Edith Cavell 1865 – 1915

Biography

Edith Cavell was born in Swardeston, Norfolk, England, and trained as a nurse, becoming matron of a pioneering nursing school in Brussels, Belgium, where she modernized nursing education. When the First World War began, she stayed at her post and joined an underground network that sheltered Allied soldiers and helped some two hundred of them escape occupied Belgium to neutral Holland. Arrested by the German authorities in 1915, she was tried by court-martial and sentenced to death, despite international pleas for clemency. She was executed by firing squad in Brussels on October 12, 1915, reportedly saying that patriotism was not enough and that she must have no hatred or bitterness. Her death caused worldwide outrage and made her a symbol of courage and humanity. She is commemorated by memorials in London, Brussels, and Norwich, and her story is still taught as an example of moral courage.