Impending Execution of Edith Cavell, 1915
Drawing depicts the impending execution of Edith Cavell. The scene is a dark and chaotic room or prison cell, with grates or bars covering the windows and door. A woman dressed in white stands on a flight of stairs. There are soldiers and a priest on the landing above her; at least one of the soldiers holds a rifle. There are soldiers at the bottom of the stairs and in the foreground as well. At least three soldiers lie on the floor, either asleep or dead. Others hold rifles, lanterns, or a sword. Edith Louisa Cavell (December 4, 1865 - October 12, 1915) was an English nurse and pioneer of modern nursing in Belgium. She she trained as a nurse at the London Hospital. In November 1914, after the German occupation of Brussels, she began sheltering British soldiers and funneling them out of occupied Belgium to the neutral Holland. Wounded and derelict British and French soldiers and Belgians and French of military age were hidden from the Germans and provided with false papers. she was arrested. She was arrested in August 1915 and charged with harboring Allied soldiers (betrayed by Gaston Quien, who was later convicted by a French court as a collaborator). She was court-martialed, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad at the age of 49. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage. She is celebrated and most remembered for her statement that "patriotism is not enough". Her strong Anglican beliefs propelled her to help all those who needed it, both German and Allied soldiers. Undated drawing by George Bellows.
Size: 4200px × 3133px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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