Memorial statue to Edith Cavell, executed for helping British soldiers in Belgium reach neutral Netherlands. She was executed by firing squad in Brussels, Belgium on October 12, 1915.
Sited in St. Martin's Place, London, the pedestal on which her statue stands is placed before a column, square at the base and rounded above her head. On the four sides of the lower column are the words 'Humanity,' 'Sacrifice,' 'Devotion,' 'Fortitude.' The inscription on the front of the pedestal reads:
'Edith Cavell
Brussels Dawn October 12th 1915
Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone.'
The quotation is from her conversation with the English chaplain, Mr. Gahan, who was with her before her execution.
At the top of the column a mother and child replace the top of a cross. Below them is a shield reading 'For King and Country.'
The memorial was designed by Sir George Frampton. © 2014 John M. Shea

Humanity



Edith Cavell

Brussels Dawn October 12th 1915

Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone.

The quotation is from her conversation with the English chaplain, Mr. Gahan, who was with her before her execution.

At the top of the column a mother and child replace the top of a cross. Below them is a shield reading 'For King and Country.'

The memorial was designed by Sir George Frampton.

Other views: Larger, Larger

Tuesday, October 12, 1915

". . . soldiers had come to her and asked to be helped to the frontier; that knowing the risks she had helped them. She said she had nothing to regret, no complaint to make, and that is she had to do it all over again, she would change nothing. And most pathetic of all was her statement that she thanked God for the six weeks she had passed in prison—the nearest approach to rest she had known for years.

They partook together of the Holy Communion, and she who had so little need for preparation was prepared for death. She was free from resentment and said: 'I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward any one.'

She was taken out and shot before daybreak.

She was denied the support of her own clergyman at the end, but a German military chaplain stayed with her and gave her burial within the precincts of the prison. He did not conceal his admiration and said: 'She was courageous to the end. She professed her Christian faith and said that she was glad to die for her country. She died like a heroine.'"

Quotation Context

Final paragraphs from 'The Case of Miss Edith Cavell' from A Journal from our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson, Secretary to the American Legation in Brussels, Belgium. Englishwoman Edith Cavell was director of a large nursing home in Brussels, Belgium who helped French and British soldiers and Belgian men from occupied Belgium to neutral Netherlands. Cavell was arrested on August 5, 1915, and Gibson had been trying to assist her since learning of the case in late August or early September. During her October 7 and 8 trial, she admitted that some of the men had written her from England to thank her, evidence used to make the claim she had conducted soldiers to the enemy. Cavell was found guilty, and executed by firing squad on October 12, 1915. Gibson's published journal ends with the December 31, 1914 entry, with the case of Ms. Cavell, previously published in 'World's Work' as a final chapter.

Source

A Journal from our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson, page 362, copyright © Copyright, 1917, by Doubleday, Page & Company, publisher: Doubleday, Page & Company, publication date: 1917

Tags

Cavell, Edith Cavell, 1915, 1915-10-12, October, Gibson, Hugh Gibson