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Apparel with a story

Corporal Wojtek. The bear who became a soldier

A collection built around the Syrian brown bear who crossed Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps, and ended up at Monte Cassino.

Browse products Wojtek’s story

Story · Corporal Wojtek

He could only board the ship to Italy if he was on the roll, so the army signed him up as a private with a service number and a paybook of his own. Corporal came later. At Monte Cassino he carried crates of ammunition, and the company put a bear holding a shell on its badge. After the war he settled at Edinburgh Zoo, where his old comrades kept coming to see him. Our T-shirts are a tribute to that story: every one carries Wojtek’s face, the mark the brand begins with.

  • Shipped from PolandTracked courier to the UK and across the EU
  • 14-day returnsno questions asked, simple procedure
  • Free delivery from £100on every order to the UK

From the warehouse

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What we stock

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On the field

Lookbook

The full shoot →
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Italian Blue, from the brand shoot: old town square
OLD TOWN SQUARE
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Italian Blue, from the brand shoot: old town, head on
OLD TOWN, HEAD ON
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Navy, from the brand shoot: the city walls
THE CITY WALLS
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Italian Blue, from the brand shoot: a bear on the square
A BEAR ON THE SQUARE
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Black, from the brand shoot: open field
OPEN FIELD
Corporal Wojtek T-Shirt, Field Green, Night Eye, from the brand shoot: green in the meadow
GREEN IN THE MEADOW

Catalogue

All T-shirts

The whole range (8) →

The whole range

Brand history

Corporal Wojtek's trail

  1. 1942Hamadan, Iran. Soldiers of the 22nd Company buy an orphaned bear cub from a Persian boy.
  2. 1943Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt. Wojtek crosses the Middle East with the company and learns to carry crates alongside the men.
  3. 1944Monte Cassino. Signed on as a private so he can board the ship to Italy, he hauls ammunition. The company puts a bear with a shell on its badge; corporal comes later.
  4. 1947Scotland. Demobilised from a camp in Berwickshire, he moves to Edinburgh Zoo.
  5. 1963Edinburgh. He dies at twenty one. His old comrades kept visiting to the end.

Archive

The bear who started all this

Wojtek really did walk with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company from Iran to Monte Cassino, and he really did carry ammunition crates. These photographs come from family archives and from veterans’ collections.

  • At camp in the Middle East. A soldier feeds him by hand.
    1943At camp in the Middle East. A soldier feeds him by hand.
  • Wrestling a soldier. The whole company’s favourite pastime.
    1943Wrestling a soldier. The whole company’s favourite pastime.
  • A bottle of beer. He drank it with the men, and this is the story people tell first.
    1944A bottle of beer. He drank it with the men, and this is the story people tell first.
  • A bath in a puddle. Italy, heat, a break between ammunition runs.
    1944A bath in a puddle. Italy, heat, a break between ammunition runs.
  • A portrait. Colourised in our own time.
    A portrait. Colourised in our own time.
  • Scotland. Demobilised, he moves to Edinburgh Zoo.
    1947Scotland. Demobilised, he moves to Edinburgh Zoo.

Archive photographs, some colourised in our own time.

How you buy

Four steps from cart to parcel

  1. Cart and orderPick a variant, enter your address. An account is optional.
  2. Payment and documentCard or bank transfer. We e-mail your invoice or receipt.
  3. Warehouse packsWe set your items aside. Orders paid by 12:00 on a business day are usually dispatched the same day, and the rest go out on the next business day.
  4. Shipping and trackingYou get the tracking number by e-mail. Check the status without signing in.

Before you buy

The questions we get most often

  • Where does my parcel ship from?

    From our own warehouse in Poland. Parcels travel to the UK by international courier, normally 4-8 business days including customs clearance.

    Delivery and payment →

  • What does delivery cost?

    Delivery to the UK is £4.95. You see the amount in the basket before you pay anything.

    Delivery and payment →

  • Will I be charged anything on delivery?

    Tax and any duty are handled under the UK rules, and the sales document that comes with your order says exactly how your parcel was treated.

  • How do returns work?

    You have 14 days from delivery to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, no reason needed. Return postage is yours, and the refund goes back the way the payment came in.

    Returns →

  • How can I pay?

    By card through Stripe, or by bank transfer. You pay in pounds, exactly the amount shown in the basket.

  • Who was Wojtek?

    A Syrian brown bear, bought in Iran in 1942 by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. He carried shells at Monte Cassino, and after the war he settled at Edinburgh Zoo, where his old comrades kept visiting him until he died in 1963.

    About the brand →

Question not here? Drop us a line. hello@corporalwojtek.com

Wholesale (B2B)

Browsing is open and prices are final. Orders to the United Kingdom are not being taken yet: our UK tax registration is still being settled, and we would rather not take your money before it is. Write to hello@corporalwojtek.com and we will tell you the day it opens.