Voice 1
Hello, I’m Mike Procter.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This program uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The terrible sounds of battle. The First World War brought great sadness to each of the countries it affected. Family after family experienced injury, loss and death. And yet it was also a time for great courage. Normal men and women performed acts of bravery that are still remembered today. In today’s Spotlight, we tell the story of one of those quiet heroes. Her name was Edith Cavell.
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Edith Cavell was born on the 4th of December, 1865. She was the oldest of four children. Her father was a church minister in the east of England. The Cavell family did what they could to serve their local community - sharing their food, teaching children in Sunday school. This desire to serve stayed with Edith for the rest of her life. When she left school, she became a teacher. She started working at a school in England. Then, in 1890, she became a private teacher for a family in Belgium. During this time, Edith learnt to speak French extremely well. And, it was also during this time that she became concerned about helping sick people. She decided to leave teaching and learn how to care for sick people - how to become a nurse.
Voice 1
Edith soon found that she had a gift for nursing. She completed her training without any problems. She then worked at a number of hospitals around England. In 1907, she returned to Belgium to work. A doctor invited Edith to lead a training school for nurses. It was called the Birkendael Medical Institute. At that time, it was not considered acceptable for young women to have any kind of job. However, a royal accident changed all that! The Queen of Belgium broke her arm. She asked the Birkendael Institute to send a nurse to care for her. The Queen’s interest helped to change people’s opinions about Edith’s school. Its teachers worked hard to provide well-trained nurses for a number of hospitals. And this earned people’s respect.
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On the fourth of August, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium. Edith Cavell was in England at the time, visiting her mother. However, she refused to stay at home where she would be safe. She told her mother:
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“At a time like this, I am needed more than ever.”
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So she returned to serve in Birkendael. By then, it had become a Red Cross hospital. This required its nurses to care for injured soldiers from every country - even enemy soldiers.
Voice 1
German forces marched south through Belgium to invade France. British soldiers were fighting with the French army to try and keep the Germans out of France. But they were not successful. As a result, many British and French soldiers faced being caught by German forces. But some of them managed to find their way to Edith Cavell’s training school. Here, she took care of them and hid them from the German authorities. She heard about some local people who were willing to help the soldiers escape. Together, they organized travel for the soldiers out of Belgium to Holland. This was a safe country that remained neutral during the whole war.
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The German authorities considered this kind of action to be a very serious crime. There were signs all over Belgium saying: “Any male or female who hides a British or French soldier in his house will be punished.” And, as a Red Cross nurse, Edith should have remained neutral. But Edith felt she could not behave in any other way. For her, protecting and helping hunted men to escape to freedom was necessary. It was just as much an act of service as caring for sick people. She believed that, in the eyes of God, she was acting correctly. And, she was ready to accept any punishment for her behaviour.
Voice 1
In August 1915, the authorities discovered what was happening at Edith’s training school. And Edith was arrested. The German authorities accused her of aiding the escape of up to two hundred British and French soldiers. She was kept alone in prison for ten weeks. During that time, she admitted to what she had done. She said:
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“I had to help those soldiers. If I had not, they would have been executed.”
Voice 1
At her trial, the judge found her guilty. The sentence for her crime was the most severe sentence possible - death.
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The authorities decided to execute Edith as soon as they could. On the night before her death, the prison officers permitted her to have a visitor. Stirling Gahan was a Christian minister in Belgium at that time. He prayed with Edith and tried to ease her mental suffering. Edith told him:
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“I am thankful to have had these ten weeks to get ready for my death...I expected my sentence and believe it was just. Now I stand where God sees me and I see time without end. Now I understand that loving my country is not enough. I must not hate or stay hostile towards anyone”.
Voice 1
Early on October the twelfth, 1915, Edith Cavell was taken to the National Rifle Shooting Centre. A prison minister then prayed with her. Her last words to him were:
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“Ask Mister Gahan to speak to my loved ones later. He should tell them that my soul, as I believe, is safe. And, that I am happy to die for my country.”
Voice 1
Some men then tied her to a wooden post. They placed a cover over her eyes. Finally, an army officer gave the command to fire. Two sets of eight soldiers fired their guns at her. And her body fell to the ground without a sound.
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News of Edith’s death shocked people in Britain. And the government used it to encourage more and more young men to join the army. But Edith did not want people to think of her as a martyr. She had died for her country. But she believed that she had only been ‘a nurse trying to do her duty’ - nothing more. People may have different opinions about Edith’s behaviour. But no one can question her courage. And that is what history will remember her for.
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