The Execution of Edith Cavell

The aging woman stood tall as the procession of gray clad soldiers filed into position along the firing line. Deep down she had known this was a possibility from the start and was prepared for it. An officer shouted something that she did not understand but knew as soon as she heard the men bring their rifles down from their shoulders and leveled them at her. A moment later the officer shouted once more, followed by a tremendous roar and everything went black. 

Portrait of Edith Cavell. Public Domain.

Edith Cavell 

Edith Louisa Cavell was born to Frederick and Louisa Cavell in Swardeston, Norfolk Britain on December 4, 1865. She was the oldest of four siblings and travelled to Belgium where she became a governess for prominent members of the aristocracy there. She spent several years in Belgium when her father became very ill and she returned to England to nurse him back to health. It is believed that around this time is when she decided to become a nurse. Shortly after her father recovered in late 1895 she travelled to London where she trained as a nurse at the Royal London Hospital in White Chapel. She completed her training in 1898 and went to work at hospitals in Shoreditch, Kings Cross, and Manchester. Then in 1907 she was offered a job as Matron at the Berkendael Institute in Brussels, Belgium’s first training hospital and school for nurses. There was no established nursing infrastructure in Belgium at the time and Edith had to make up much of the curriculum herself. She is considered to be a pioneer of modern nursing within the country. 

Edith Cavell with her dogs. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum.

World War 

Edith was visiting friends and family in Norfolk when World War One broke out. Upon hearing that German troops were advancing on Belgium she immediately prepared to return to the small nation. Some of her close friends attempted to convince her to stay but she would not change her mind and told them “at a time like this, I am more needed than ever.” Brussels was occupied by German forces on August 20th and Edith’s nursing school was transformed into a Red Cross hospital where they took in soldiers from both sides. Edith made sure no one was left behind, telling her fellow nurses “Any wounded soldier must be treated, friend or foe. Each man is a father, husband or son. As nurses you must take no part in the quarrel – our work is for humanity. The profession of nursing knows no frontiers.” 

British Red Cross nurses during World War One. Public Domain.

In September of that same year two British soldiers who had been wounded in the Battle of Mons showed up at her hospital. She treated both and arranged for them to be smuggled out of Belgium into neutral Holland. Edith quickly became an integral part of the smuggling network. She provided the men with food and clothing, gave them fake passports, and helped them arrange meetings with those that could sneak them across. Over the next 11 months she helped roughly 200 British, French, and Belgian men escape. 

German officials caught wind of the operations and began a lengthy investigation. Otto Mayer, a member of the German intelligence secret police, became the lead investigator. He arrested several nurses, including Edith, but released them all after lengthy interrogations. Still they were closing in on Cavell and the others. Marie de Croy, a member of the Belgian aristocracy and later a leader in the Belgian resistance, told Edith that she needed to sever her ties with the others. Cavell is quoted as replying, “I can't stop while there are lives to be saved.” 

Edith did not necessarily do herself any favors in going undetected as she was quite outspoken about the German occupation. All German officials needed to do was catch her in the act. They decided to perform a sting operation using George Gaston Quien, a Frenchman who defected to the German side. George disguised himself as an allied soldier looking for safe passage out of the country, and went to Edith’s hospital where she arranged for him to be taken across the border in June 1915. In July of that same year the hospital was swarmed with German inspectors and more impostor refugees. On August 15th the Germans had all the evidence they needed and arrested Edith. She was taken to St. Giles Prison where she spent the time awaiting her trial in solitary confinement. Edith actually enjoyed her time here, later saying “I thank God for these ten weeks of quiet. It has been like a solemn fast from earthly distractions.”

Outside View of Edith’s cell. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum.

Trial and Execution 

Edith Cavell, along with 34 others involved, was tried at a court martial on October 7, 1915. Before the trial she made a full confession, admitting that she had helped roughly 60 British soldiers, 15 French soldiers, and about 100 French and Belgian men of military age escape to Holland. The day before the court martial she even signed a written statement saying that she aided in their escape. She also signed three depositions confirming what she did, but it is likely that she did not know what they said as she could not read German. One of her co-conspirators who could read it later stated that they were froth with untrue accusations and threats. Despite her willing confessions she answered evasively when asked about the others involved. 

