Button embroidered with flowers : Mrs C M Levison (nee Touw), civil internee

Small fabric covered button with embroidered cotton flowers. There are seven flowers in all. One of each, in red, purple, light green, dark blue, orange, light blue, and yellow. The reverse side of the button has a woven white cotton backing.

Mrs Corina Levison (nee Touw) was born on 2 July 1922 in Batavia (Jakarta) where her father worked for the Dutch East Indies Government. Her family moved around with her father's work and lived in various towns in Java and Sumatra. She married an Englishman, who worked for a British firm in Medan (Sumatra), in December 1941. When the Japanese captured Sumatra, she and her husband were interned in the native jail in Medan, in xeparate cells, along with about a dozen other British subjects, all males. Corina remained in the jail for 6 months from 13 March 1942 until mid September 1942. Then she was transferred to the Internment Camp at Pulau Brayan where the Dutch women and children were imprisoned. He mother and sister were in this camp. From therel they were moved to other internment camps at Glugur, and Aek Paminke, the latter in a rubber plantation deep in the interior of Sumatra, until they were liberated in August 1945.

This button, which could be worn as a brooch, was made by Mrs Levison for her mother. She also made several others to give away as presents.