Who is edith cavell

At the start of the war, Edith had nursed Allied wounded, but when Belgium was overrun by the Germans she nursed Germans too. In defiance of German martial law, Edith began to shelter wounded British and French soldiers who had evaded capture, and young Belgians of military age.

She joined the Belgian Resistance and helped these men escape into neutral Holland. Edith was arrested in August and, within a very short space of time, was court martialed and sentenced to death. Despite an international outcry which included strong representations by the neutral US government, she was executed by firing squad on 12 October The death of a woman under such circumstances caused a wave of revulsion throughout the civilised world.

There are dozens of memorials to Edith Cavell - in Belgium, in France and throughout the English-speaking world including hospitals and schools and there is even a mountain named after her! Edith's life is also celebrated in music, from a Catholic mass to recent folk music. The Church of England, which does not make saints, created the unusual honour of an Edith Cavell Day, 12 October, which she shares with the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry d.

A short Belgian film of her funeral in achieved worldwide distribution, and a silent movie was made in Australia in about her. Herbert Wilcox made two films about Edith Cavell. The first was Dawn, a silent movie which starred one of the leading actresses of her day, Sybil Thorndike, as Edith. This highly-acclaimed film was nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Score, and its release in America and in Europe on the eve of the Second War World had a significant impact on audiences. They were Captain D.

She became a private nurse and was in Paris when the Germans took the city. Even when Brussels fell and most nurses returned home, Edith remained. For the next few months, Edith smuggled many British soldiers out of occupied Belgium and hid wounded soldiers and civilians, all at her own personal risk. The last letter Edith wrote to her mother before her arrest is now in the care of Norwich Cathedral.

She was arrested on 5 August by local German authorities, who her charged with treason for having personally aided in the escape of soldiers, in violation of German military law.

A post shared by Findmypast findmypast. During her 10 weeks in solitary confinement, the Germans extracted the confession from Cavell which formed the basis of her trial. Edith, and her Belgian accomplice Philippe Baucq, were pronounced guilty and sentenced to death by a German firing squad.

Throughout her trial, Nurse Edith conducted herself with incredible bravery and dignity, which earned her great respect and significantly contributed to her heroic image.

Neutral countries were appalled by the proceedings, with United States diplomats unsuccessfully attempting to intervene on her behalf. The sentence was carried out on 12 October without reference to the German high command.

Her final words to the German prison chaplain, Paul Le Seur, were recorded as,. Edith's death was loudly condemned as an act of merciless brutality and garnered sympathetic press coverage worldwide. Edith's execution was reported in Globe , 21 October Hours before she was taken from the cell where she had spent the last ten weeks and executed, Edith Cavell had a visitor.

Her friend, Reverend H Stirling T Gahan was permitted to enter the prison in Belgium on the evening of 11 October and, though there was nothing he could do to change the sentence awaiting the nurse the next morning, he hoped to share with her some kind words and the Holy Communion. Remembered for: Being a British nurse who paid the ultimate price for helping Allied First World War soldiers escape German authorities.

She saved around lives. Born 4 December to a poor vicar, a young Edith Louisa Cavell grew up with such principles as sacrifice and compassion. Along with three younger siblings, she was taught the Bible at the family home in the small Norfolk village of Swardeston. After school, Cavell had several jobs as a governess, including a five-year post in Brussels starting in Edith was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by firing squad. At dawn on 12th October , despite international pressure for mercy, nurse Edith Cavell was put to death by a German firing squad.

Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage. Her image and story were widely used in propaganda and recruitment posters encouraging British soldiers to sign up to the war effort.

At the time, millions of soldiers and civilians owed their lives to the dedication, self-sacrifice and hard work of nurses. We support UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants when they are facing a personal or financial crisis, or suffering hardship.