Sir Edward Bear

Lieutenant L.A.G. Bowen, who had caught the nasty lungful of gas at Monchy with Lieutenant Green, was conveyed to a field hospital behind the lines to recover.
Within days, Bowen was up and about and keen to get back to the front. Though not fully recovered, he was allowed to walk into the local town to be able to post letters and buy provisions.
On one of his walks when he was trying to procure some shaving tackle, he noticed in a shop window, a small teddy bear. Thinking it would be a great gift for his baby son, he brought the bear and sent it home to his wife. The bear would never leave the Bowen family for 89 years.
Captain Bowen would continue to serve in the Army, being posted after the War to the Essex Regiment. His son too, followed in his fathers footsteps and also became a soldier, eventually retiring as a Major-General.
The bear or 'Sir Edward' as was affectionately known, was later made a uniform complete with Suffolk Regiment buttons, cut from Bowen's service dress jacket. He was in 2008, bequeathed to the Suffolk Regiment Museum by the late Major-General Bowen and is now on permanent display. An exceptionally popular exhibit, he attracts many visitors both young and old!

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