Abstract
During my own research on the life of a particular Romani family (J. Ištvan from Bořitov) and its gradual integration into the village community during the 1920s, I identified his namesake, A.
Ištvan, as a Romani legionary born in Jihlava, but with his home belonging to Kninice-Bohusoudov. He joined the legions in Italy at the beginning of 1918.
Gradually, I succeeded in discovering and checking other legionaries of Roma origin, who by joining the Czechoslovak Volunteer Corps (so-called Legions) helped to make the Czechoslovaks' desire for independence. In the ranks of the legions, they fought, suffered, but also experienced tributes.
After the war, they were awarded merit and achieved various ranks and awards, yet most of those who have been identified have failed to succeed in the next life and break out of the "gypsy" category - how they and their families have become victims of the Roma Holocaust. The contribution brings selected knowledge from the present research: analyses of selected personal writings and findings about the fate of several of these legionaries.
It focuses primarily on the traces of the involvement of these Romani men and their efforts on their own emancipation. These stem from, for example, letters preserved, in which Roma legionaries from the Italian division are demanding the payment of insurance policies that they have entered into legions.
They describe not only their post-war situation, but also disillusion with the post-war development of the legionary movement. At the same time, I study the traces of how their Roma origin was reported in the period documents (or how their origin was concealed) and with what intentions.
Historical context was provided by selected legionary literature, literature on Roma history, and archive research.