When her trial came she offered no defense. To no one's surprise she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Both the United States and Spain protested the sentence and attempted to secure her a reprieve, but ultimately failed. Neither Britain, France or Belgium could offer a formal protest as they were actively at war against Germany, though they did threaten Germany by saying that it would tarnish their already spotty reputation (which it did). 

Edith Cavell’s body being transported back to Britain after the war. Courtesy of World War 1 Postcards.

The night before her execution she spoke to Reverend Stirling Gahan and said, “I have no fear nor shrinking. I have seen death so often that it is not strange or fearful to me ... They have all been very kind to me here. But this I would say, standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.” On October 12, 1915 Edith Cavell was taken to the Tir National, the Belgian National Shooting Range, and lined up in front of an eight man firing squad. Her and another man who was involved in the escapes were then executed. 

There are some that consider Cavell’s execution to be a murder. Morally one could go back and forth on all day, but legally it was justified. Normally medical personnel are protected under the Geneva Convention unless they perform a belligerent act, which Edith was guilty of for aiding in the escape of enemy soldiers, therefore her execution was legal under both the Geneva Convention and German military law. Though some have argued that the exemption only applies when medical personnel help soldiers escape to their home country, not a neutral one. This technicality is still argued about today. 

Pictures in above carousel depict the different forms of propaganda made out of Cavell’s execution. Photos are courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, Picture Postcards of the Great War, Public Domain, World War 1 Postcards, Propaganda Postcards of the Great War, First World War Hidden History, The History Press, and the Imperial War Museums respectively.

Whether the execution was legal or not it still upset many allied and neutral countries. Edith’s image became part of a national recruitment campaign in Britain which saw the average number of recruits per week double. It also helped to spark anti-German sentiment in many neutral countries and was one of many reasons that convinced them to join the allied cause. 

After the war was over Cavell’s body was exhumed and taken to Britain where a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey. Her remains were then reburied at Norwich Cathedral. In 1920 a memorial was erected near Trafalgar Square in London to honor her, and the Church of England still recognizes October 12th as the day for commemoration of Edith Cavell. 

Edith Cavell memorial in Trafalgar Square. Courtesy of Christian Today.

Personal Thoughts 

Edith’s story is one that I had not known about until very recently and when I found out I knew I had to write an article about her. She really seemed to be a good person that wanted nothing more than to help people. She did not see nationality, or at least tried not to, and while that ultimately led to her downfall from the evidence I don’t think she cared. People like her only want to do good in the world no matter the consequence, it conjures to mind the old saying “No good deed goes unpunished.” 

Do I think the Germans were necessarily wrong for executing her? No. Do I think it was a bad move on their part? Absolutely. I think civilian emotion and just general ignorance of how war works muddies peoples reasoning when it comes to stories like this. In order to have an effective campaign one cannot have people undermining their authority and aiding the enemy. Now the Germans certainly could have handled the situation better by imprisoning her or possibly moving her to a different part of the country, and while their decision did cost them dearly in the eyes of other nations it was not necessarily the wrong move to make in regard to the situation. 

Sources 

Cover photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/who-was-edith-cavell

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edith-Cavell

https://edithcavell.org.uk/edith-cavell-in-her-own-words/

https://edithcavell.org.uk/edith-cavell-as-others-saw-her/

https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/women/edith-cavell

https://www.cavellnursestrust.org/what-we-do/who-was-edith-cavell/

http://www.kumc.edu/wwi/biography/edith-cavell.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2936975/

https://gallery.library.vcu.edu/exhibits/show/edithcavell/imprisonment--trial--and-execu

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-34401643

Book. Mud, Blood and Poppycock: This Will Overturn Everything You Thought You Knew about Britain and The First World War by Gordon Corrigan