Bearry Happy Christmas, from 100 years ago.

[tattybogle]

My Grandfather brought this postcard back from Russia at the end the first wold war, and the last pandemic, when the world was having a similarly horrendous time.

But the 1920's/30's looked like lots of fun so here's hoping.....

for a Peaceful Christmas and a Happier New Year.

(It is now in the Green Howards regimental museum in Richmond N Yorks)

[Francisneat]

Amazing! what a lovely picture and the story it tells.....

[tattybogle in reply to Francisneat]

He paid for it and some others , with his tobacco ration , cos he didn't smoke. I always wanted to be the little girl ? in the sleigh, cos she looked a bit like little me.

Edit * correction ,i'v e just read his diary again, and he paid for it with a box of chocolates ,

[Mostew]

A beautiful photo. Thank you.A reminder how just being in nature and with animals if we can, is a comfort in hard times.

Or if we can just have a look up at the stars from our window.

May you All stay safe

Seasonel greetings and gratitude to you all for the support you give.

Xxx

[tattybogle in reply to Mostew]

🌠🌟⭐🌜🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒🌙⭐🌟🌠

[MichelleHarris]

Oh wow ! Bears pulling the sleigh. Lovely x

[tattybogle in reply to MichelleHarris]

🐻🐻🐻⛸️🌙🌟

[GrowingVeg]

Thanks for sharing this, it has made me smile! Are they bears?!

[tattybogle in reply to GrowingVeg]

look like brown bear cubs to me.... best not to think too hard about how they got there.... I've always told myself they were rescued orphans looked after by kindly Russians and that if they were unhappy with their treatment they'd have eaten her already....

did anybody see documentary on BBC2 this morning about Lovely Russian family rehabilitating brown bear cubs into the wild ?

radiotimes.com/tv-programme...

[GrowingVeg in reply to tattybogle]

Just incredible to have bears pulling a sleigh! Such a different way of life. I will check out the documentary. 🙂

[Zephyrbear in reply to tattybogle]

I sponsor the rescue and rehabilitation of Russian brown bear 🐻 cubs through the Born Free Foundation... (not sure whether it is the same people as this) as well as a Moon Bear named Bodo and a tiger called Gopal. It’s a fabulous way to feel involved in protecting wildlife.

[tattybogle in reply to Zephyrbear]

Brilliant, who knew there were bears on the moon !....this family has been doing it for 3 generations, and even better it turns out that baby bears in the woods do indeed eat porridge🐻🐻🐻

[MichelleHarris in reply to tattybogle]

I watched it last year too. Isn’t it the cutest thing youve ever seen on TV 😄

[tattybogle in reply to MichelleHarris]

Yes , it nearly made me want to go and live in some russian woods and feed baby bears...... nearly, but not quite ! x

[MichelleHarris in reply to tattybogle]

Oh I totally would love to, but I bet they get innudated with requests to be volunteers 😂

[Zephyrbear in reply to tattybogle]

Sadly, Moon Bears are bears who are kept captive in very small cages and cruelly milked for their bile in Vietnam and Asia. Their life is a living hell and there are organisations such as Animals Asia that are successfully trying to free them and give them a better life.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Happy Christmas tattybogle & Thankyou for all your informative posts and humour! 🎄👍🎄

[tattybogle in reply to Buddy195]

You're welcome Happy Christmas to u 2.x

[tattybogle]

Thankyou Lora , and a Happy Christmas to you too.x

[tattybogle]

Thankyou Scrumbler. Happy Chrismas to you and 'im indoors too. Hope you get some cool skater girl gear.

🏂

[socratesanne]

Such a wonderful picture. It brings back good memories of my Russian grandmother. I used to call her my teddy bear grandmother. What fun this picture must have been for you. It is pricelsss. Thanks for sharing.

[tattybogle in reply to socratesanne]

This picture seems to have the same effect on everyone who sees it as it did on me when i first saw it aged about 8. I was entranced by it , and have been ever since.When my mum gave her dad's diaries and these pictures to the museum , at first i was a bit selfish and thought ,... "but don't give them the lovely picture of the bears"....

But now i'm so glad she did... they did a whole exhibition about the russian expedition, and loved this picture so much they used it as the main publicity , so now it's gone all over the world via the internet. greenhowards.org.uk/events/...

My mum died before she got chance to see the exhibition, but she'd spent her whole life thinking that she must get round to publishing his diaries, and in the end couldn't quite manage it and gave them to the museum.

But thanks to the internet the whole world can read them now, and see this magical picture.

One day i'd like to think that this little girls descendants will recognise it and learn how many smiles she's made over the years.

His diaries from Russian expeditionary force can be read here.

greenhowards.org.uk/harriso...

It's quite an interesting tale of the realities of a 'secret' campaign written from the perspective of a very young man who thought he was going home at the end of the war, but got sent to Russia instead.

[socratesanne in reply to tattybogle]

Hope you can have a copy for you to enjoy in your home especially when we are all quarantined. It is great to have pictures that inspire as this one does. Love to check out if I can get a copy for my area. Will check it out as I think it would inspire many who see it and has by your description.