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Today is “Winnie-the-Pooh Day,” the anniversary of the birth of Pooh author A.A.Milne. While many people now associate the stuffed "hunny"-loving bear with Disney, the character was born of a World War I veteran’s struggle to recover from the war and relate with his little son.What does Winnie-the-Pooh’s popped balloon and failed intrusion into a beehive have to do with one of the most devastating battles of WWI? And how did a teddy bear help a traumatized veteran heal emotionally and psychologically while creating a special bond with his young son?Alan Alexander Milne joined the British military at the outbreak of the First World War, and in 1915 was commissioned an officer in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, with the Royal Corps of Signals, according to Military.com. In just one August 1915 incident, when his commanders ignored Milne's warning of enemy movements, 60 British men died in a brief clash. Ultimately, Milne went to fight in the Battle of the Somme, accurately described as "Hell on Earth." ... ....Winnie-the-Pooh wasn't just a stuffed animal, though. At the London Zoo, Milne and Christopher Robin found a black bear named Winnipeg, who had been a mascot for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WWI. ... Milne loved the bear, and so did his son. So in honor of Winnipeg, Milne bought Christopher Robin a yellowish-brown teddy bear.That teddy bear helped Milne explain to Christopher Robin why he sometimes reacted strangely to ordinary noises. Popped balloons and buzzing bee swarms triggered scared reactions in Milne, who had flashbacks to battles and bullets, sometimes startling the little boy. Military.com notes that Milne built these fears into the Pooh stories, helping explain in a child-like way why a person might find popped balloons or bee swarms alarming. Now Pooh has been in print for a hundred years.
Winnie-the-Pooh and WWI: 100 Years of a Veteran’s Creation for His Sonhttps://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/01/18/winnie-the-pooh-and-wwi-100-years-of-a-veterans-creation-for-his-son-n4948447The Winnie-the-Pooh books were among the many I read to my munchkins (and Tolkien's as well).
