The Real Winnie

The fascinating, little-known story of the real Winnie the Bear, subsequently immortalised by A A Milne in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, is a Canadian treasure. In 1914, a Canadian soldier and veterinarian, Harry Colebourn, purchased an orphaned black bear cub for USD20.00, naming her Winnipeg after the Manitoba city in which he had settled. He later shortened the name simply to ‘Winnie”. World War I found Lieutenant Colebourn and Winnie in England, at the Salisbury Plain, the main training ground of the British army. When he was informed that his brigade was to embark for France, he took Winnie to the London Zoo, intending to bring her back to Canada once his wartime service was over. But by the end of the war, Winnie had become a great favourite with the citizens of London and her owner elected to donate Winnie to the Zoo. A frequent visitor to the London Zoo in the 1920s, A A Milne quickly discovered that his young son, Christopher Robin, took great delight in time spent with Winnie.

Author Biography

Val (Valdine) Shushkewich was born and raised in Winnipeg and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba, majoring in history and anthropology. Research and writing have long been a personal interest, particularly in the world of nature. While visiting Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, she was captivated by the statue of Winnie and Harry Colebourn, and was inspired to write about this very Canadian story.