Joseph Hammond


Joseph Hammond is a Ghanaian war veteran who fought in World War II for Britain. He is known for raising funds for healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Africa.

Military service

Between 1939 to 1945, when a lot of Africans were still under colonial rule, Hammond fought with the British army as a private in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force. Of all the Ghanaian regiment who fought in WWII, he is known to be the only survivor.

COVID-19 fundraiser

In May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hammond embarked on a challenge of walking two miles a day through Accra for a week to raise money for coronavirus charities. He drew inspiration from Tom Moore, a World War II veteran who embarked on a similar initiative. His goal was to raise $613,000 to support vulnerable veterans and the front-line workers fighting to eradicate COVID-19 from Africa but as of May 28, 2020, he had succeeded in raising $26,000. A number of Ghanaian celebrities supported his initiative and these include Okyeame Kwame, Prince David Osei and Van Vicker. The British High Commissioner to Ghana Iain Walker also supported his initiative by joining him on the last day of his walk.