Private Wojtek.

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Wojtek the bear (this common Polish name means "Happy Warrior").

In 1942, the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps came across an Iranian beggar boy with a bear cub in a sack, they purchased the bear for a tin of army issue bully beef (presumably there was enough in the can to feed a regiment). The boy was undoubtedly pleased with the deal, the soldiers had an unexpected comrade for the remainder of the war, and the bear escaped a life of torment.

Wojtek was initially raised on condensed milk fed from a vodka bottle and, presumably, moved on to the bully beef that bought his life. He grew up to join in all aspects of military life: enjoying beer, cigarettes (which he ate, once they had been lit) and wrestling (at six foot tall and weighing twenty stones he would have been a formidable opponent but who could, on occasion, sportingly allow his challenger to win). He even learnt to salute.

He was officially enlisted so that he could travel with his company and, he travelled to Monte Cassino, in Italy, where he took part in the action; ignoring the continual bombardment from enemy forces, for twenty-four hours he carried munitions from the supply truck to gun emplacement easily managing the one hundred pound cases that gave the men serious problems.
Hence the insignia that the company adopted.
During the action, the company delivered 17,300 tons of munitions and 1,100 tons of food to the troops.
The allied losses in this successful action were horrendous.

Following the war the corps, including Wojtek, was station at the village of Hutton in Berwickshire where the bear became a "chick magnet" at the local dances, much to the advantage of the men.
After demob, he was re-homed in Edinburgh Zoo where he settled and stayed for the rest of his life, the zoo keeper regularly turning a blind eye to the Polish soldiers who threw him beer and cigarettes, and even, on occasion, climbing into his enclosure; the bear always remembered his former comrades and enjoyed their visits, remaining a "happy bunny" for several days after.

A statue of Wojtek with Dymitr, his minder, is due to be installed in Princes Street Gardens, it was designed several years ago.

This information comes from the book by Aileen Orr who knew some of the soldiers, the Wikipedia version of events disagrees on many points of information.

The last third of the book covers the history of the Polish peoples up to, and including, the aftermath of the war. It makes harrowing reading. Poles were repatriated to continue their lives in conditions not fitting for war heroes, many of them dying at the hands of Stalin, and all because of the inappropriate action of the British government.

Edit: LadyFindhorn's blip is of Mr Urbanski who fought with Wojtek.