The Assiniboine Park Conservancy opened a new exhibit at the Pavilion, commemorating a World War I soldier and his relationship with one of the world’s most famous bears.

Remembering the Real Winnie – developed by Ryerson University’s Research Image Centre and Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre – includes artifacts such as diary entries, documents, photos and other objects from Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, the Canadian soldier who bought Winnie in 1914 and named her after his hometown, Winnipeg.

Colebourn’s great granddaughter, Lindsay Mattick was instrumental in gathering the artifacts for the exhibit and authored the book Finding Winnie.

Books that are part of the exhibit“It’s honestly really special for me to see it open in Winnipeg,” said Mattick, who was at the opening with her mother and her son. “My great grandfather loved this city so much he lent his city’s name to his pet.”

Mattick says a lot of Winnipeggers are familiar with the story of her great grandfather and Winnie, but the artifacts in the exhibit will allow them to truly connect with it.

“I just want people to take away just how real this story is,” said Mattick. “When you can understand that my great grandfather made notes in his diary like – ‘August 19, 1914, bought bear, December 9, 1914, took Winnie to the London Zoo to give her a new home’ – when you see those artifacts that bring those stories to life and the photographs that show her (Winnie’s) relationship with him and his fellow soldiers, it makes the story more real.”

Irena Gammel is the curator for the exhibit.

She says they digitized many of the files so they can be opened and viewed on computer and television screens.

“It’s a very fascinating archive in the sense it allowed us to showcase the original materials, the ones he took with him in the trenches and brought back with him from the war,” said Gammel. “At the same time we wanted to create an exhibition for the 21st century with multiple platforms.”

The story of Colebourn and Winnie inspired the popular children’s book, television and movie series Winnie-the-Pooh, originally written by A.A. Milne. 

“We’re bombarded with the commercial image of Winnie-the-Pooh through Walt Disney, which is a great set of stories,” said Mattick. “But I think what’s amazing here is the true story that helped inspire those stories is just as remarkable. This was a joyful story that emerged out of a myriad of tragic stories linked to World War I.”

The exhibit will be at the Assiniboine Park Pavilion for a year and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Admission is free.

For more information, visit assiniboinepark.ca.