Join us in paying tribute to decorated Polish war veteran Ludwik Jaszczur, who has passed away at the age of 95. 🕯️
Join us in paying tribute to decorated Polish war veteran Ludwik Jaszczur, who has passed away at the age of 95. 🕯️ Jaszczur fought bravely alongside the famous 'soldier bear' Wojtek during WW2 and was a friend of legendary Polish commander General Maczek, whose tank division was instrumental in the Allied liberation of France. Born in 1927, Jaszczur and his family were forcefully removed from their family home in Poland by the Nazis when he was just 12 years of age. Thankfully, he managed to escape and eventually joined the Polish army. He was still in his teens when he fought in the Battle of Monte towards the end of the Second World War. It was during the pivotal Italian offensive that Jaszczur met legendary soldier bear, Wojtek, who was trained to carry arms for the Polish troops. He forged an unlikely lifelong friendship with Wojtek the bear and visited the animal regularly at Edinburgh Zoo. Wojtek lived out the rest of his days at the zoo until his death in 1