Women of Courage in History - Edith Cavell

If you've heard of Cavell, it might be because of her famous pronouncement about war: "Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anybody." But her story is one of the most famous of any to come out of World War I. A British nurse who ran a Belgian clinic, she saved many lives on both sides. She also managed to smuggle nearly 200 British, French, and Belgian soldiers and military-age men out of Belgium, which was occupied by the Germans. When the plot was discovered, Cavell was arrested, tried with 33 others by a German military court, found guilty of ‘assisting men to the enemy’ and shot by a German firing squad on October 12 1915, despite worldwide outrage. Her death caused shock waves, helped a surge in British recruitment, and made her a martyr: Edith Piaf was named after her. "Standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."

Edith Louisa Cavell, October 11th 1915