The monument honours the memory of the 19 French soldiers of the 46th Alpine Rifle Division. It was financed by the French soldiers stationed near Opole during the plebiscite in Upper Silesia in 1920. Originally, the graves of these 19 soldiers and the monument were located in the former cemetery on Wrocław Street. In 1959, they were transferred to Aleja Zasluzonych in the Opole-Polwies cemetery. A commemorative plaque from the city of Opole was affixed to the monument. On the plaque is written in French: "In memory of the French soldiers who died in exile from wounds sustained during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871."