Winnie the Pooh - The Winnipeg Connection
The famous story book bear character "Winnie the Pooh" has a real life connection back to the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The British author A.A. Milne , who created and wrote the world famous Winnie the Pooh character , named the bear character after a favorite stuffed toy bear owned by the author's young son - Christopher Milne. The interesting question is how, where and why did young Christopher Milne name his favorite toy bear "Pooh".
It seems that Christopher Milne named the toy after a favorite actual real life alive bear that lived and was on display at the London Zoo, in London England. Then as now a major enjoyable jaunt by families on weekend trips was to the Zoo - in this case the London Zoo. Young Christopher Milne was so enamored and enthralled with the zoo bear named the oldest baseball card that he named his favorite toy after the bear. Thus when his father - the author, wrote his books of poetry and novels and named the central character, this was directly after the bear at the London Zoo - the bear named "Winnie".
The name "Winnie the Pooh" has a direct connection to the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A black bear cub "Winnipeg ", proper, or the shortened nickname "Winnie" , was the mascot of the "Fort Garry Horse" , a Winnipeg based infantry unit.
Along the way of the transport of the Fort Garry Horse unit across Canada by train the train attended a "whistle stop" at White River Ontario. Among the members of this unit was a young veterinarian, who had enlisted in the army, named Harry Colebourn. Harry had a real appreciation and a real manner with animals - be they domesticated, farm stock or wild animals.
While at the White River Train station, the young Lieutenant Colebourn took the time to notice a hunter carrying a black bear cub. It seemed that the hunter had shot the mother bear. The young cub was a sort of pet and was too young to care for itself or fend for itself in the wild. Harry Colebourn took interest and pity on the poor black bear cub realizing that the hunter would soon lose interest or would be unable to care for the bear to a point that it could be released back into the wild. After a period of haggling the hunter reluctantly sold the young, innocent yet playful bear cub to Mr. Colebourn for the then princely sum of $ 20. After purchasing the bear, and becoming familiar with it during the train journey to the Canadian province of Quebec - name the bear after his and the regiment's home town of Winnipeg. At some point this was shortened to the bear's nickname of "Winnie". Thus the young bear cub was named "Winnipeg" and nicknamed for short "Winnie" "
Winnie the bear cub went along for the train ride, as well as the boat ride and traveled with this Canadian infantry group all the way to England. The bear cub "Winnie" became the famed mascot of the Winnipeg based "Fort Garry Horse Regiment" While stationed in England , at Salisbury Plain , Winnipeg the bear of "Winnie " for short stayed in Lieutenant Colebourne's tent , sleeping under his cot , and becoming a favorite of the Canadian soldiers.
This bear cub "Winnie" stayed with the regiment and continued to be a source of pleasure and enjoyment to the group and indeed became rather famous and well known. However when the regiment itself unfortunately was to be shipped off to the battlefields of France Harry placed Winnie in the safeguard and safekeeping of the London Zoo, in London England. Four years later, Harry Colebourn, now promoted to Captain returned to London to take Winnie home. However seeing what a beloved fixture and hit she was to the British schoolchildren Colebourn decided to let the bear stay put and officially donated Winnie to the London Zoo making the zoo the rightful owner and guardian.
When one realizes the world wide impact that resulted from the story book character of Winnie the Pooh to children throughout the world and in many different languages in culture one can envision the admiration and love that young Christopher Milne had for the black bear cub "Winnipeg" or "Winnie" the Pooh for short.
Morris E. Brown
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