Edith Cavell was a British nurse who served in the First World War (1914-1918). She treated soldiers from either side and helped over 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. She was arrested and killed by German forces in 1915.
Daughter of Rev. Frederick V. Cavell and Louisa Sophia Cavell. Sister of Edith Louisa Cavell; Mary Lilian Wainright and John Frederick Scott Cavell.
The Story of Edith Cavell
The name of Edith Cavell may be familiar to some. She was of course the English nurse who is remembered for saving the lives of soldiers on both sides of the war in WWI Edith was executed by the Germans in October 1915 for helping over 200 Allied soldiers escape from enemy-occupied territory at noon. It was alleged that Edith fainted after watching the firing squad shoot other traitors, the commanding officer told the firing squad to shoot, but they could not do so the officer removed his revolver and shot her at blank range.
Edith was born in 1865 in Norfolk and was educated at home by her father. When she turned 16, she was educated at boarding schools in Clevedon, Somerset, and Peterborough. These were finishing schools where a young woman of good social standing could learn the skills to become a good wife or, if she found herself wanting a husband, could fit into the home of an upper-class family as their governess.
Edith fell in love with her second cousin, Eddie. However, Eddie refused to marry her as he suffered from a genetic nervous condition. In 1890 Edith moved to Brussels to take up the position of governess. In 1895, Edith returned to her home in Swardeston, Norfolk to nurse her sick father, Frederick, who was the vicar of the local church. With Edith’s nursing, her father’s health soon improved and this is said to have inspired her to pursue a career in nursing.
Edith registered the following September at the London Hospital School of Nursing and began her training. In 1897 there was a typhoid epidemic in Maidstone, Kent and Edith was seconded to the local hospital, along with nine other probationers. She earned the “Maidstone Medal” for her service. In 1899 Edith completed her training and worked in several London institutes and infirmaries before returning to Brussels in 1907. Here she became the director of the Berkendael Institute in Brussels, the first of its kind in Belgium and her pioneering work led her to be considered the founder of modern nursing education in that country.
You might wonder why I’m telling you about a woman with no obvious connection to Withernsea. Well, you see, Edith did have a connection.
Brief Life History of Florence Mary Scott Cavell.
When Florence Mary Scott Cavell was born in 1867, in Swardeston, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, her father, Reverend Frederick Cavell, was 43, and her mother, Louisa Sophia Warming, was 32.
Florence lived in Bobbing, Kent, in 1911. At the age of 44, her occupation was listed as Matron at a hospital for infectious diseases. She died on 2 June 1950, in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, at the age of 83.
Florence was two years younger than Edith Cavell.
Reverend Frederick Cavell and his wife Louisa had four children: three daughters and a son - Edith Louisa, Lillian, Florence Mary Scott, and John Fredrick Scott. All three sisters chose a career in nursing (their brother went into insurance), Florence and Lillian had likely followed a similar educational path as their older sister Edith. Unlike Edith, their history is not as well documented, but it is Florence who provides us with a link to Withernsea.
In 1855 the Queen’s Hotel was built by the Northeastern Railway. When the hotel closed in 1892 it was bought by Francis and James Reckitt who donated it to the Hull Royal Infirmary. The following year it opened as a convalescent home. In 1913 Florence Mary Scott Cavell moved to Withernsea to take up the post of matron at the Hull and East Riding Convalescent Home.
Florence intended to stay for only a year, but it was a post that she was to hold for the next thirty.
In March 1919 Florence Cavell brought the body of her sister, Edith, back home to the Norfolk village where she was born. A memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey on May 15, 1919. Her coffin, draped in a Union flag, was carried through the streets of London. Thousands turned out to watch. After the service, the coffin was taken by train to Norfolk Cathedral where Edith Cavell is buried. Florence worked tirelessly to see that Edith’s dream of a home for sick, old, tired, or convalescing nurses came true. In 1920 the Daily Mail reported on a garden fete, held by the Girls Club of the Withernsea branch of the National British Women’s Temperance Association (NBWTA) which was raising funds for The Edith Cavell Homes of Rest for Nurses. Florence’s efforts meant that six such convalescent homes were already up and running.
Florence retired from hospital life in 1946. Three years later she was visiting Leeds for Christmas. As she crossed the Headrow she was hit by a car and suffered serious head injuries. Admitted to Leeds General Infirmary, Florence was x-rayed to see if she had fractured her skull. Fortunately, she hadn’t and was allowed to return to her home at 227b (Top flat) Queen Street, Withernsea, East Riding. A home once owned by Cllr Brian Cloke and since 2021 Mr & Mrs Stevens.
The following summer Florence Mary Scott Cavell passed away peacefully in the place where she had given 30 years of service - the Hull and East Riding Convalescent Home.
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