WEDDING GOWNS FROM THE SKY: Even War Can’t Stop Love

By Mary Davis

Parachute chic. / Christopher Sessums, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

WWII and post-WWII brides had to be resourceful if they wanted a special dress for their wedding day because of rationing and shortages. Fabrics of any kind were designated as military and war essential—especially silk. This luxury fabric had it all—strong, lightweight, fire resistant, and easy to pack. Perfect for parachutes. But that meant those on the home front went without. So what was a bride to do for her special day? Use whatever was available. Some wore their Sunday-best dress, others borrowed someone else’s wedding dress, or they refashioned a family member’s outdated one. Orrrrrr . . .

. . . make a dress from a parachute with its yards and yards and yards and yards of beautiful white silk (or nylon late in the war). The best wedding gowns were made from their sweetheart’s parachute that brought them to safety. Ruth, Rosalie, Janet, and countless others all around the world did just that.

Violette de Courcy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License // CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

While returning from a bombing raid over Japan in August of 1944, B-29 pilot Maj Claude Hensinger and his crew were forced to bail out when their aircraft caught fire. After it saved his life, Claude used his parachute as a pillow and blanket until he was rescued. When he returned to the States, he used his life-saving parachute in lieu of a ring to propose to Ruth, asking her to make her wedding dress out of it. Claude and Ruth wed on July 19, 1947. The couple’s daughter as well as their son’s bride wore this dress before it was donated to the Smithsonian.

Parachute Wedding Dress / nationalmuseumofamericanhistory / CC BY-SA 2.0

On November 15, 1945, Rosalie Hierholzer walked down the aisle in a wedding gown fashioned out of her sweetheart’s bullet-hole riddled parachute. While flying over Germany, radio operator Temple Leslie Bourland and his crew had to bail out when their aircraft was hit by enemy fire. As Bourland floated toward the ground, he was shot in the hip, and his parachute received several bullet holes. When Bourland showed his fiancee his war mementos, Rosalie’s aunt offered to make her niece’s wedding gown from the silk, bullet holes included. With up to forty yards, there was plenty.

Reo Arland Casper, a native of Idaho, enlisted in the US Marines at age nineteen. Janet Gleason of Massachusetts signed up for the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted Volunteer Emergency Service) at age twenty-one. Their paths crossed at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where they struck up a friendship that evolved into a romance, and they fell in love. Janet packed Reo’s parachute for his final jump before graduation Paramarine training. Before he shipped out for his first duty, he proposed, and the pair planned to wed after the war was over. Knowing she couldn’t afford a wedding dress, Janet’s commanding officer gave her a Japanese silk parachute. With it, she fashioned the gown she would marry Reo in and packed it away until the end of the war. And the war did end, but Reo’s mother objected to the marriage because of religious differences. So, the couple went to Montana and eloped. They were married for fifty-eight years. You can learn more about Reo and his bride HERE as well as see Janet’s dress. 

Here are a few others.

“Wedding dress made from parachute silk which American soldier Tom Worthington acquired while serving in Japan during World War II.” Ben P L from Provo, USA, Wikimedia.org

“Wedding dress made in Normandie, France in the summer of 1944 from fabric from a parachute. This wedding dress was made from a silk American reserve parachute. Fabric had been scarce under the German occupation and parachutes were much sought after items for their potential to make new clothes. Photo taken in 2015 showing items from the former International Museum of World War II in Natick, Massachusetts, a few miles west of Boston.” Lee Wright, Wikimedia.org

“Dress, bordeaux red, 1945 from the white parachute material from a Second World War, military parachute which has been painted; the upper part has small shiny pearls. Photographed in the collection of the National Liberation Museum 1944-1945, the Netherlands, archive number 3.2.53.” KingaNBM, Wikimedia.org

 

My guess is this one was either never worn as a “wedding dress” or after the wedding it was dyed red to get more use out of it. No wasting good fabric.
 

I love stumbling across little gems like this while researching. For my WWII novel, Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War, I needed to know a thing or two about parachutes: the type, weight, steering capability, and such, when a wedding dress made from a parachute popped up. That’s way cool! I wanted to know more, and I WANTED to use it, but sadly, it wouldn’t fit into my story. Perhaps, someday I’ll have the perfect story to include this wonderful bit of history in.

MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP. As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident.

Get it HERE!

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest Quilting Circle release is THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (The Quilting Circle  4), THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle  3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT (The Quilting Circle  1), THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (The Quilting Circle  2), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. COMING IN OCTOBER 2022 THE LADY'S MISSION (The Quilting Circle  5).

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren.

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A CHUBBY FLYING TODDLER

By Mary Davis

That’s what a Northrop Delta looks like to me, and I wanted to share this little guy with you.

I love a good underdog, root for the little guy, and hope for the unexpected long shot to win. The Delta was all of these to some degree.

