A Dutch couple in their 80s is presenting Calgary's Aerospace Museum with an unusual gift — a wedding gown created from the parachute of an Allied airman from the Second World War.
More than half a century ago, an Allied forces plane crashed into a field near a German-occupied Dutch village. Men from the village, including Bill van Niekerk, who worked for the Dutch underground,ran to see if they could help the stranded airmen.
In their rush to hide from the German army, one of the airmen tossed his parachute to van Niekerk, who hid it under his bed.
"I never thought about a wedding dress. A Wedding wasn't even on my mind yet. Everybody had to take care of himself. What I was mostly interested in those days was food, food, food!" said van Niekerk.
When the war ended a few months later, van Niekerk proposed to his girlfriend Willemina. He says the soft silk of the parachute came in handy after the two realized a bridal gown would be difficult to find in the war-torn country.
"What are you going to do when you get married, you need a lot of things,and she needed a bridal dress. And that bridal dress, she couldn't buy it because the stores were empty," said van Niekerk.
So the future Mrs. van Niekerk cut up the parachute and sewed a gown for her June 19, 1945 wedding. She also sewed underwear for Bill, and a christening dress for their first child. Bill said "I was the only man in the depression wearing a pair of silk underwear."
Now the van Niekerks say they want to make sure the dress is kept safely for future generations to enjoy and believe the museum will be a good home for it.
And officials at the museum are happy to have it.
Museum curator Jennifer Herrick says the wedding dress will be a nice surprise for people strolling through the planes, propellers, gliders and engines.
"A lot of people think we're just a bunch of airplanes with no personal connections or story. But this talks about the history of a couple who made something positive out of World War II by having this parachute in order to get married in it," said Herrick.