The Incredible Forces Story Behind Winnie the Pooh

A bear adopted and trained by a Canadian soldier during the First World War was the real-life inspiration for Winnie the Pooh. Cpt Harry Colebourn brought the bear with him across the Atlantic while he was stationed near Salisbury. The bear was named after his home town of Winnipeg but this was shortened to Winnie. He donated the bear to London Zoo when he was sent to France to fight in the trenches.

The bear went on to inspire AA Milne to write the stories of Winnie the Pooh as Hannah Gurney reports.