Wojtek, the brave comrade.
Conventional wisdom tells us that bears are wild creatures best avoided by humans. The soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps however decided to defy conventional wisdom in 1942 when they adopted a Syrian brown bear cub found in Hamadan, Iran.
Its’s cuddle time in the infantry!
What ensued was a compassionate relationship between the bear cub and the infantry soldiers, a relationship, which would last for 21 years.
The soldiers gave the elated bear the name “Wojtek.” The name itself is derived from two words: “woj” (the stem of “wojownik”, warrior, and “wojna”, war); and “ciech”, enjoyment. A new Polish “smiling warrior” was born!
Initially the bear was used for entertainment purposes. Wojtek was given daily rations of honey, cigarettes and beer, alongside the two bottles of ale the bear guzzled down a day. In addition the Syrian brown bear enjoyed wrestling with his fellow compatriots. For more formal purposes the bear was even taught to salute when greeted.
As the infantry moved up north after being stationed in Iran the soldiers were faced with a customs issue. In order to get Wojtek on a British transport ship he had to be enlisted into the army. Subsequently when the unit sailed from Egypt to fight with 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 of the Polish II Corps.
Even though Wojtek was viewed and treated more as a mascot for his unit he did bravely serve in his unit. His most heroic acts were centered around the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome. Wojtek duly helped his friends by transporting ammunition – never dropping a single crate.
After WWII Wojtek and his unit was moved to Berwickshire, Scotland. Later on in 1947 Wojtek was moved to Edinburgh Zoo where he would come to spend the rest of his life.
Wojtek’s spirit continues till date. Recently the brave and loveable bear received a humble memorial in Edinburgh, which sought to augment the efforts of the Wojtek Memorial Trust, a registered Scottish Charity that seeks the advancement of education, arts, heritage and culture.
Wojtek with artillery ammo – sign painted on 22nd Artillery Supply Company vehicles
Weis 
Interesting blog entry. It seems having a bear carried a lot status in that regions of the world during that time. My grandfather emigrated from Russia and did well in the USA as a small businessman. One of the things he carried from the old country was having a bear in his front yard to signify his business success. Sounds odd but the bear loved Coca Cola and would drink bottles of it.
That is true Mike! Unfortunately these days bears are abused in many places such as the Ukraine. They are chained and whipped in order to make them dance in villages and along road sides for those who pay. Extensive wildlife zones have not been established yet, which is a pity since a lot of wild bears are put up for hunt in exchange for bribes. I personally like bears and I hope some day that I would be able to observe them in the wild and their natural habitat alongside some bear ‘whisperer’ haha.