Album of Leinster Regiment Soldier donated by his sons to Offaly Archives

LAST Friday Dr Christopher O’C  Fitz-simon was welcomed to Offaly Archives in Tullamore by archivist Lisa Shortall, county librarian Eimear McGinn and heritage officer, Amanda Pedlow. Dr Fitzsimon presented his father’s photo album from his time in the Leinster Regiment to the archives. 

This is a timely donation 100 years after the images were photographed by his father. Offaly Archives is digitising the photographs and they will be available on www.offalyarchives.com . 

Following the donation, military historian Stephen Callaghan interviewed Christpher and this recording will be available in 2022.

Speaking at the event, Dr O’C  Fitz-simon said: “These snapshots were taken in 1921 by my late father, then a Lieutenant in the Prince of Wales’ Leinster Regiment of Birr, Offaly,  when the Leinsters were on a peace-keeping mission to Silesia shortly after World War 1.  The album remained largely unnoticed in the family along with several others, until quite recently its significance was properly understood.  I and my brother Nicholas – now a retired civil engineer in Victoria, Australia – determined that the album be placed in the safe keeping of the Archive of the County in which the now vanished Regiment was headquartered.       

“There are just under 300 snapshots, all meticulously named in handwriting.   They start with the Irish soldiers leaving for Silesia via Dover and Ostend by ship and then travelling through Germany by rail. Their destination was the city of Opeln, then the capital, now known as Opole. Silesia was a disputed territory of some 8 million people: prior to the war it was part of Germany though with a section in Poland and small portions situated in what are now Czechia and Austria. After the defeat of Germany in 1918 the Great Powers granted Silesia to Poland. Because of the complex ethnic and religious mix – not to mention three languages and several dialects  – it was only natural that there should have been widespread dissention and violence, the escalation of which the Leinsters were expected to control.  It is said that they attended their duties with consideration and restraint.  This looks forward to the current missions of Oglaigh na hEireann where the Irish army is respected, indeed welcomed, in a number of countries.

“It is 100 years since these photographs were taken.  For us today there is the bitter irony of the (British) Leinster Regiment keeping the peace in Europe when Ireland was far from peaceful at home.  My father recalled that he was on duty in the barracks at Opeln one afternoon in ’21 when he heard the regimental band playing a selection of Irish airs.  He sent a messenger to enquire why they were not on parade and the news came back: ‘Sir, we are free!’  meaning that they had heard Ireland had been freed from British rule. There was much rejoicing in the ranks; but the Regiment was shortly disbanded and back to the depôt at Birr went the men to an uncertain future – unemployment in the new Free State, or emigration.  

“There are architecturally interesting pictures of handsome buildings in picturesque towns, atmospheric views of countryside, primitive rural farms, people at work, shots of military equipment and manoeuvres and military football teams. The final pictures are in England and Ireland, among them some country house scenes which may be in Offaly – these could be identified. The last page poignantly shows Birr Barracks at Crinkill after it was torched by Republican irregulars during our Civil War. My father visited the ruins, clearly with feelings of great regret: a handwritten caption under a photograph reads “The poor old Depôt”! 

“There are several names written under the snapshots, including Badger, Barry, Clery, Conway, De Blaby, Doyle, Duffield, Egan, Farrell, Hamilton, Hardie, Hyland, Irvine, Jameson, Kelly, Lewis, McCann, McCormick, O’Connor, Rogers, Sharpe, Simmons, Stackpoole, Sugden and Weldon. There may be descendants of these soldiers still living in the Midlands.

“After the Leinsters’ disbandment my father joined the King’s Own Royal Regiment, Lancaster. He ended as Lieutenant-Colonel M. O’Connell Fitz-Simon, M.C. He spent his retirement at the family home in Glencullen, Co Dublin.  He was one of many who saw no contradiction in considering himself an Irishman while remaining devoted to the army in which he been trained. 

“It gives us enormous pleasure to present this historic album to the Offaly County Archive.”

The Offaly Archive Service is actively involved in collecting and cataloguing  records from the county  - for more information see www.offalyarchives.com or if you would like to make a donation of archives email archivist@offalyhistory.com