Polish Forces

A true Hero of Poland ...

No - not the humans. The star of this 'photo, of course, is Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear that was not so much adopted as enlisted (really) by the Polish Army in Iran, 1942, as a small cub. He was a small, abandoned cub at the time; by the time he was demobbed in Scotland in 1947, he was a rather large and far from friendless bear. Wojtek was actually listed on the strength of the Polish 22nd Artillery Supply Company for most of that time. Apart from Iran, he served his adopted country faithfully in Iraq, Syria Palestine, Egypt and Italy. He liked to eat fruit, marmalade, golden syrup and (of course) honey - as well as cigarettes (no accounting for taste). He was also partial to the odd pint of beer - which presumably kept his strength up so that he could help pass the ammunition (something he is said to have done during the bombardment of Monte Cassino). Following demobilisation, Wojtek was retired to Edinburgh Zoo, where he was often visited by Polish former comrades who would throw him cigarettes as a treat. He also became something of a star on British childrens' television. Wojtek died in December, 1963, aged 22. Those cigarettes - they will get you in the end. Best regards, JR.