THE CANADA TIMES

As it happened

Wojtek, the Polish Soldier Bear

Jeanie Johnston Educational Foundation Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jeruslem 155,du Buisson, Pierrefonds, P.Q.H8Y 2Z5 Tel.: 514-341-7777 Email: jeaniejohnstonfdn@videotron.ca

Januar y 2015

Wojtek*, the Polish Soldier BearBy Irene Tomaszewski

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A veteran with 26 months service, Private Voytek joined the Polish II Corps in Syria, and went on to see action at Monte

Cassino, Ancona, Loretto, and Bologna. He was a genuine hero, loved and respected by his comrades. As one Italian headline later put it: Wojtek l’orso che libero l’Italia (Wojtek, the bear that liberated Italy).

This raises a few questions: What was a Syrian brown bear doing in the Polish army in the Middle East? How did the Polish army even get to the Middle East? How did Wojtek officially enlist and get the rank of Private? And why did he journey on with his comrades into battle and, in the end, even to be demobilized in Scotland?

When we in the West speak of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, the principal allies are generally understood to be Britain, the US, and the USSR. It is often overlooked that the Soviet Union’s participation did not start that way. Indeed, after signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939, the USSR and Nazi Germany agreed to jointly invade, partition and occupy Poland, and collaborate in the suppression of all resistance. During this period, the Soviets annexed huge tracts of eastern Poland, arrested, and executed thousands, and deported hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens to the Gulag, thereby changing “the facts on the ground.”

It was only when Hitler turned on his erstwhile ally in June 1941 that Stalin suddenly needed help. And the West was prepared to offer it, but with conditions, among them that Stalin release his Polish prisoners and allow the formation of a Polish army.

The Poles emerged from the Soviet prisons and camps, streamed from the far reaches of Siberia and headed south to the new headquarters of their own army under the command of General Wladyslaw Anders. He too had just been released from the infamous Lubyanka Prison in Moscow. Having met these conditions of the new alliance, Stalin only grudgingly and meagerly supplied the Polish army with food and arms. The Poles opted to negotiate their way out of Russia to regroup in the Middle East to fight under British command.

It was during the long trek from Russia to Iraq that some young Polish soldiers came across a bear cub whose mother had been killed. For these very young men, having just endured captivity and forced labour, sick, emaciated and most of them mourning

(*pronounced Voytek)

Born in a Soviet gulag to Polish parents, in 1942 Tomaszewski

and her mother were evacuated from the Soviet Union. After six years in an East Africa refugee camp, the family were reunited. In 1949, they immigrated to Canada.

Irene Tomaszewski was a founding president of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies. She has co-authored, with Tecia Webowski, a book Żegota: The Rescue of Jews in Wartime Poland, published in Canada in 1994, a non-fiction account of a clandestine organization in occupied Poland. The subject of her book, Żegota, was a Polish-Jewish council operating from 1942 to 1945 under the umbrella of the Polish Government in Exile or more precisely under the Government Delegate’s Office at Home (Delegatura Rządu na Kraj), the only such organization in World War II. The book was reissued in 1999 as Żegota: The Council for Aid to Jews in Occupied Poland, 1942-45. Irene Tomaszewski is the screenwriter of a documentary of the same name.

Tomaszewski is also the editor and translator of I’m First a Human Being: The Prison Letters of Krystyna Wituska (1997). In 2006 the book was published in the United States as Inside a Gestapo Prison: The Letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944.

For over twenty years, Leo Delaney has been a good friend of Irene and her husband, Alex. They spent many hours together at the Troika in Montreal.

the loss of parents and siblings, the little bear was a light-hearted presence in their traumatized young lives. They loved him, cared for him, and called him Wojtek. And for some time, they concealed his presence from their officers.

But cubs grow; Wojtek could not remain a secret for long. Of course Wojtek charmed the officers too so now it was just a matter of concealing the bear from senior officers, but they too were quickly charmed by the little bear and noted the boost in morale that the bear provided. They knew from their own experience what these young soldiers had just lived through, and that many had lost family in the Gulag. Wojtek was needed.

At first, the men fed the cub condensed milk, gradually adding fruit and honey. As Wojtek grew bigger, he acquired a taste for other food not normally a part of a bear’s diet including beer and cigarettes, which he ate. He enjoyed wrestling but, once he got bigger than the men, he seemed to understand that his size gave him an advantage so he wrestled more gently. He also enjoyed games of tug-of-war. But he was no idler and often helped out carrying heavy equipment.

All went well until the Polish II Corps got orders to prepare for a landing in Italy, and the battle of Monte Cassino. While Wojtek had become an accepted fixture on the army base, getting past the

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(cont. p.4)

British officers to board ship required more creativity. The regulations were strict: the transport was for the army, and only for the army. Disciplined soldiers that they were, the Poles decided the only solution was to follow regulations. They enlisted Wojtek, complete with rank, serial number and a paybook, and men even taught him to salute. Still, a British officer did notice that Private Wojtek did not respond to a roll call. “He only speaks Polish and Persian,” the men explained and brought him forward. Once again there were no objections.

Wojtek boarded the ship with his comrades, ready for battle. His engagement at Monte Cassino is the stuff of legends. An enormous bear, he carried heavy equipment and great artillery shells. Cheerful, cooperative and energetic, he not only helped with the work but was a boon for the spirits of the men. After the battle, an image of Wojtek carrying an artillery shell became the official badge of the 22nd Transport Company.

