Father Francis Gleeson (28 May 1884 – 26 June 1959) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest who served as a British Army chaplain during Ireland's involvement in the First World War.

The 2nd Munsters, barely recovered from their earlier losses, were ordered to halt a German advance that had already captured the front line trenches of an Indian unit.

[17] Gleeson ended each of his letters with the words "They paid a great sacrifice", which was later used as the title of a book published in 2010 that details the wartime service records of men from Cork.

"[22] His work as a chaplain was renowned, one war correspondent stating: "If you meet a man of the 2nd Munsters, just mention the name of Father Gleeson and see how his face lights up".

[24] Whilst moving forwards to the trenches on 8 May 1915, in preparation for the Battle of Aubers Ridge, Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Rickard ordered the battalion to halt at a roadside shrine in Rue du Bois, near Fleurbaix.

[25] The shrine, which had been pointed out to Rickard by Gleeson, was in fact the altar of the Chapel of Notre Dame de Seez which had been destroyed by shells earlier in the war.

[1] The Munsters were largely cut down by machine gun fire before they had advanced more than a few yards although enough men survived to capture the German trenches, the only unit to do so that day, before being forced to withdraw.

[1][21] Gleeson made it his duty to attend to the wounded and dying, comforting them and delivering the last rites, despite German shells landing close by him.

[1][21] Gleeson wrote in his diary that night that "it was ghastly to see them lying there in the cold, cheerless outhouses on beare stretchers with no blankets to cover their freezing limbs".

[27] This quote was selected for a stone at the Island of Ireland Peace Park, Messines, Belgium erected in 1998 to commemorate the Irish dead of the war.

[28] Gleeson was upset by the high death toll and the heartfelt letters he received from family members of killed and wounded soldiers.

The certificate included the names of major battles that the Munsters had fought in, the flags of Allied nations, a crucifix, the Celtic cross and the Irish harp.

[32] Gleeson further distinguished himself later that year by assisting in the defence of a trench against enemy attack and served with the Munsters in action on 25 September 1915 in the Battle of Loos.

[3][30] He had a strong commitment to the idea of freeing Belgium from German occupation but was known to be critical of what he considered anti-clerical views held by the French authorities.

[11] Having originally agreed to serve for a year Gleeson wrote to Father Bernard Rawlinson, the senior Roman Catholic chaplain, in October 1915 requesting that he be relieved of duty at the end of his current contract.

[1][30] Gleeson returned to Ireland and after a period of convalescence served as curate at the newly opened Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Dublin from 16 December.

[1][11][3] He encountered hostility from Irish republicans due to his association with the British Army; it is said that the Bishop of Cork, Daniel Cohalan, a fervent nationalist, deliberately placed Gleeson in pro-republican parishes.

The first, depicting the first Holy Week, was entitled Bethany to Calvary, was staged at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in February 1931 and received high praise from many authorities on sacred drama.

[45] Gleeson is mentioned in Frank Delaney's novel Shannon, set in post-war Ireland, with reference made to his taking command of the battalion at the First Battle of Ypres and to being "a bit shook up" by his experiences.

[46] The stole Gleeson wore during his famous absolution before Aubers Ridge was rediscovered in August 2014 in the collection of the National Army Museum, having been acquired by them in 1959.

[4][26][47] A memorial was unveiled on the centenary of the fighting at Aubers Ridge in May 2015 at the recently rediscovered site of Gleeson's absolution at Rue de Bois.