Winnie-the-Pooh was Canadian

Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the best loved characters in children’s literature of all time. The writer A A Milne (1882-1956) wrote a series of stories that were published as “Winnie-the-Pooh” in 1926 and “The House at Pooh Corner” in 1928, and Winnie also featured in a number of poems. The character of Winnie (also known as Pooh Bear) was based on the teddy bear belonging to Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne (1920-96).

However, the name “Winnie” was given to Christopher Robin’s bear after the black bear of that name that was kept in London’s Regent Park Zoo and which was a particular favourite of the young boy. And that is where the Canadian connection comes in.

Captain Harry Colebourn, the veterinary officer of the Second Canadian Brigade, bought a black bear cub for $20 after its mother had been killed by a hunter. He called the cub Winnie after his home city of Winnipeg. When the brigade moved to England as part of the preparations for World War I, Winnie (who was actually a female bear) came too, as the brigade’s mascot.

However, in 1914, when war broke out, the brigade moved to France and it would have been impractical for a black bear to travel to a war zone. Winnie was therefore left in the care of London Zoo, which is where she stayed until her death in 1934, having been permanently donated by Harry Colebourn after the war. She was therefore a fully-grown bear when Christopher Robin first saw her, some eight or nine years after her arrival. The boy would bring her gifts of condensed milk when he visited the Zoo. One can, one hope, forgive the sex change that Winnie underwent in becoming Pooh Bear.

There are two Winnie-the-Pooh statues in Regent’s Park Zoo. One is of a bear cub on its own, this being the work of Lorne McKean dating from 1981. The other was a gift from the City of Winnipeg and is a replica of the original in that city. This shows Winnie with Captain Colebourn, the former standing on her hind legs and being held by her front paws. The original statue, by Bill Epp, was made in 1992, with Harry Colebourn’s son Fred being the model for his father. The replica in Regent’s Park was unveiled in 1995 by Christopher Robin Milne.

© John Welford