Location: Edith Cavell Memorial, St. Martin’s Place, London
Artist: Sir George Frampton
Edith Louisa Cavell (4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War, for which she was arrested under martial law. She was accused of treason, found guilty by a court-martial and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.
The night before her execution, she said, "Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone." These words were later inscribed on a memorial to her near Trafalgar Square. Her strong Anglican beliefs propelled her to help all those who needed it, both German and Allied soldiers. She was quoted as saying, "I can't stop while there are lives to be saved." The Church of England commemorates her in its Calendar of Saints on 12 October.
Cavell, who was 49 at the time of her execution, was already notable as a pioneer of modern nursing in Belgium.
"I realise that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone" - Edith Cavell
Edith Cavell (1865-1915) was a British nurse based with the Red Cross in occupied Belgium. She treated both armies, but helped hundreds of Allied soldiers escape to the Netherlands. She was arrested in 1915 on the charge of harbouring prisoners of war where she confessed in full to her crimes and executed by a firing squad. Her death quickly became the subject of Allied propaganda worldwide, becoming the most prominent female casualty of the Great War.
The 3 meter high sculpture was designed by architect Sir George Frampton and was unveiled by Queen Alexandra on 17 March 1920 in St Martin’s Place, London. Architect Frampton was criticised for its ‘modernity’ of style as the female figure completes a cross form; she is not a Madonna and Christ child, but rather a mother protecting a female child. Frampton was known for a symbolist style, often executing figures in a dream-like state; making him a central judge in the selection of official war artists and memorials.
