During the Peninsular Wars, a fierce battle took place at Fuengirola. This is a short account, more or less of what happened on the beach 211 years ago, in a bloody spot where today most people just enjoy a barbecue and a beer.
The Peninsular wars of the 19th century were a complicated series of battles and ongoing skirmishes between an expansive Napoleonic France and Portugal, then Spain and later the United Kingdom.
In the autumn of 1810, Major General Lord Blayney of Gibraltar had the bright idea of attacking the then French controlled town of Málaga. In order to do this, it seems he deemed it necessary to first capture the castle at Fuengirola. It also seems he assumed that a quick sail along the Andalucían coast to the poorly defended castle would result in a swift easy victory. How wrong he was, the Fuengirola castle was defended by a small garrison of battle hardened conscripted Polish troops, some 100 men from the 4th Infantry sent there for rest and recuperation by their French military masters.
Arriving around 2.00 pm on the 14th October 1810 with a much larger multi-national force of some 1,800 odd troops, Lord Blayney simply demanded that the Poles immediately surrender the castle. The Captain in charge, Franciszek Mlokosiewicz reputedly replied something along the lines of “well if you want it – come and take it” so Blayney marched up to the castle gates waving his – later to be famous – sword in the air to receive the castle.
Big surprise, the fierce Polish soldiers opened fire on the larger advancing force and even sank one of the British gunboats and causing considerable damage with loss of life to the others. Nonplussed the British force turned tail and ran for cover only to return later that night with some heavy cannons with which to attack the castle properly the next day, the October 15th.
The still over-confident Lord Blayney unfortunately left his cannons poorly defended on the beach nearby so – quick as a flash the Poles seized the moment and hopped over the castle walls, captured the cannons, turned them around and shelled the British forces with their own ammunition. The enraged Brits counter attacked and in force, so the cheeky Poles just blew up all Blayney’s gunpowder and “legged it” back inside their castle slamming the door behind them with a bang.
Meanwhile in all the confusion, another 60 man Polish Garrison based nearby at Mijas Pueblo had slipped through the chaotic British lines and joined their companions at the castle.
Blayney re-grouped, organised some more gun powder, shelled the castle and attacked again. Only to be out flanked by another larger 400 man Polish garrison summoned from Alhaurin El Grande. Accompanied by a further thirty French Dragoons (light cavalry) and by then Captain Mlokosiewicz’s newly inspired forces from inside the castle, they took Blayney prisoner, sent his troops packing – once again under fire from their own guns – relieved him of his sword and sent it off to Krakow.
Where it still hangs in the Krakow museum today, a memento to one of the worst but little known defeats of British forces during the Peninsular Wars.
Author: Pete Woodall – a British journalist living on the Costa del Sol, close to Fuengirola
The article appeared in The Euro Weekly News – Costa del Sol Edition
Picture: Battle of Fuengirola by J. Suchodolski (Polish Army Museum, Warszawa)
