Books: The bear who became a hero for Polish troops

WOJTEK The Bear: Polish War Hero, by Aileen Orr, epilogue by Neal Ascherson, is published by Birlinn, priced £9.99. It is released on Thursday.

"I must have been around eight years old when I first saw Wojtek," writes Aileen Orr, a political adviser at the Scottish Parliament.

"I can still see him, sitting on a pile of rocks behind a deep pool waving one massive paw. I was thrilled to the very bottom of my being. A lifelong love affair was born."

Staring wide-eyed at the giant 500lb, 6ft brown bear in his enclose at Edinburgh Zoo, young Aileen Orr became one of millions of people across the world to be fascinated by the story of Wojtek. Here, in her book, she tells the inspiring true story of how the bear, adopted by the Polish army as a mascot during World War Two, came to end up in Edinburgh Zoo, where he died in 1963 aged 22.

During the war, Wojtek would help carry heavy mortar rounds, becoming a fully enlisted "soldier" with his own rank and number. After the war, along with many of his Polish compatriots, he arrived in Berwickshire where he helped to boost the morale of his troops, sharing the odd cigarette or pint of beer.

"Wojtek gave them hope," writes author and journalist Neal Ascherson. "In times of lonely despair, a bear helped them to stay human."