Writer: Geoff Butler
Canadian Historical Sites, Memorials, Monuments and Museums
Let’s visit the beautiful township of White River in Northern Ontario and the Historical site of “Winnie-the-Pooh and Where it all began.”
On August 24th, 1914, a Canadian veterinarian with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Harry Colebourn, stopped at the White River train station in Northern Ontario.
Colebourn was on his way to Valcartier, Quebec, to join camp with his fellow soldiers. During the stopover, Colebourn noticed a local trapper trying to sell an orphaned female black bear cub. Apparently, the trapper had killed her mother but didn’t have the heart to do the same to the little cub.
Harry Colebourn purchased the bear cub for $20.00 and affectionately named her ‘Winnipeg’ in honor of his hometown. Soon thereafter, he nicknamed her ‘Winnie’ and made a note in his diary, “Left Pt. Arthur 7 A.M. On the train all day. Bought Bear $20.”
Colebourn proceeded to Valcartier with Winnie, meeting with his comrades, who were preparing to head overseas. At the camp, Colebourn and Winnie’s relationship developed as he fed her apples and a mixture of condensed milk and corn syrup. It was said that Winnie slept under his cot and followed Harry around everywhere.
Soon, Winnie was a favourite amongst the soldiers and became the regiment’s official mascot of the Fort Garry Horse, 3rd Canadian Division.
In 1914, Winnie travelled with the regiment from Valcartier overseas to Salisbury Plain, England. The Canadians were stationed there and undergoing seven weeks of training before deploying to France for combat. Winnie accompanied Harry and the men throughout the training and followed everyone around like a pet.
In early December 1914, Colebourn was preparing for the French battlefields and decided it would be best for Winnie to remain in England. Colebourn, in turn, brought her to the London Zoo for temporary safekeeping. Fortunately, the zoo had just opened a new bear habitat. Before his departure, Colebourn promised Winnie he would bring her back to Canada once he returned from the trenches.
Colebourn served bravely with the Royal Canadian Veterinary Corps and visited Winnie whenever he received leave. He soon realized that Winnie had grown from a cub into a bear and was intensely popular and loved amongst the people of London.
In 1933, Winnie’s zookeeper told a London Newspaper that Winnie was ‘the tamest and best-behaved bear we have ever had in the zoo.” It was said that Winnie was the most popular animal in the London Zoo and so tame that children were permitted to ‘ride on her back.’
In the 1920s, a well-known English playwright, poet and writer, A.A. Milne, bought his son, Christopher Robin Milne, a toy stuffed teddy bear from Harrods department store. Christopher Robin visited the zoo often and always spent time watching, loving, and admiring Winnie. He initially named his toy bear ‘Edward’ but quickly falling in love with Winnie-the-bear, he changed his favourite stuffed bear’s name to Winnie.
“Inspired by his son’s love of Winnie, A.A. Milne introduced the Winnie-the-Pooh character to readers in his collection of poems ’When We Were Young (1924) and later in his most acclaimed work, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926).”
The name Winnie-the-Pooh comes from a combination of Winnie the black bear and a swan. In the introduction of Milne’s 1924 book ‘When We Were Young’ he speaks to the origin of the second half of Winnie’s name to a swan, “Christopher Robin, who feeds this swan in the mornings, has given him the name of ‘Pooh’.” This is a very fine name for a swan, because, if you call him and he doesn’t come (which is a thing swans are good at), then you can pretend that you were just saying ‘Pooh!’ to show how little you wanted him.”
With the war’s end in November 1918, Harry Colebourn returned to London, hoping to reunite with Winnie and bring her back to Canada. Upon seeing her, he realized that she was loved and belonged to the people of London. Colebourn donated Winnie-the-bear to the zoo in 1919, and saying goodbye, he returned to Winnipeg. Harry worked for the Department of Agriculture and opened a small animal clinic in his home. Harry Colebourn died on September 24th, 1947.
Winnie-the-bear lived out her life, loved by all, at the London Zoo and passed away on May 12th, 1934, at 20 years of age.
The town of White River is known as the birthplace of Winnie-the-Pooh, and a beautiful memorial Park has been built commemorating the site. The park is located off Highway 17 downtown in White River.
