Monty Settles in
A heritage project carried out by The Headley Down Nature Reserve Trust to commemorate the history of the local area during and after the Second World War is now in its final stages. Part of the reserve has been planted with sixty-five trees to create Erie Wood, a tree for each of the huts of the old Canadian Erie Camp. After the war, the huts became homes to many local families until they were demolished in the 1970s when the Heatherlands Estate was built. Now, at the heart of Erie Wood, a bronze bear awaits visitors, representing the connections between Canada and Headley during the war. There are benches for relaxation and soon there will be an illustrated information panel telling the story of why a bear was chosen as the central feature for the project.
By popular vote, the bear has been named Montgomery, or Monty to his friends. The name was suggested by Kim Hart who, together with her sister Laura Fowler, told the nature reserve trustees why they thought it was a good choice. Their mother, Pam Stanbridge, worked at Amesbury School in Hindhead for many years, and knew that Field-Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein and Hindhead had set up his Rear Headquarters at the school during the war, where a
room still has a plaque with his name. In 1984, at the Amesbury Summer Fete, Pam won a teddy bear wearing the original school uniform. She called the bear Montgomery and he took pride of place on her bed at home until she lost her battle with cancer in 2016. After her death, her daughter Laura, who still works at Amesbury, gave the bear back to the school. He now sits on a windowsill overlooking the gardens where there are rose bushes planted in Pam’s memory. He has become a well-known and loved member of the school, having acquired outfits for various events such as tennis, rugby and playing the Easter Bunny. Although there were many other suggestions for a name for the Erie Wood Bear, Montgomery won the day.
On the nature reserve, Monty is already proving to be a winning attraction, receiving a resounding welcome from visitors of all ages, not only encouraging people to take a walk to see the wildlife but also serving as a good talking point for making new friends. The trustees would like to thank all those who helped to make the Erie Wood project possible through donations and grants, in particular the local residents, the Lottery Community Fund, District Councillors Anthony Williams and Richard Millard, Abri, and the Hampshire Rural Communities Fund.
