THE cast of the Polish soldier who will stand beside the bear that aided troops at Monte Cassino by carrying ammunition has been completed as the larger than life monument takes shape.
The first images of the memorial to the Wojtek soldier bear who lived in Scotland after serving with the Polish army during the Second World War in the Italian conflict have been revealed at a critical stage in its making.
Created by sculptor Alan Beattie-Herriot, the finished monument will be unveiled in Princes Street Gardens West, in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, in 2015.
The brown bear's story has been retold around the world after he was rescued as an orphaned cub by Polish troops during the war, and came to Scotland in 1946 before finally settling in Edinburgh Zoo.
Wojtek became a celebrity and has become a symbol of the link between Poland and Scotland, where many Poles stayed after the war, unable to return home under the Communist regime, and where there is now a strong Polish community.
The Wojtek Memorial Trust has been raising money for the permanent tribute to the bear who was found in Persia in 1942.
A basketball team, Edinburgh Soldier Bears, is now named after the animal with a Wojtek bus also expected to take to the streets of Edinburgh.
Writer Aileen Orr's book Wojtek the Bear: Polish War Hero featured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and a film will be shown in the capital about the bear next month.
The memorial is being cast at Powderhall Bronze in Edinburgh, and its setting has been designed by Raymond Muszynski of Morris and Steedman Associates. The aim is to source the granite from Poland so that the soldier and the bear can stand on a piece of Polish homeland.
Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, is hosting a reception for the trust next week.
Simon Thompson, trust chairman, said: "Since launching our fundraising in September 2013, the trust has raised more than £180,000 to date in cash and in-kind contributions.
"We're very grateful to all who have helped us.
"We hope to reach our target of £300,000 in the first half of 2015 so Wojtek's memorial may be installed and unveiled later in the year, to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the transition from war to peace."
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