Built in the 1930s by Lockheed Martin, this passenger plane had all the comforts we expect today. Nineteen-inch-wide upholstered seats sat two abreast parted by an aisle in between, making each both window and aisle seats. Along with ample leg room, one would find a reading light, ashtray (Well, we don’t have those anymore.), and individual ventilation controls. The ride was quiet due to the sound-deadening insulation throughout. I never realized passenger planes had all these creature comforts so far back in history.

There was more than met the eye with the tiny hauler. It was quite a versatile little craft. It had wheels for takesoffs and landings on dry ground. The wheels could be swapped out with floats for water takeoffs and landings.

But it could also have skis slapped onto it for snowy terrain. There wasn’t anywhere it couldn’t go. Most aircraft were relegated to dry land alone.

This high-speed, long-range, single-engine aircraft was built to transport passengers in the commercial market. The Delta was a low-winged monoplane with a wide fuselage that sat on top of the wings and had streamlined spats that covered the landing gear. An enclosed cockpit behind the engine served the single pilot, while the rear compartment could seat up to eight passengers.

So why were only thirty-two of these cuties built?

Especially when May 1933 saw the first Delta soar into the skies. Our little toddler had taken his first “steps” and received his certificate of airworthiness in August of that same year. No stopping it now.

Until . . .

In October of 1934, the US government changed the commercial regulations for aircraft that could transport passengers. Single-engine airplanes no longer qualified for carrying passengers in the commercial setting at night or over rough terrain. If a craft needed to make an emergency landing in either of these conditions, they were deemed not safe enough with only a single engine. This regulation basically stopped production of this diminutive passenger plane, relegating it to the backseat.

The company managed to make thirteen and sold a few. Canada bought one and produced nineteen more. With wheels, skis, or floats, the Delta performed well in Canada’s north.

Some Deltas were used for photo surveying. When WWII broke out, some were fitted with a rear gun turret, wing-mounted machine guns, and bomb-carrying capabilities. Now a patriot, the little plane was ready to fight for freedom. However, there were other craft which could do these jobs better and faster. So the poor Delta took a backseat again. Once their frontline war usefulness was over, they were relegated to trainers and other second line duties. By the middle of the war, most all of them were no longer in use.

Such a short lifespan.

The Delta might have been mostly unloved in the real world but proved absolutely perfect for the rescue mission in my story. Not only was it the right size for the job I had in mind, but it wouldn’t be missed when my WASPs “borrowed” it. It had everything I needed and played a vital role.

***NOW AVAILABLE!***

MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident.

Pre-order HERE!

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle  4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle  3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; The Widow’s Plight, The Daughter's Predicament, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She's an ACFW member and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren.

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These are the main sites I referenced for this article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Delta

https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=1530

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/aircraft/Northrop-Delta.html
 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT on Mary Davis

My new release, MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR, took me outside my comfort zone but had aspects which were well known to me.

Peggy is a strong female pilot with heart who takes the reader on an exciting adventure. A gamut of emotions ensue, from laugh-out-loud moments to heart-stopping thrills.

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) embarks on an unsanctioned mission to rescue three US soldiers held captive in Cuba. Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two, flying for the WASP. When her new supervisor, Army Air Corps Major Howie Berg, gives her an order she can’t follow, sparks fly. In the course of her duties, Peggy learns of US soldiers being held captive in Cuba. She undertakes a daring rescue mission. She will need all her WASP skills to succeed and come out of this alive while trying not to ignite an international incident.

I have written many novels in a variety of settings and time periods. This is the first one I’ve set during WWII. I have done extensive research on WWI (for an unpublished series) but not WWII, so I knew very little, mainly the highlights learned in school. That meant I had a lot of catching up to do.

On the flip side, being a military wife, I know some of that world and know how military personnel think to some degree. Each person’s experience is different. I chose Bolling Airfield as the setting for the main part of my novel because my husband (along with me and the kids) was stationed there for four years when our children were very young. Though by then, the name had changed to Bolling Air Force Base.

Since my hubby had experience with military aircraft as part of an aircrew as a loadmaster and did aircraft maintenance, I was able to ask him all sorts of questions. When I had completed my novel, I had him read it for flying, maintenance, and repair details. It was exceedingly helpful to have that second set of eyes (eyes that knew more than I) comb over my story. I had more fun writing this story than I thought I would. I got wrapped up in research and enjoying this ride with Peggy and her friends.

FIND Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War HERE.

If prefer your historicals pre-WWII , try my romance series The Quilting Circle. Books 1-4 are available. Book 5 releases October 2022.

Book 1: THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily the man she loves?
Book 2: THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT *2020 Selah Awards Finalist & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.
Book 3: THE DAMSEL’S INTENT *2021 Selah Awards Winner & WRMA Finalist *– Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
Book 4: THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET – Complications arise when a fancy French lady, Geneviève, steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.
***COMING OCTOBER 2022***
Book 5: THE LADY’S MISSION – Cordelia struggles between her obedience to follow the Lord’s calling and the man she loves.

The series is FREE on KINDLE UNLIMITED

FIND The Quilting Circle HERE.

HAPPY READING!!!
 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle  4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle  3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; The Widow’s Plight, The Daughter's Predicament, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She's an ACFW member and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren.

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