The Trench Bear
Private · Polish II Corps · 1942 — 1963
"He was one of us. He drank, he smoked, he wrestled with us. When the shells needed carrying, he carried them. He was a soldier."
In 1942, Polish soldiers traveling through Iran encountered a boy carrying an orphaned Syrian brown bear cub. They traded a few cans of food for him. They named him Wojtek—a diminutive of "Wojciech," meaning "he who enjoys war" or "joyful warrior."
Brothers in Arms
Training Days
Wrestling Match
Play Fighting
Ready to Ride
At the Log
To transport Wojtek to Italy aboard a British ship, regulations required him to be officially enlisted. He was given the rank of Private, a serial number, and assigned to the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. At Monte Cassino, he carried 100-pound artillery shells to the guns—never dropping one.
In the Trenches
At the Artillery
Carrying the Fight
Among His Unit
After the war, Wojtek and his unit were stationed in Scotland. Unable to return to Soviet-controlled Poland, many soldiers chose exile. Wojtek lived his final years at the Edinburgh Zoo, where his former comrades visited him regularly.
Today, bronze statues of Wojtek stand in Edinburgh, London, Ottawa, and Kraków. His image—a bear carrying an artillery shell—became the official emblem of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company, a symbol of courage and brotherhood.
In Formation
Memories of a Soldier
Not merely a mascot,
but a comrade in arms.
He carried more than shells—
he carried hope.
"Pro memoria"