About Edith Cavell

Edith Louisa Cavell 1865 – 1915

Edith Louisa Cavell, after whom the home is named and dedicated, was born on 4th December 1865; the daughter of the Vicar of Swardeston in Norfolk, England. Having nursed her father through a serious illness, she trained as a Registered Nurse at the Royal London Hospital.

After working in Brussels, Edith became Matron of the first teaching hospital, and pioneered the Belgian Nursing School and Belgian Nursing Service.

Called on to care for wounded soldiers in First World War, Edith impressed upon her nurses the need to care for their patients, irrespective of their nationality, and she did not hesitate when asked to help Allied Soldiers who became cut off from their units. Edith Cavell was responsible for the escape to neutral territory of over 200 Allied soldiers until her arrest in 1915.

When interrogated she acknowledged her role in the escape system and, despite efforts by neutral officials, she was executed by firing squad on 12th October 1915.

Because of her bravery during the escape operation and at her trial, she became known internationally as a hero and a martyr. In 1919 her body was exhumed and returned with great ceremony to Westminster Abbey. Edith Louisa Cavell was finally laid to rest at Norfolk Cathedral on 15 May 1919, where she was honoured as a war heroine by the Allied Forces.