Postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia Postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia. The Gambia is a country in West Africa surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Gambia River, from which the country takes its name, flows through it. The capital city is Banjul. The first stamps of Gambia were issued in March 1869. The early issues featured an embossed portrait of Queen Victoria. The Gambia achieved independence on 18 February 1965, as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth. On 24
Military history of The Gambia was appointed Governor of the Gambia, and so moved the headquarters for British troops in West Africa to The Gambia. Following World War I, the armed forces of the British West African colonies were put under the control of their respective colonial governments. An Inspector General of African Colonial Forces was appointed to oversee their training and advise the colonial governments. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, The Gambia was only defended by the Gambia Company, officially part of the Sierra Leone Battalion. HQ Military Forces West Africa was formed on 7 July 1940, and Lieutenant General George