Sasha Erfanian, Centretown News
Britt Braaten, learning specialist at the Canadian War Museum, stands in front of the case holding Teddy, the bear given to Lieutenant Lawrence Browning Rogers by his daughter Aileen before he went off to fight in the First World War. The 100-year-old-bear was found in Roger’s pocket when his body was recovered from Passchendaele.A book launch at the Canadian War Museum is set to bring the story of “Teddy” – a much-loved national wartime artifact – to life again.
With words by Canadian-American writer Stephanie Innes and illustrations by Toronto-based artist Brian Deines, A Bear on the Homefront tells the tale of a toy bear that comforts English “guest children” staying in Canada during the Second World War.
The character of “Teddy” is based on one of the most beloved items on display at the museum.
Ten-year-old Quebec child Aileen Rogers sent the small stuffed toy to her father, Canadian Army Lieut. Lawrence Rogers, to keep him safe during his time serving as an army medic in Europe during the First World War. As a good luck charm and memento of home, the bear remained by his side until he was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
It was not until 2002 that Teddy – along with a collection of poignant, handwritten letters – was rediscovered and donated to the museum by the Rogers family. The bear has come to symbolize notions of courage, comfort and loss, and is now treasured by curators and museum visitors alike.
A Bear on the Homefront is the sequel to Innes’ and Deines’ acclaimed 2008 book Bear at War, which followed Teddy as he journeyed over to Europe and spent time with Aileen’s father on the front line.
Although Teddy’s presence in this new book is fictionalized, the story was inspired by the experiences of Aileen, who in the Second World War volunteered as a nurse on the home front and cared for English “guest children” during their train journeys across Canada. Her diary entries from the time were the main source of inspiration for this latest story.
Innes, who is Aileen’s great-niece, says she hopes that Bear on the Homefront will inspire both curiosity and empathy in the young target audience.
“History can be helpful in better understanding the freedoms that Canadians enjoy today,” she says. “War stories help kids to understand some of the experiences their relatives had generations ago.”
Innes says she hopes each person will take something different away from the book- whether about Teddy, or the challenges of wartime.
“Maybe it will motivate kids to share their own family stories. Maybe others will focus on the fact that Teddy, a real stuffed bear, is telling the story,” she says. “Teddy is certainly a testament to the importance mementos can have in understanding stories from the past.”
Deines says he enjoyed revisiting the character of Teddy due to the bear’s endearing personality and rich backstory.
“I think one of the qualities I like most about Teddy is that he is real, and a part of Canadian history,” he says. “He has all these amazing attributes, and in these books he acts as a conduit for children to access all these real world adult themes that impact them as well as us.”
Britt Braaten, a learning specialist at the LeBreton Flats museum, says Teddy is an invaluable resource in helping people to understand the human impact of warfare.
“Teddy helps visitors of all ages understand the concept of wartime loss, and its effect on families during the First World War, in a very personal way,” she says.
Braaten says that the upcoming book launch provides an opportunity for young people to visit the bear’s new home in the recently unveiled “Home Front” section of the museum’s permanent First World War gallery.
“This is an opportunity for children to hear a compelling story and learn more about how the Second World War affected children at that time,” she says.
The book launch will begin at 10 a.m. on March 15 in the museum’s Barney Danson Theatre. Following the launch, there will be a special reading and book signing by Innes and Deines, as well as a teddy bear-making session.