Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Horse Regiment, known for caring for the bear who would inspire Winnie the Pooh, adopted another furry friend several years later, a story that is being shared with the world by a Regina author. “Every day, the soldiers would march past on parade, and every day Whitey would break free. This happened numerous times, and finally the owner said, ‘You can just have him. He can be in the military,’” explained Kelsey Lonie, who wrote “Whitey’s Journey.” Whitey then became a member of the Fort Garry Horse as the unit prepared for the Second World War, going with them from Winnipeg to Ontario and then to Nova Scotia before being smuggled overseas. “Military soldiers have had mascots since the earliest times. And the First World War particularly, there was a great number of them, and there were so many that it became a problem. This is why they were banned. But of course, they found a way,” explained Gord Crossley, a curator at the Fort Garry Horse Museum. Trooper Whitey served as a type of drill master with the regiment in England. “[He] was always on parade. Would be out there with the sergeant major barking at the soldiers until they got in line and then stand at attention with them,” Crossley said. Whitey even got a regimental number and pay. For five years, he took his duties very seriously. “He never missed a parade in all of his years with the regiment,” Lonie said. However, that devotion to duty eventually cost Whitey his life. He died in a training accident just one month before D-Day. “The Fort Garry Horse Regiment was so distraught by Whitey’s passing, they had a full military funeral for him,” Lonie said. Whitey’s adventure was largely lost to the passage of time after his story ended tragically. His story is now being shared with the world in the form of Lonie’s children’s book. “It highlights our military history kind of in a fun, engaging way that can resonate with anybody,” Lt. Cl. Amy Franck, commanding officer at Fort Gary Horse, said. Lonie said the book also includes some cute details, such as Whitey getting his teeth brushed and going for regular vet checkups. The book is available at bookstores and online. With files from Jon Hendricks
