How a Bear Became a Corporal in the Army

An Abandoned Cub

On the 8th of April 1942 in Hamadan, Iran, a group of Polish soldiers met an Iranian boy who had found a bear cub all alone in the forest. The boy had noticed that the cub’s mother had been shot by a group of hunters and was abandoned all alone in the vast wilderness. Feeling pity for the animal, he brought the bear with him. In the group of Polish soldiers was a civilian called Irena Bokiewicz who instantly took a liking to the bear and offered to purchase it off the Iranian boy, who of course accepted the offer. Irena then took care of the cub for three years while living in a refugee camp. As transporting the bear back to Poland would most likely have been difficult and a costly endeavor, she opted to donate the bear to the military. The soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company accepted the now not-so-small bear cub and named it Wojtek, an old Slavic name meaning Happy Warrior.

Wojtek was seemingly happy in the company of the soldiers, being fed condensed milk from an old vodka bottle and eating a mixture of fruits and berries. He was even rewarded with an occasional beer. Yes, actual alcoholic beer. This prompted Wojtek to start copying the soldiers and beginning to help out at camp. From carrying heavy crates to marching with the other soldiers, Wojtek would come to be a mascot for the Polish company and was loved by the soldiers. While in the army, he was stationed in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and then Egypt (imagine being less traveled than a bear!).

Corporal Wojtek

Wojtek’s company would then end up being transferred to the Italian Campaign, so therefore transportation to Italy was required. As the transportation was managed by the British Navy and they had strictly forbidden personal animals and mascot animals to be on board, there was of course only one logical solution. Officially conscript Wojtek into the army! And so, he would become the first bear to be incorporated into the army as Private Wojtek. And by no means was he a slacker. Wojtek would sleep with the others soldiers in tents, carry over 45 kg (100 pounds) crates, and reportedly never dropping a single one of them even while his units was taking fire from enemy artillery. This all happened while his unit was in an active war, notedly during the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. Wojtek was so effective (for being a bear) that he would end up being promoted to corporal. Must be quite a story to tell when a soldier technically has to take orders from a bear.

After the War

Thankfully, Wojtek survived the war but his faith was still uncertain. Where would he live? Where would he be the happiest? Poland was now controlled by a Soviet government, so going back there would certainly seal his faith as a propaganda-oriented symbol. The 22nd Company was billeted on a small farm in Scotland, near the English border. He became truly popular during this time and when the company was disbanded in 1947, he was donated to the Edinburgh Zoo, which happily accepted the seasoned veteran. He would become a big attraction for the zoo as many reporters and even Polish soldiers who served with him would come and visit. The soldiers even tossed Wojtek cigarettes, much to the dismay of the general public. Wojtek apparently enjoyed chewing tobacco while serving in the army (and probably got addicted to it), so I’m sure he loved when the soldiers visited him. In December of 1963, Wojtek passed away of old age at the age of 21, which is a respectable age for a bear, especially one that drank alcohol and ate cigarettes!

Wojtek is now forever immortalized in ten different statues located in Poland and in the UK where he can be seen posing with soldiers and carrying ammo crates.