ZFC Item Section - 48 Star U.S. Liberation Flag

Exhibits Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.
Exhibition Copy	Exhibition History First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC0149) 48-Star Home Made United States Flag, From Occupied Belgium Date: 1944 Medium: Cotton; hand sewn Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters, Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Theresa, and Francoise, made flags from materials scavenged in their household mainly bed sheets. One of the flags was French, one British, and the most difficult for them to make, one was American. On September 7th, 1944 the ladies were afforded the opportunity to fly these flags. On that day American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, and the ladies responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night, an American officer stayed at their home Major Brice. It so happened that Major Brice was the great grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of thanks for the American part in the liberation of Belgium, the four ladies presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the War. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0149) in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD. Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery VI (ZFC0149) 48-Star United States Flag, Homemade in Occupied Belgium Date: 1944 48 Stars: July 4, 1912-July 3, 1959 (statehood: New Mexico January 6, 1912; Arizona February 14, 1912) Medium: Cotton; hand-sewn Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars and Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flags were afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the war. Chicago Meeting December, 2003 (ZFC0149) 48-Star United States Flag, Homemade in Occupied Belgium Date: 1944 48 Stars: July 4, 1912-July 3, 1959 (statehood: New Mexico January 6, 1912; Arizona February 14, 1912) Medium: Cotton; hand-sewn Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars and Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flagswere afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the war. University of California - Santa Cruz Board of Councilors Meeting, 7 June 2012 Rare Flags Exhibit Santa Cruz, CA, June 7, 2012: The Zaricor Flag Collection exhibited 34 flags and artifacts at the University of California Santa Cruz Campus for the Board of Councilors Meeting. 48 Star United States Flag, Homemade in Occupied Belgium Date: 1944 Media: Cotton; hand-sewn. Comment: During the occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars and Stripes. On September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flags, were afforded the opportunity to fly them that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. It is interesting to note that the family had attempted to fly the American flag a day earlier but German soldiers remaining in the area fired on the house, Francoise told Ben Zaricor in a telephone conversation in 1998. That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the war. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0149) in 1996 from the Star Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD. www.FlagCollection.com

Exhibits

Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.

Exhibition Copy

Exhibition History
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC0149)
48-Star Home Made United States Flag, From Occupied Belgium
Date: 1944
Medium: Cotton; hand sewn
Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters, Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Theresa, and Francoise, made flags from materials scavenged in their household mainly bed sheets. One of the flags was French, one British, and the most difficult for them to make, one was American. On September 7th, 1944 the ladies were afforded the opportunity to fly these flags. On that day American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, and the ladies responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night, an American officer stayed at their home Major Brice. It so happened that Major Brice was the great grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of thanks for the American part in the liberation of Belgium, the four ladies presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the War.
Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0149) in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD.

Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery VI
(ZFC0149)
48-Star United States Flag, Homemade in Occupied Belgium
Date: 1944 48 Stars: July 4, 1912-July 3, 1959 (statehood: New Mexico January 6, 1912; Arizona February 14, 1912)
Medium: Cotton; hand-sewn
Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars and Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flags were afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the war.

Chicago Meeting December, 2003
(ZFC0149)
48-Star United States Flag, Homemade in Occupied Belgium
Date: 1944 48 Stars: July 4, 1912-July 3, 1959 (statehood: New Mexico January 6, 1912; Arizona February 14, 1912)
Medium: Cotton; hand-sewn
Comment: During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars and Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flagswere afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to Baltimore after the war.

University of California - Santa Cruz
Board of Councilors Meeting, 7 June 2012

Rare Flags Exhibit

Santa Cruz, CA, June 7, 2012: The Zaricor Flag Collection exhibited 34 flags and artifacts at the University of California Santa Cruz Campus for the Board of Councilors Meeting.

48 Star United States Flag,
Homemade in Occupied Belgium

Date: 1944

Media: Cotton; hand-sewn.

Comment: During the occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Fresart and
her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Therese, and Francoise) made flags
from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French
Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult
was the Stars and Stripes. On September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken
great risks in making Allied flags, were afforded the opportunity to fly them that
day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of
Liege, the Coort-Fresart family responded by flying the American flag from their
window. It is interesting to note that the family had attempted to fly the American
flag a day earlier but German soldiers remaining in the area fired on the house,
Francoise told Ben Zaricor in a telephone conversation in 1998.
That night an American officer, a Major Brice, stayed at their home. As
a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the
grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who brought it home to
Baltimore after the war. Coincidentally, Major Brice was the great-grandson of
Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814.

Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0149) in 1996 from
the Star Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD.
www.FlagCollection.com

Publications Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.
Publication Copy	Publication History: Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 127. 48-Star United States Flag Home-Made in Occupied Belgium During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Frsart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Thrse, and Franoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars & Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flags were afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Lige, the Coort-Frsart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. Of special note, they attempted to hang it out the window a day too early and the home-received gunfire from German units still in the area. That night an American officer, Major Arthur Tilghman Brice, stayed at their home. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who took it home to Baltimore after the war. Major Brice, it turned out, was none other than the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814.

Publications

Publication Copy

Publication History:

Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 127.

48-Star United States Flag Home-Made in Occupied Belgium
During the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Madame Edith Coort-Frsart and her three daughters (Marguerite-Marie, Marie-Thrse, and Franoise) made flags from bed sheets and other materials scavenged in their household. The French Tricolor and British Union Jack were fairly easy to make while the most difficult was the Stars & Stripes. Finally, on September 7th, 1944, these women who had taken great risks in making Allied flags were afforded the opportunity to fly them. On that day, when American and Belgian resistance forces drove the Germans out of Lige, the Coort-Frsart family responded by flying the American flag from their window. Of special note, they attempted to hang it out the window a day too early and the home-received gunfire from German units still in the area. That night an American officer, Major Arthur Tilghman Brice, stayed at their home. As a token of their thanks for the American role in the liberation of Belgium, the grateful women presented this flag to Major Brice, who took it home to Baltimore after the war. Major Brice, it turned out, was none other than the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had penned the Star Spangled Banner in 1814.