#edith cavell

[omnia-mors-aequat-nstrwa]

A series of postcards by Italian artist Tito Corbell dedicated to nurse Edith Cavell (1916)

[etretesyeux]

Post cards Tito Corbella (1885-1966) designed depicting the murder of Edith Cavell

Edith was a British nurse who aided allied soldiers in escaping Belgium when it was under German control during WWI. She was captured by the Germans in 1915 and executed.. her death resulted in this painting and countless others being made and turned into postcards to commemorate her and as a form of anti-German propaganda.

[morbidology]

Edith Cavell was a nurse and is most known and celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers during the First World War. She did not discriminate and helped both German and Allied soldiers. She also helped over 200 allied soldiers to escape from occupied Belgium, something which she was eventually arrested for. Regardless of the fact that she helped German soldiers, she was found guilty of treason and was executed by a German firing squad in 1915.

[mysterious-secret-garden]

After Alexander Rosell - Edith Cavell, wearing Red Cross uniform, as her spirit rises in the form of an angel, 1915.

Edith Cavell wearing Red Cross uniform lying dead on the floor as her spirit rises in the form of an angel, a gloating jackbooted Prussian officer stands over her corpse, holding a smoking revolver.

[intheshadowofwar]

19 June 2023

The Imperial Metropolis

London 19 June 2023

So I was just settling into bed tonight, thinking about what I needed to do tomorrow, when I had an inkling that I’d forgotten to do something. Something important. Now, I’d had my meds, so it wasn’t that, I’d eaten dinner, showered, all that good stuff, so what could it be?

Oh. Right. Log.

I woke up very early this morning to get the train from Edgware to Victoria, meeting the group at our hotel just before nine. We proceeded from there to Westminster Cathedral, briefly exploring that building and looking at the Martyr’s Memorial within, before carrying on to the somewhat more famous Westminster Abbey. After a brief interrogation of the statuary on Parliament Square, we went inside.

I highly doubt Westminster Abbey needs an introduction - it’s Britain’s most famous church, and dozens of kings and dignitaries are buried inside. To this day, Britain’s heroes are commemorated in these hallowed walls - Isaac Newton lies next to Stephen Hawking, and there’s Prime Ministers from Pitt to Wilson. It’s absolutely packed, of course, but I’d say it’s well worth a look. The main reason we visited, of course, was the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, the representative of all Britain’s (and previously the Empire’s) war dead. It is interesting, considering the secular nature of most WWI commemoration, just how Christian the tomb is - but I suppose it ought to be, given its place in an abbey. Still, one must remember that he ostensibly represents the Catholic and Jewish soldiers of Britain, not to mention the Hindus and Muslims of the Indian Army.

After the Abbey, we proceeded up Whitehall, looking at the Cenotaph, the Women’s Cenotaph for the Second World War, and the statue of Field Marshal Haig. We went through Horse Guards (Life Guards on duty today) and observed the memorial to the Foot Guards, and then carried on via the Royal Marines Memorial next to Admiralty Arch (a Boer War Memorial, as I can’t escape my thesis topic) to Trafalgar Square. We broke for lunch here, and I had mine in the crypt beneath St. Martin’s in the Field church. It was a nice little cafe, and only a few sandbags and posters away from looking like something right out of the Blitz. Maybe I shouldn’t give them ideas.

After lunch, we looked at the Edith Cavell Memorial. Cavell, for the uninitiated, was a British nurse in Belgium shot for supposed espionage on 12 October 1915 - the monument is tall and heroic, a real ‘King and Country’ sort of thing; the words are even emblazoned on it. This makes the addition of a quote from Cavell in the 1920s - “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred in my heart for anybody.” - a rather curious juxtaposition. Still, it is well worth a look if one is at Trafalgar Square.

From St. Martin’s, we walked down to the Victoria Embankment Park, where a small memorial to the Imperial Camel Corps is situated. There was a brief discussion of Australian troops on leave in London, and then we carried on back up to the Strand and over to Australia House. Australia House, they say, is ‘our house’ in London; but security arrangements had fallen through, preventing us from going inside. Canada and New Zealand, we were told, are not so paranoid about security, and we would have had no problem going inside.

On the other side of the road was the St. Clement Danes Church, which served as a centre for Anzac and Armistice Day services for Australians in London during the interwar years. Today it’s the official church of the Royal Air Force. Statues of Air Marshals Dowding and ‘Bomber’ Harris stand sentinel outside, and the floor is marked with the crests of various RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF and affiliated squadrons. A panel lists the RAF’s VC and GC holders - notably Guy Gibson, commander of the Dams Raid in May 1943. Gibson’s been in the news lately - the conversion of RAF Scampton into a refugee torture chamb- I mean internment centre has placed his office and the grave of his dog under threat. Many people are very emotional about this grave - yet, in an absurdly farcical situation, they absolutely cannot mention it’s name. (The dog was black. The name rhymed with trigger. I’m sure you can put this one together.)

We broke up shortly after, and after a quick visit to Foyles and a brief rest at the hotel, I went with the professor and a few others to Skygarden. This is basically a garden and cafe on top of a skyscraper, and the views are spectacular. Best of all, entry is free. On the way home I fell down the stairs at Monument, and now there’s a big lump on my left arm. These things happen I suppose.

Tomorrow, we head to Green Park to interrogate the memorials there, before spending the lion’s share of the day at the Imperial War Museum. If it goes anything like today did, it’ll be a blast.

[mindblowingfactz]

A British nurse named Edith Cavell helped treat soldiers regardless of their nationalities in WWI. She also helped them escape from German-occupied Belgium. When caught, she refused to lie about her actions and was executed by the firing squad.

[ethelcainlovebot]

- "The murder of Miss Cavell inspires German 'Kultur'", Tito Corbella (1885-1966)

[princessanneftw]

Princess Astrid and Princess Anne laid a wreath at the Edith Cavell Memorial in London.

British nurse Edith Cavell played an important role in the development of Belgium’s nursing sector. She was active in Belgium during World War I, but was executed in 1915.

Edith Cavell is honoured in the UK as a war martyr and annual commemoration ceremonies are organised.

The Edith Cavell Trust Fund honours her name and provides support to active and committed nurses and midwives in financial difficulty.

@BelgiumMFA | 11 May 2022