In West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh is the monument for Wojtek the bear. It shows Wojtek the bear and a human soldier next to him on a floor made of Polish granite. Behind the two is a stone wall with a bronze relief showing various scenes with Wojtek's work during the war. An information sign informs us about his life:
Wojtek the bear
Bronze sculpture of Polish soldier and bear, by sculptor Alan Heriot, 2015
In 1942, Polish soldiers, who had escaped the Nazi occupation of their country and the labour camps of Siberia, adopted an orphaned brown bear they found as the Anders Army passed through Iran under British command. Wojtek grew up amongst them, enjoying wrestling matches and developing a taste for beer and cigarettes. In order to keep him with them, they had him officially drafted into the army as a Private, given his own pay book, rank and serial number.
Untroubled by gunfire, Wojtek helped to carry ammunition at the Italian Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the hardest fought battles of World War II. Allied troops finally broke the German defensive line, but sustained enormous losses. Edinburgh born sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi's family came from the area and his giant foot sculpture, the 'Manuscript of Monte Cassino' is a memorial to this battle.
Like many of his heroic countrymen, after the war, Wojtek settled in Scotland. He lived out his years in Edinburgh Zoo, until his much mourned death in 1963.