An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September / October 2025 www.military.ie/magazine F or over one hundred years, thirty forgotten British soldiers' and two civilian graves lie hidden in an inconspicuous plot of an old graveyard in the city of Opole, Poland. What makes them relevant to an Irish history is that 11 of these soldiers are Irish, coming from various towns such as Swords, Wexford, or Kilbride. How did Irishmen end up so far from their country, when Irish independence was being forged? Polish and Irish history is not only full of similarities, but it actually brings both nations together in combat and in peacekeeping operations. Today's Camp Shamrock in Southern Lebanon is being ran by both Irish and Polish soldiers, however going back years, our hunger for freedom brought both nations together in combat as early as the 18th Century, when Polish soldiers joined the Irish in the Napoleonic "Legion Irlandaise". The legion continued flighting under Napoleon's command, up to its famous Battle of Bobr (also known as Battle of the Löwenburg on the 21st of August 1813) and many other skirmishes in the region of Silesia. Poland and Ireland continued its fight for independence, with citizens joining European armies to oppose their common enemies. For Poland, the victory came on the 11th of November 1918 (now celebrated as the Independence Day) when the State came back to existence on the European maps, after over 123 years of occupation by the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires. While Poland won its freedom, several major conflicts continued to disturb the State, such as the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920. Several regional uprisings took place, such as the Upper Silesia one, where local insurgencies opposed the post war reality. The Versailles Treaty mandated an official plebiscite, as the region was habituated by both Polish and German citizens. While political processes took place to establish the ownership of the area with its new borders, local paramilitary units took part in skirmishes along the borders. This is where Polish and Irish would meet again. Allied forces deployed a significant peacekeeping force, consisting of French, Italian and British troops – the last unit most noticeably also including the several Irish Regiments, which spent over a year on a mission in the Upper Silesia. A large part of the peacekeeping contingent was made out of Irishmen, who were sent over to Poland, to keep them away from their homeland during the War of Independence. The first soldiers arrived in Opole in January 1920 and were greeted with huge interest and ARTICLE BY CPL LUCKASZ GANCARZ PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LUCKASZ GANCARZ 20 | LONG WAY LONG WAY FROM HOME FROM HOME Irish citizens in British service on a peacekeeping mission in Poland

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