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Media attention contributed to Wojtek's popularity. He was a frequent guest on BBC television's ''[[Blue Peter]]'' programme for children.{{cn|date=December 2015}}
Media attention contributed to Wojtek's popularity. He was a frequent guest on BBC television's ''[[Blue Peter]]'' programme for children.{{cn|date=December 2015}}


Wojtek died in December 1963, at the age of 21, after it was discovered that he had long been cheating his fellow soldiers at weekly poker games and was known to use his winnings to purchase barrels of raw fish. At the time of his death he weighed nearly {{convert|500|lb|kg}} and was over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.<ref name="DailyMail"/>
Wojtek died in December 1963, at the age of 21. At the time of his death he weighed nearly {{convert|500|lb|kg}} and was over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.<ref name="DailyMail"/>


Among the many memorials commemorating the soldier-bear are plaques in the [[Imperial War Museum]] in [[London]] and [[Canadian War Museum]] in [[Ottawa]], as well as a sculpture by artist David Harding in the [[Sikorski Museum]] (also in London) and a carved wooden sculpture in Weelsby Woods, [[Grimsby]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Polish-soldiers-meet-Wojtek-bear-8210-Grimsby-s/story-13697691-detail/story.html |title=Polish soldiers meet Wojtek the bear ‒ Grimsby's tribute to Second World War heroes |work=[[Grimsby Telegraph]] |date=29 October 2011 |accessdate=15 August 2014}}</ref>
Among the many memorials commemorating the soldier-bear are plaques in the [[Imperial War Museum]] in [[London]] and [[Canadian War Museum]] in [[Ottawa]], as well as a sculpture by artist David Harding in the [[Sikorski Museum]] (also in London) and a carved wooden sculpture in Weelsby Woods, [[Grimsby]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Polish-soldiers-meet-Wojtek-bear-8210-Grimsby-s/story-13697691-detail/story.html |title=Polish soldiers meet Wojtek the bear ‒ Grimsby's tribute to Second World War heroes |work=[[Grimsby Telegraph]] |date=29 October 2011 |accessdate=15 August 2014}}</ref>

Revision as of 13:46, 10 December 2015

Wojtek

the Soldier Bear
Born1942
Hamadan, Iran
DiedDecember 2, 1963(1963-12-02) (aged 21)
Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland
Service/branch Polish Land Forces
Years of service1943-45
Rank Corporal
Unit3522, 22nd Artillery Supply Company, II Corps (Poland)
Battles/warsBattle of Monte Cassino
MemorialsWojtek Memorial Trust
Websitethesoldierbear.com

Wojtek (1942–1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]) usually spelled Voytek in English, was a Syrian brown bear found in Iran and adopted by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. He was later officially enlisted as a soldier of the company with the rank of Private, and subsequently became a Corporal.[1] During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek helped to move crates of ammunition. The name "Wojtek" is a diminutive (Hypocorism) form of "Wojciech", an old Slavic name that is still common in Poland today and means "he who enjoys war" or "joyful warrior".[2]

History

Polish soldier with Wojtek in Iran 1942.

In the spring of 1942 the newly formed Anders Army left the Soviet Union for Iran (then Persia), accompanied by thousands of Polish civilians who had been deported to the gulags following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

During a rest stop near the town of Hamadan while en route to Tehran on 8 April 1942, a group of Polish soldiers encountered a young Iranian boy who had found a bear cub after its mother had been shot by hunters. One of the civilian refugees in their midst, eighteen-year-old Irena Bokiewicz, was very taken with the cub, which prompted lieutenant Anatol Tarnowiecki to purchase the young bear, who spent the next three months in the Polish refugee camp that was established near Tehran, principally under the care of Irena.[3] In August the bear was donated to the 2nd Transport Company, which later became the 22nd Artillery Supply Company, and he was given the name Wojtek by the soldiers.

Wojtek initially had problems swallowing and was fed with condensed milk from an old vodka bottle. He was subsequently given fruit, marmalade, honey and syrup, and was often rewarded with beer, which became his favourite drink. He later also enjoyed smoking (or eating) cigarettes.[4][5] He loved wrestling with the soldiers and was taught to salute when greeted. Wojtek became quite an attraction for soldiers and civilians alike, and soon became an unofficial mascot of all units stationed nearby. With the 22nd Company he moved to Iraq and then through Syria, Palestine and Egypt.[6]

Private Wojtek

To get him onto a British transport ship when the unit sailed with the rest of the Polish II Corps from Egypt to fight alongside the British 8th Army in the Italian campaign, Wojtek was officially drafted into the Polish Army as a Private and was listed among the soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. Henryk Zacharewicz and Dymitr Szawlugo were assigned as his caretakers.

