Romany soldiers

Romany soldiers

Romany Soldiers: an overview

While not known as a warrior people, many pure Romany and part Romanies have served with distinction in armies throughout the world.

One theory of their arrival is as soldiers in the Ottoman Empire, and from there the Balkan Brass Bands of Serbia originate.

WWI and WWII

Many Romany, Rominchal, and Irish Travellers fought in World War I in the armies of Germany, England, and France. In the British Army, there would be no distinction, and so hard to make out actual numbers, but it is reckoned at least 1,000 soldiers were demobilized in Nazi Germany on race grounds, most facing extermination subsequently.

A book on the Romany holocaust by Romany Rose (Oskar Rose) tells of the fate of some of these men.


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