The Yoni Expedition was

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

campaign launched in 1887 against the Yoni Chiefdom of the

Temne people The Temne, also called Atemne, Témené, Temné, Téminè, Temeni, Thaimne, Themne, Thimni, Timené, Timné, Timmani, or Timni, are a West African ethnic group, They are predominantly found in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

Composition of expedition

The expedition was led by

Francis de Winton Major-General Sir Francis Walter de Winton (21 June 1835 – 16 December 1901) was a British Army officer, colonial administrator and courtier in the Household of the Duke of York. Early life De Winton was born at Pitsford, Northamptonshire i ...

and consisted of: * 1st West India Regiment: 298 troops *

Sierra Leone Police Corps The Sierra Leone Police Corps was established in 1829, by the colonial authorities of British West Africa (first period). Recruitment was primarily made from Sierra Leone Creole people. The Corps was composed of 17 officers, 23 non-commissioned of ...

: 45 men * HMS ''Acorn'', HMS ''Icarus'' and HMS ''Rifleman'': 38 naval personnel * irregulars from friendly tribes: 400 men The British were supported by a force led by Sory Kessebeh from

Bumpe Bumpe is a small town in Bo District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. As of 2013 it had an estimated population of 16,123. The town is located south-west of Bo, Sierra Leone, Bo. The town is also known as Bompeh, and both names are app ...

, who had previously experienced attacks from the Temne. * local porters to transport supplies: 500 men * local bush-cutters to open up a track through the bush: 200 * government officials and military officers: 19 men The seamen manned a 7-pounder rifled, muzzle-loading field gun and a

Maxim machine gun The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian ...

. The West Indians were each armed with a Martini-Henry rifle and they also operated tubes firing rockets.

References

{{reflist Military of Sierra Leone British West Indies Infantry regiments of the British Army British colonial regiments Military history of Jamaica