Artist/Maker/Manufacturer/Founder: the name of the maker of the coat is unknown, however it was fabricated by a Dutch seamstress in 1944 near Alphen, Holland.
Material/Medium/Support: mammal wool; brass. Hand made, colour Khaki/kaki, inscription on buttons : CANADA HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE.
Earliest Production Date and Latest Production Date: 1944/01/01 and 1944/12/31
1939-1945 Second World War – The coat was worn by Sussie Cretier at the close of the Second World War.
Dimension: 78.2 Height; 41.0 width; measured flat, width is across the shoulders.
Accession # : 20060093-001
Institution Name: CMCC
Copyright: CMCC
Transcript
This coat was sewn in the winter of 1944 as a Christmas gift for 10-year-old Everdina Cretier, also known as Sussie, a Dutch girl whose father Willem, was a mechanic involved in the Dutch Resistance. After escaping German authorities with only the clothes on their backs, Sussie, her parents and brothers found work in the Allied-occupied portion of Holland near the end of the war. The family befriended many of the Canadian soldiers stationed there, including a 19-year-old Albertan, Robert Elliott. As a Christmas surprise for Sussie, the soldiers had sewn this winter coat and matching trousers from an army blanket and fastened it with their own brass buttons. After the war, Robert kept in touch with the Cretier family and in 1981, he paid them a visit. Upon reuniting, Sussie and Robert fell in love and were soon married. The couple later donated the coat to the Canadian War Museum. It represents a story of friendship and love that spans decades, and the enduring bond forged between Canada and the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Description
This child’s coat represents a story of love and friendship that spans decades, and the enduring bond forged between Canada and the Netherlands during the Second World War. It was sewn in the winter of 1944 as a gift for 10-year-old Everdina (Sussie) Cretier, a Dutch girl whose father, Willem, was a mechanic involved in the Dutch Resistance.
After escaping German authorities with only the clothes on their backs, Sussie, her parents and brothers found work in the Allied-occupied portion of Holland near the end of the war. The family befriended many of the Canadian soldiers stationed there, including a 19-year-old Albertan, Robert Elliott. As a Christmas surprise for Sussie, the soldiers had this winter coat and matching trousers sewn from an army blanket and fastened with their own brass buttons. They also bought her a pair of shoes, a sweater, and a scarf. Precious gifts in a time of hunger and privation for most survivors of the German occupation, they brought tears of joy to Sussie’s mother when she saw her daughter wearing them on Christmas Day, 1944. After the war, Robert kept in touch with the Cretier family and, in 1981, visited them again. Upon reuniting, Sussie and Robert fell in love and were soon married. The couple later donated the coat to the Canadian War Museum, having shared their inspiring story of love and war each November 11 with Canadian school children.
Jessa Alston-O’Connor
THE LITTLE COAT: THE WRITTEN MEMORIES
Jessa Alston-O’Connor,
M.A., Art History, Concordia University
In the Netherlands in 1944, Canadian bombardier Bob Elliott and his fellow soldiers surprised a 10-year …
Emma
Lise Latreille,
2009. Digital photograph.
For Lise Latreille, the coat of Sussie Cretier reminded her of a coat her old roommate Emma used to …
