It's not a cat but I know Miguel will love this one! YouTube - A Part Of Our Heritage - Winnie The Pooh
History of Winnie the Pooh | Winnie the Pooh During the First World War, troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada, on their way to Europe, where they were to join the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant called Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her 'Winnipeg', after his hometown of Winnipeg, or 'Winnie' for short. Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went to Britain with the unit. When the Brigade was posted to the battlefields of France, Colebourn, now a Captain, took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. He formally presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where he became a popular attraction and lived until 1934. Winnie the Bear Statue This statue tells the story of Lieutenant Harry Colebourn who named his pet bear cub Winnie after the town where he lived, Winnipeg. Winnie the Pooh is based on this bear cub. The statue is located in the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Assiniboine Park Zoo 54 Zoo Drive Winnipeg, Manitoba University of Manitoba: U of M - Libraries - Archives & Special Collections - Landmarks, Monuments & Built Heritage of the West
Taking it on to WW2. Winnie 'Winnie', one of two 14-inch guns emplaced at St Margaret's near Dover, 10 March 1941. 'Winnie', and it's sister gun 'Pooh', came from the reserve stock of guns for the 'King George V' class of battleships, and were mounted on modified naval barbettes. 'Winnie', named for the Prime Minister, was in place by August 1940 and 'Pooh' in February 1941. Manned by Royal Marine gunners, they were mostly employed in counter-battery fire with German batteries on the French coast. Pooh 'Pooh', the second of two 14-inch guns emplaced at St Margaret's, near Dover, 10 March 1941. The first gun, named 'Winnie', was in place by August 1940 and 'Pooh' followed in February 1941. Both came from the reserve stock of guns for the 'King George V' class of battleships, and were mounted on modified naval barbettes. Manned by Royal Marine gunners, they were mostly employed in counter-battery fire with German batteries on the French coast.
Good article on wiki. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/general/29184-winnie-pooh.html#post324269 [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]
Another military bear Wojtek, the Polish Soldier Bear, who carried arty shells at Cassino. I first heard about this when visiting The Sikorski Institute Museum in Prince's Gate. Not sure if you need an appointment to visit, but an interesting museum.
A rarely-seen photo taken on Salisbury Plain,1914-15. Lt. Coleman was a member of the Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, attached to the Fort Garry Horse as a veterinarian.
My friend helped make the statue of Wojtek that is in Edinburgh. Her dad was the artist commissioned to make it. Edinburgh's Soldier Bear Statue