In the tiny village of Swardeston, England—population 300—a baby was born in 1865. Her father was the vicar of the quiet little parish, and it would have been reasonable to suppose that her life, too, would be quiet and uneventful. But Fate had other plans for her. Fifty years later, as she stood before a German firing squad, the whole world knew the name of Edith Cavell.
After Edith graduated from school, she obtained a position in Brussels as governess to the children of a wealthy Belgian. When the children no longer needed her, Edith decided to become a nurse. The work was hard, the pay practically nothing. But Edith proved to be a born nurse, and her ability was soon recognized.
When World War I broke out, Edith Cavell was the head of a nurses' training school and clinic in Brussels. 149 Rue de la Culture was the address, and it soon became a significant one. For it was a lifeline for escaping English soldiers, who would be shot if caught by the invading German army. The quiet English nurse played cat-and-mouse with the German secret police for one solid year, spiriting her countrymen over the border to Holland and safety.
When the inevitable finally happened, Edith faced the arresting officers calmly. High officials of the Allied nations tried desperately to save her from the sentence of death, but Edith's courage never faltered.
Iris Vinton has written a moving and thrilling story of the woman whose life and death have made the name of Edith Cavell stand for courage, patriotism, and honesty.
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