Gambia Armed Forces defence and security in The Gambia was the responsibility of the Field Force. The Field Force was a paramilitary unit of the police, consisting of roughly 140 men at independence and rising to around 500 in 1980. It has been formed in 1958 following the disbandment of the Gambia Regiment, part of the British Army. There was little concern about security in The Gambia due to its small size and the safety provided by being totally surrounded by Senegal, with which it had signed a mutual defence pact in 1965. This lax attitude to defence changed following the 1981 coup
The Gambia in World War II the Gambia, having been appointed to the role in October 1936. In March 1942, Hilary Blood was appointed as Governor and continued to serve until March 1947. In 1940, the British passed the Colonial Development and Welfare Act 1940, which provided funding to research efforts in the colonies. In July 1941, a commission of inquiry was launched to investigate the wages of manual labourers in the Gambia. It was decided that a minimum wage for workers in Bathurst should be set. Also, during the war, a full income tax was established in the Gambia along with other West African British