Wojtek with artillery shell - emblem of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.[7]

As an enlisted soldier of the company, with his own paybook, rank and serial number, he lived with the other men in tents or in a special wooden crate, which was transported by truck. According to numerous accounts, during the Battle of Monte Cassino Wojtek helped by carrying ammunition – never dropping a single crate.[8] In recognition of the bear's popularity, the HQ approved a depiction of a bear carrying an artillery shell as the official emblem of the 22nd Company.[6]

Postwar

Monument to Wojtek in Park Jordana, Kraków

Following the end of World War II in 1945, Wojtek was transported to Berwickshire in Scotland with the rest of the 22nd Company. They were stationed at Winfield Airfield on Sunwick Farm, near the village of Hutton, Scottish Borders. Wojtek soon became popular among local civilians and the press, and the Polish-Scottish Association made him one of its honorary members.

Following demobilisation on 15 November 1947, Wojtek was given to Edinburgh Zoo, where he spent the rest of his life, often visited by journalists and former Polish soldiers, some of whom would toss him cigarettes, which he proceeded to eat because there was no one there to light them for him.[9]

Media attention contributed to Wojtek's popularity. He was a frequent guest on BBC television's Blue Peter programme for children.[citation needed]

Wojtek died in December 1963, at the age of 21. At the time of his death he weighed nearly 500 pounds (230 kg) and was over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.[6]

Among the many memorials commemorating the soldier-bear are plaques in the Imperial War Museum in London and Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, as well as a sculpture by artist David Harding in the Sikorski Museum (also in London) and a carved wooden sculpture in Weelsby Woods, Grimsby.[10]

On 25 April 2013, Kraków city council decided to erect a statue of Wojtek in Park Jordana. It was unveiled on 18 May 2014 - the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino.[11][12]

On 16 September 2013 the City of Edinburgh Council approved the erection of a bronze statue of Wojtek to stand in the city's Princes Street Gardens. It was unveiled on 7 November 2015 and represents Wojtek and a Polish Army Soldier walking in peace and unity. A 4 m (13 ft) long relief documents his journey from Egypt to Scotland alongside the Polish Army.[13][14]

On 30 December 2011, a film, Wojtek – The Bear That Went to War, was broadcast on BBC Two Scotland, narrated by Brian Blessed.[15]

British songwriter Katy Carr released a music video called 'Wojtek,' on 17 September 2014 - the 75th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Wojciech". Behind the Name. 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  3. ^ O niedźwiedziu, który był polskim żołnierzem" in: Polonia Włoska Biuletyn Informacyjny, Wiosna/Lato 2013, p.24, http://en.calameo.com/read/000823018fce5ff37e1c7
  4. ^ "Wojtek wraca". Polityka (in Polish). 2 February 2008. p. 11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Smarter than the average bear .. by far". Edinburgh Evening News. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Private Wojtek, the 35 stone bear who battled Nazis to be remembered with statue". Mail Online. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. ^ Sansone, Adele (9 July 2013). "'Private Wojtek' alias Voytek, ein Bär im Dienste der Armee". Suite101 (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Orr, Aileen (1 November 2010). Wojtek the Bear - Polish War Hero. Birlinn Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-84158-845-2.
  9. ^ Hale, Beth (25 January 2008). "The hero bear who went to war (and loved a smoke and a beer)". Mail Online. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Polish soldiers meet Wojtek the bear ‒ Grimsby's tribute to Second World War heroes". Grimsby Telegraph. 29 October 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Krakow votes for WWII soldier bear statue". Polskie Radio. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  12. ^ Polski, Pilnuj (13 May 2014). "Niedźwiedź Wojtek będzie miał swój pomnik w krakowskim Parku Jordana" (in Polish). Wpolityce.pl. Retrieved 15 August 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ McCann, David (29 May 2013). "Prince Street Gardens statue of Polish army bear". The Scotsman. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Niedźwiedź Wojtek w Princes Street Gardens" (in Polish). Emito.net. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War". BBC Two. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  16. ^ folkradio.co.uk/2015/09/video-premiere-katy-carr-wojtek/

Further reading

  • Anders, Wladyslaw (1949). An Army in Exile, the Story of the Second Polish Corps. London: Macmillan.
  • Kleczkowski, Stefan (1945). Poland's first 100,000: Story of the Rebirth of the Polish Army, Navy and Air Force After the September Campaign. London & New York: Hutchinson.
  • Morgan, Geoffrey; Lasocki, Wiesław A. (1970). Soldier Bear. London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-211793-2.
  • Dumon Tak, Bibi (2011). Soldier Bear. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-8028-5375-2.
  • Orr, Aileen (2012). Wojtek the Bear: Polish War Hero. Edinburgh: Birlinn Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84341-057-7.
  • Ivell, Krystyna; Baczor, Vic (2013). Wojtek Album. London: Self-published. ISBN 978-0-9926327-0-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wojtek (soldier bear).
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