Alan Alexander Milne (1882 - 1956)

Born 18 Jan 1882 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy (de Sélincourt) Milne — married 4 Jun 1913 in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster, London, England,

Descendants

Died 31 Jan 1956 at age 74 in Hartfield, Sussex, England

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Biography

A A Milne is Notable.

AA Milne is the author of the beloved Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin stories that have captivated young and old over the last century.^[1]

Early Years

Alan Alexander Milne was born 18 January 1882 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England to John Vine Milne and Sarah Heginbotham.^[2][3][1]

In 1901, 19-year-old Alan A Milne of St John's Wood, London, undergraduate Cambridge, was registered as a visitor of his uncle, Alexander Milne's (b. 1851) household in Hastings Holy Trinity, Sussex, where his uncle was the Principal of a boy's private school.^[4]

AA attended Trinity College at Cambridge, studying mathematics^[5], and entered the world of journalism after graduating in 1903.^[3] He ascended to the position of assistant editor of Punch, a humor magazine in Britain, by 1906.^[3][5] He was still working as a journalist in 1911, living at home with his parents in Steeple Bumpstead, Suffolk, England.^[6]

AA served in World War I.^[3] He participated in the Battle of the Somme.^[5] He fell ill later, and was unable to be on active duty. It was then that he was asked to write for a secret propaganda unit, MI7b, in 1917.^[5] AA was a pacifist, despite his participation in the war, and wasn't fond of even the work he did for the MI7b.^[5]

Alan Alexander married Dorothy de Selincourt in 1913.^[3] Their only child was Christopher Robin.^[3]

Into the Hundred Acre Wood

AA's first book of verse appeared to the public in 1924.^[3] "When We Were Very Young" was the world's introduction to the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh, and Christopher Robin, Milne's character based on his own son, Christopher.^[3] He went on to publish three more tomes full of the fantasy world of the young boy.^[3] He collaborated on them with his Punch cohort, EH Shepard, who "decorated" the books.^[7] Though they were what brought him his notoriety, AA regretted them somewhat because his other work was overshadowed.^[7][5]

Christopher Robin suffered as much as his father, as the character was indeed named after him, the illustrations were exact copies of his boyhood self, and even the other characters, save for Owl and Rabbit, were modeled after his own stuffed toys.^[5]

Most people aren't aware that AA was also a playwright, novelist, nonfiction writer, and journalist.^[7][5] Over the course of his life he wrote his four children's books, seven novels, five nonfiction books, and 34 plays.^[7] His most popular plays were "Mr. Pim Passes By" and "Other People's Lives".^[3] He started writing the plays during World War I, producing one a year from 1919 to 1928.^[3]

Legacy

Alan Alexander Milne died 31 January 1956 at home in Hartfield, Sussex, England.^[3][1] His health had been in decline since October of 1952.^[3] He was cremated.^[8]

AA Milne's legacy lives on, as his stories of Winnie -the- Pooh and friends move from the page to children's entertainment, generation after generation falling in love with his "willy, nilly, silly old bear."

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Biography Editors, "AA Milne", Biography.com, A&E Television Network, 6 Aug 2014, accessed 9 Nov 2017.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch: indexed 1 Oct 2014, Alan Alexander Milne, 1882; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, www.findmypast.com: 2012; citing Birth Registration, Hampstead, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12} "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 16 Jul 2017, Alan Alexander Milne Obituary, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, 1 Feb 1956; database, GenealogyBank.com: 2014; citing born-digital text.
4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch: indexed 20 May 2019, Alan A Milne in household of Alexander Milne, Hastings Holy Trinity, Sussex, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, www.findmypast.com: citing All Saints subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7} Kettler, Sara, "5 Facts on "Winnie-the-Pooh" Author A A Milne", Biography.com, 18 Jan 2017; accessed 9 Nov 2017.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch: indexed 2 Aug 2017, Alan Alexander Milne in household of John Vine Milne, Steeple Bumpstead, Suffolk, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, www.findmypast.com; citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Ruggeri, Amanda, "AA Milne and the Curse of Pooh Bear", BBC.com, published 28 Jan 2016, accessed 9 Nov 2017.
8. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 9 Nov 2017), memorial page for A.A. Milne (18 Jan 1882–31 Jan 1956), Find A Grave: Memorial #715, ; Maintained by Find A Grave Cremated, Location of ashes is unknown.

See also:

• Wikipedia contributors, "A. A. Milne," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 9 Nov 2017.
• "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 1 Apr 2016, Alan A Milne in household of John C Milne, Hampstead, London, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, www.findmypast.com: citing PRO RG 12, London county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
• "England, London Electoral Registers, 1847-1913", database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 15 Apr 2015, Alan Alexander Milne, 1908.
• "England, London Electoral Registers, 1847-1913", database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 15 Apr 2015, Alan Alexander Milne, 1910.
• "England, London Electoral Registers, 1847-1913", database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 15 Apr 2015, Alan Alexander Milne, 1911.
• "England, London Electoral Registers, 1847-1913", database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 15 Apr 2015, Alan Alexander Milne, 1913.
• "England, London Electoral Registers, 1847-1913", database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 15 Apr 2015, Alan Alexander Milne, 1909.

Wikidata: Item Q207036, en:Wikipedia