Boys Junior Leaders Association members, Dignitaries at the launch
The Ex-Boys Junior Leaders Association has launched a book titled “Literature On Boys/Junior Leaders Company,” which highlights the impact the Boys Company had on its students and the Ghanaian military landscape.
The lead author, Senior Warrant Officer Samuel Baafi, indicated that the launch of the book has come timely as the school, established in 1953 and disbanded in 1983, has had influence on the lives of the brilliant, disciplined, and hardworking young men it nurtured, but sadly, its story seems at risk of fading into obscurity.
He recounts the incident where the association approached the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly with a heartfelt request to honour Boys Company by naming a road in its memory during its 60th Anniversary celebrations.
“They agreed, but on the condition that we provide a brief history of the school to justify why the road should bear its name. What initially seemed like a simple task soon proved challenging. We began our search at the Kumasi Military Museum, hoping to find records or documents about the school, but to our dismay, we found nothing,” he indicated.
He said the Association drew upon memories, pieced together shared experiences, and finally compiled enough information to support the request.
Samuel Baafi further stated that “if we do not document the history of Boys Company, future generations may know nothing about the school that once produced some of Ghana’s most diligent soldiers, both officers and men.”
“This realisation sparked a sense of duty within us, leading to the formation of a book-writing board through the Ex-Boys/Junior Leaders Association. As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t tell your story, no one will tell it for you’,” he added.
Samuel Baafi urged the public to patronise the book saying, “The institution has cultivated soldiers who went on to serve with honour and distinction in the Ghana Armed Forces. For thirty years, Boys Company molded young men into disciplined leaders and citizens of high moral standing, instilling in them the values of resilience, loyalty, and commitment to duty. Reading this book will make you appreciate the institution more.”
By Prince Fiifi Yorke