosen to lead the Ghanaian contingent. In July 1960, he was appointed the A - Brigade Commander in
Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million ...
. He was posted to Brigade Headquarters in Léopoldville in August 1960. Major General H. T. Alexander was impressed with his smooth transition from commanding a battalion in Ghana to commanding a brigade within the
United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations United Nations peacekeeping, peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to th ...
with such success. In June 1961, it was announced that President Nkrumah had agreed to second Michel to the United Nations as the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Forces in Congo.Ghana Gazette No. 30; Accra; 6 June 1961 This was opposed by Major General Alexander who felt that with only a few Ghanaian senior army officers available, it was better to keep Michel within the army command than to release him for staff work with the United Nations. He suggested sending Colonel Ankrah or Lt. Colonel Aferi instead. He lobbied Mr Dadzie, Head of the Ghana Mission at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The Force Commander of the UNOC was also keen for him to start and a compromise was reached for a start date of 20 September 1961. Unfortunately, he did not live to take up this appointment.


Diabetes

He also developed diabetes in 1951 and this raised questions about his fitness to continue in the military. Brigadier Paley raised these concerns in discussion with other officers in 1953 when his progress in the army was discussed.


Death

On 3 September 1961, Michel died following injuries he sustained in an air crash at Kumasi, Ghana. He was buried at the Christiansborg military cemetery at
Osu, Accra Osu is a neighbourhood in central Accra, Accra, Ghana, West Africa. It is located about east of the central business district, and is locally known as the "West End" of Accra. Bounded to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, Osu's western boundary is ...
on 5 September 1961. He was survived by his wife, a biological daughter (Georgina) and two other adopted children.


Honours

The Michel Camp of the Ghana Armed Forces near
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most p ...
is named after him in honour of his achievements during his short life in the Ghana military.


See also

* Nathan Apea Aferi *
Joseph Arthur Ankrah Joseph Arthur Ankrah (18 August 1915 – 25 November 1992) was a Ghanaian army general who was the second head of state of Ghana from 1966 to 1969 as chairman of the National Liberation Council. He was Ghana's first military head of state. Ankr ...
* Stephen Otu


References


External source

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, Joseph Edward 1917 births 1961 deaths Ghana Army personnel Ewe people People from Volta Region People of the Congo Crisis United Nations military personnel Royal West African Frontier Force officers