Memorial details

Memorial type
Composite
District
Midlothian
Town
Edinburgh
County
Lothian
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945), Animal Memorials
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 7th November 2015
    Attended by: Wojciech Narebski (Polish Second Corps veteran); Edmund Szymczak; Witold Sobków (Ambassador of Poland), Donald Wilson (Edinburgh’s Lord Provost)
  • Dedicated
    Date: 7th November 2015
    Attended by: Most Rev Leo Cushley, Roman Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
73819

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Current location

Close to Castle Street
Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street
Edinburgh
Midlothian
Lothian
EH2 3AA
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: NT 25024 73732
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
Life and a quarter size bronze sculpture of a Polish soldier with a bear (Wojtek). Behind the statue is a low relief pictorial panel set on a granite platform. The panel shows the bear and soldiers in different moments during the war. Next to the panel there is a carved inscription and the official badge of the 22nd Transport Company, with Wojtek holding a shell.
Inscription
WOJTEK/ In memory of the/ Polish men and women/ who fought/ "For Your Freedom/ and Ours"/ Pamieci polskich/ mezczyzn i kobiet/ ktorzy walczyli/ "Za Wasza/ Wiolnosc i Nasza"
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
  • Animal Memorials
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 1
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Name
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Figures
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Wall
    Measurements: width 4000mm
    Materials: Granite
  • Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Undefined
Condition
Costs

Site: c. £300,000

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Private
Details: Wojtek Memorial Trust commissioned the memorial and raised around £300,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to build the memorial.
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-73819

For queries, please contact [email protected].