When soldiers from the Fort Garry Horse Regiment went to battle in the First World War, they didn’t go alone. The armoured cavalry unit famously brought a bear with them that history would eventually know as Winnie the Pooh. “Military soldiers have had mascots since the earliest times,” said Gord Crossley, a curator at the Fort Garry Horse Museum. “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.” The Fort Garry Horse found a way to bring more than just Winnie the bear. Years later in the Second World War, the regiment adopted a dog named Whitey – a furry soldier who seemingly enlisted with the regiment. “Every day, the soldiers would march past on parade, and every day Whitey would break free,” said Kelsey Lonie, author of “Whitey’s Journey.” “This happened numerous times, and finally the owner said, ‘You can just have him. He can be in the military.’” So, Whitey became a member of the Fort Garry Horse, going with them from Winnipeg to Ontario and then to Nova Scotia before being smuggled overseas. There, trooper Whitey served as something of a drill master with the regiment in England. “[Whitey] was always on parade,” Crossley said. [He] would be out there with the sergeant major barking at the soldiers until they got in line and then stand at attention with them." 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. That devotion to duty, eventually costing him his life. Whitey 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. His story ended tragically and Whitey ‘s exploits were largely lost to the passage of time. Hut perhaps not for much longer. Lonie has written a children’s story about Whitey and his adventures with the Fort Garry Horse, called “Whitey ‘s Journey.” “It highlights our military history kind of in a fun, engaging way that can resonate with anybody,” said. Lt.-Col. Amy Franck, commanding officer of the Fort Garry Horse. Who knows, maybe one day Whitey ‘s story will become as well known as Winnie’s.
