Pooh Bear

A statue of Winnie and Colebourn, who retired with the rank of major, erected at the Winnipeg Zoo. (Submitted by Gord Crossley/Fort Garry Horse Museum)

‘I’ll always be with you’

Winnie’s story ended in 1934 when she died at 20, or a few months short of it. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of thousands of visitors, her fame rising alongside Christopher Robin’s.

When Colebourn returned from the war, he visited her often, and her popularity was one reason he changed his mind about bringing Winnie back to Canada.

Though he never saw the bear again after 1920, as her literary counterpart says, they remain with one another in spirit.

“If ever there is a tomorrow when we’re not together, there is something you must always remember,” Pooh Bear tells Piglet. “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.”

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Harry D. Colebourn was a Canadian veterinarian and officer with the Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps best known for donating a bear cub named "Winnie" to London Zoo. Winnie later inspired the creation of A. A. Milne's famous children's book character Winnie-the-Pooh.