Weekly Meeting - Whisper of Eternity (Peter Petrie)

Wed, Jul 24th 2019 at 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Speaker Meeting (Friend/VOT Bob Paterson)


Whisper of Eternity (Peter Petrie)

Peter gave us a very eloquent and fascinating insight into the life, achievements and the ensuing fame of this quiet but dedicated determined and heroic nurse.

Edith Cavell (rhymes with travel!), the daughter of a vicar, was born near Norwich in 1865 and executed by the Germans in October 2015 in Brussels.

After time spent as a governess partly with a family in Brussels and other roles she entered nurse training in London at the age of 30. She developed skills and enthusiasm in management and teaching of nurses and, interestingly was impressed by quality of nursing and training of nurses in Germany.

In 1905 the opportunity came to join a Surgeon Dr Depage at his Institute in Brussels where he was making efforts to reduce the risks of infection with surgery and set up a training school for nurses. In 1914, with the onset of war, Mrs Depage was on a fund raising trip in America but her urgent return home was thwarted as she sadly chose to sail in the Lusitania.

With Belgium invaded rapidly, many allied troops found themselves isolated and lost mainly in the forests around Mons. Asking for help these soldiers turned to the local population for help and safe houses were set up to complete an escape route across Belgium to neutral Holland. Edith became involved and around 200 allied soldiers were repatriated by 2015. Unfortunately the escape route was infiltrated and 35 were arrested including Edith. Edith taught to always be truthful admitted her activities to the Germans who were ruling Belgium by creating fear and promises of reprisal. The death penalty was in place for sheltering or helping allied soldiers and Edith proved no exception and she died shot by firing squad in October 2015

This was in the full light of publicity despite multiple protests from around the world.  She became a cause celebre the news of her execution spread wildly in Britain and America as an example of the cruelty and injustice of the Germans.
Posters depicting her execution were said to have doubled recruitment for the British army.. Even after the war there was a grand state funeral in Westminster Abbey before her body was re- interred in her home City of Norwich.

Peter speculated on the effects of the publicity of Edith Cavell’s execution coupled with the sinking of the Lusitania and burning of the town of Louvain on the American view of German behaviour which was certainly influenced. Maybe it was U boat activity off the American shores that finally changed America’s neutrality and that was 2 years later.

None the less Edith Cavell was clearly a real heroine of a very modest and honest nature who achieved real progress in the nursing world
At her last communion she stated ‘Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred towards anyone’

An inspiring tale well told and I am pleased to relate that Peter takes no fee but talks in return  for  a donation to CLIC Sargent.

Bob Paterson

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