When the war ended, the men and women of the Polish II Corps had no homes to return to. Even as the men were fighting, their allies turned their country over to Stalin. Returning to Poland under Moscow’s

control would likely have ended in being deported again to the Gulag. Or worse. Churchill and other former wartime comrades ensured that the Polish veterans were brought to Britain to be honorably discharged. Some were sent to Scotland where they were warmly welcomed and, with the help of Wojtek, made many friends.

For two years they lived in barracks in a camp in nearby Winfield, in Berwickshire, where they took classes in English and in a variety of trades to adapt them to civilian life, whether in the UK or in other countries that would accept them. Many would eventually go to Canada. But meantime, they still had Wojtek.

Wojtek having fun with a friend

Official badge of the 22nd

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By all accounts, Wojtek was a girl magnet. The soldiers were often invited to socials and dances and they soon noticed that having a bear with them meant that they would be surrounded by admiring young Scottish girls. Wojtek enjoyed this social life. He would sit and drink a beer, often swaying to the music as he watched the festivities. He left the dancing to the men.

Compared to Scottish Calvinists, Polish Catholic men could dance like Fred Astaire. At first the clergy from both sides looked askance at this early ecumenism, but the young people took the matter in their own hands and a lot of girls traded in names like MacDonald or Campbell for the more challenging Wojciechowski or Szypowski. In time, the men were resettled in new jobs or left for new countries and the barracks were closed.

Voytek, meanwhile, remained a great concern to all. He could not be abandoned. The Edinburgh Zoo offered him a home and Wojtek became the most popular attraction. There, Wojtek lived out the remaining years of his life, the friendliest bear that ever lived outside a storybook. For years, his old comrades visited and broke all rules, jumping over the fence for a bit of wrestling. The zoo officials were tolerant, the playful antics enjoyed great popularity.

One day, a little girl joined a school trip to the zoo. Her grandfather, who had known the Polish soldiers, told her about the bear and told her to greet him in Polish, pronouncing his name properly. “Czesc, Wojtek!” She did, and Wojtek responded joyfully.

Wojtek (cont.)

Today the little girl, Aileen Orr, is a member of the Scottish Parliament. Ms Orr has established the Wojtek Memorial Trust to honour him and his comrades from World War II, and to strengthen the bonds between Scotland and Poland. The Trust raised funds for Wojtek’s memorial statue to be erected in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, and registered Wojtek’s very own tartan. Ms Orr is the author of Wojtek the Bear: Polish War Hero.

Wojtek’s very own tartan

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An Obituary to Common SenseToday we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will

be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: – Knowing when to come in out of the rain; – Why the early bird gets the worm; – Life isn’t always fair; – And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, – by his parents, Truth and Trust, – by his wife, Discretion, – by his daughter, Responsibility, – and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his five stepbrothers; – I Know My Rights – I Want It Now – Someone Else Is to Blame – I’m a Victim – Pay Me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

We are working towards having the Battle of Chateauguay included in the curriculum for Quebec schools. That students are in ignorance of these historic times is very unfortunate. Former Premier, Jean Charest, has recommended a meeting with the Minister of Education to discuss this; we are awaiting a time and date.

The Minister of Public Affairs, Pierre Moreau, MNA, Chateauguay, has espoused our endeavours and written to M. Bolduc, Minister of Education.

We have also initiated a competition, for all schools across Canada awarding two prizes of $1000 each for the best power point presentation by a secondary student on the subjects “The Battle of the Chateauguay” and the “Battle of Queenston Heights.” LEARN, a division of Ministry of Education Quebec, and the Canada Education Agency, which covers all other Provinces, have agreed to finance the prize monies. We will require help in funding the research and web information which will enable students to compete.

Suggestions for new articles should be submitted to Alan Hustak, Editor. hustak@themetrepolitan.ca

WEB SITES: click to view

www.irishfamine.ca – focusing on the effects of arrival of thousands of famine victims into Canada and the USA.

www.canadarailwaytimes.com – focusing on the building of the Victoria Bridge, the founding of the Grand Trunk railway and the effect of this on sports, entertainment, politics and education.

Did you know that the Victoria Bridge has only been closed for one day since it was built?

www.hospitaller.ca – focusing on the history and aims of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

NEXT ISSUE: The Irish Regiment in Canada

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Hustak’s book, At the Heart of St. Mary’s is much more than an illustrated history of the hospital’s survival. It is filled with startling stories of

disappointment, perseverance, power struggles, political infighting, linguistic turmoil and extraordinary resilience, often in the face of outright hostility. Everyone who has ever worked at St. Mary’s, been born there, or been a patient, has a story to tell about the hospital. Those who believe in the place believe in it devoutly.

For nearly 90 years St. Mary’s Hospital Centre has been one of Montreal’s finest. The hospital was the vision of a determined nun, Helen Morrissey, and a well- heeled young surgeon, Dr. Donald Hingston. Irish philanthropists and doctors with

names such as Shaughnessy, McKenna, O’Brien and Timmins bankrolled the institution in its early days. The Grey Nuns and then the Sisters of Providence ran its top-notch nursing school for almost 50 years.

St. Mary’s remains a manageable institution where patients are still treated as individuals and not numbers, especially in its obstetrics, oncology, radiology, and family medicine departments. Affiliated with McGill University, St. Mary’s is no longer a faith based institution, although the spirit of its founders lives on.

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Alan Hustak reveals all about St. Mary’s