Frederick Cole was born in the village of Waterloo, in Sierra Leone in 1852. With nothing but sheer determination and resilience, he graduated from Oxford University and became one of the first Black Barristers in Britain. His parents obtained a scholarship for him to attend a school which was known as the “Athens of West Africa” due to its high standards in Greek and Latin. It was there he met his role model, who encouraged him to enrol for one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Although Coles bid was not unprecedented, it was still very audacious for his time. Nevertheless, Cole applied and was offered a place. After a tumultuous time at Oxford University, in September 1879, he became the first black African member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. In 1883, Frederick Cole was finally called to the bar, as the first African Barrister to practice Law in English Courts.
