Wojtek the Bear

Fond of a bevvy and a fag Wojtek’s habits weren’t too different from your typical soldier, but typical he most certainly wasn’t. Private Wojtek of the 22nd Polish Artillery Supply Company was actually a six-foot Syrian brown bear who served alongside Polish soldiers during the 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino. Now, 45 years after his death, he finds himself once more in the headlines as a campaign to have a monument honoring his life gathers pace.