Tartan Details - The Scottish Register of Tartans

19 April 2024

you are in: Wojtek Memorial Trust	quick tartan search:

While you can search the Register without having to register and login, you will need to create an account to:

-	Register new tartan designs
-	Request threadcount information
-	Receive notification of all new registered tartan designs and other news updates
-	Manage your account details
-	Request official amendments

Tartan Details - Wojtek Memorial Trust

The information held within The Scottish Register of Tartans for the "Wojtek Memorial Trust" tartan is shown below.

Reference:	10921


Designer:	Kinloch Anderson Ltd
Tartan date:	10/09/2013
Registration date:	18 October 2013
Category:	Corporate
Restrictions:	Yes. This tartan is intended to be used and marketed according to the wishes of the Polish Ex-Combatants Association, 11 Drummond Place, Edinburgh EH3 6PJ. Any tartan fabric and products which feature the tartan may not be made or sold unless specific permission has been requested to and granted by the Association.
Registration notes:	The Wojtek Memorial Trust Tartan commemorates Wojtek the Bear (1942–1963) was a Syrian brown bear cub found in Iran and adopted by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. The tartan is based on the sett of the Roxburgh tartan because Wojtek visited Springwood Park, Kelso owned by the Duke of Roxburgh when he arrived in Scotland. The vibrant red colour of the Roxburgh tartan reflects the Polish flag whilst the red “ribbon-like lines” are a reminder of the red and white ribbons soldiers bought from local women to sew onto their uniforms to identify themselves as the Polish Army. The colours of the Polish flag and the Scottish flag sit together in the design to represent the special relationship between Scotland and Poland. The two shades of green reflect the countryside of the Scottish Borders and the Leslie tartan trews which were worn by the King’s Own Scottish Borderers Regiment. The single sand over-check is a reminder of the desert lands of the Middle East and of Wojtek’s soft brown fur. Within the tartan design it is symbolically placed in the heart of the Scottish Borders green, representing where both the Polish soldiers and Wojtek found friendship and a new homeland.

Woven Sample:	A woven sample of this tartan has been received by the Scottish Register of Tartans for permanent preservation in the National Records of Scotland.

Tartan image: Wojtek Memorial Trust. Click on this image to see a more detailed version.

Click on the image above to see a more detailed version.

If you would like to request threadcount information for this tartan you must Log In to the site. If you do not have an account, click here to create one.

Note: This tartan was registered in the official Scottish Register of Tartans using the guidance at the time of registration. This may have been updated and you should refer to the most recent guidance on our website for registration criteria.

National Records of Scotland, H.M. General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY
email: [email protected].