© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009 DOI: 10.1163/187254609X433369 African Diaspora 2 (2009) 103-124 brill.nl/afdi African Diaspora Mbadamassi of Lagos: A Soldier for King and Kaiser, and a Deportee to German South West Africa Jan-Bart Gewald African Studies Centre, Research Institute for History Leiden University gewald@ascleiden.nl Abstract In 1915 troops of the South African Union Defence Force invaded German South West Africa, present day Namibia. In the north of the territory the South African forces captured an African soldier serving in the German army named Mbadamassi. Upon his capture Mbadamassi demanded to be released and claimed that he was a British national from Nigeria. In addition, he stated that he had served in the West African Frontier Force, and that he had been shanghaied into German military service in Cameroon. Furthermore, whilst serving in the German army in Cameroon, Mbadamassi claimed that he had participated in a mutiny, and that, as a conse- quence, he had been deported to GSWA. he article covers the remarkable military career of the African soldier, Mbadamassi, who between 1903 and 1917 served both the King of the British Empire as well as the Kaiser of the German Empire. In so doing, the article sheds light on the career of an individual African soldier serving in three colonial armies; the West African Frontier Force, the Schutztruppe in Cameroon, and the Schutztruppe in GSWA. he article argues that beyond the fact that colonial armies were institutions of repression, they also provided opportu- nity for those willing or condemned to serve within their ranks. Furthermore the article provides some indication as to the extent of communication that existed between colonial subjects in the separate colonies of Africa at the time. Keywords World War One, Cameroon, Namibia, African Militaries, German and British Empire Résumé En 1915, les troupes de l’Union de l’Afrique du Sud ont envahi l’Afrique du Sud-Ouest alle- mande, l’actuelle Namibie. Dans le Nord du territoire, les forces sud-africaines ont capturé un soldat africain servant dans l’armée allemande nommé Mbadamassi. Celui-ci exigea d’être libéré et revendiqua être un Britannique du Nigeria. De plus, il déclara avoir servi dans la West African Frontier Force et avoir été enrôlé de force dans l’armée allemande au Cameroun. En outre, pen- dant qu’il servait dans l’armée allemande au Cameroun, Mbadamassi a prétendu avoir pris part à une mutinerie, ce qui avait conduit à sa déportation vers l’Afrique du Sud-Ouest allemande. Cet article couvre la remarquable carrière militaire du soldat africain Mbadamassi, qui, entre 1903 et 1917, a servi à la fois le roi de l’empire britannique et le Kaiser de l’empire